As a country we love our furry, finned and feathered pet friends, but seriously, have some of us lost the plot.
For example, who would clean out their cat's litter tray with all its gross little poo presents and lumps of smelly urine-soaked clay, crystals or paper - and then not wash their hands!
Too disgusting to even contemplate?
Well apparently quite a few cat-owning Aussies - in fact according to research by The Food Safety Information Council some 12 per cent of cat owners - don't wash their hands after handling their felines' excretory containers.
Have they any idea what nasties cat poo can contain - bacteria, parasites, fungi, intestinal worms and viruses.
Then the thought they might make themselves or their families and friends some feline faeces-flavoured food is enough to make you decline dinner at any house where there is cat in residence.
Mind you, could those cat owners also be the people who don't wash their hands after using the loo? Just putting it out there.
Not to mention 31 per cent of cat owners feed their cat raw meat and I'd hate to think what they do after feeding kitty its raw chicken chow - lick the wrapper on the basis of waste not want not.
Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world, with 68.7 per cent of Australian households having pets.
According to a survey by Animal Medicines Australia, 48 per cent of households have dogs, 33 per cent have cats, 11 percent keep birds, 12 per cent keep fish, 3 per cent keep reptiles and 4 per cent have small mammals.
The poor management of all of these pets can result in you becoming sick - you can even catch salmonella from your fish tanks.
Most of us consider pets to be part of the family and, in return, having a pet has been shown to have positive health benefits. Studies show owning a pet can reduce stress, increase rates of exercise and even reduce the incidence of allergies and help strengthen the immune system in children exposed to pets in early childhood.
But let's try and ensure all we're sharing with our pets is love.
Here are some simple tips from the Food Safety Information Council to help you avoid getting infections from your pets:
- Make sure pets are fully immunised, dewormed, and have had flea and tick treatments.
- Cats and dogs may pass on Salmonella infections if they eat raw meat so it is best to feed them a balanced diet of a commercially prepared food and try to keep cats inside so they cannot eat wild birds or animals. Cats can also pass on the infective stage of Toxoplasma parasites if they are fed raw meat and that can be particularly risky for pregnant women and their unborn babies, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.
- Try to avoid cleaning out litter trays if you are pregnant and empty litter trays daily as the parasites in the cat's faeces don't become infectious until 24 hours after being excreted from the cat.
- Try to keep pets out of areas where you are preparing food, especially kitchen benchtops. As always, wash your hands with soap and dry thoroughly before handling food and after handling your pet, their food or toys. Don't let your pets lick or take food from your plate. Don't wash pet food bowls in with your own dishes, preferably wash them in a separate laundry sink if you have one.
- Responsible pet ownership involves a lot of picking up poop which can transfer germs to your hands. Always wash your hands after cleaning out cages, fish tanks, sandboxes (including sand toys) and cat litter as well as after picking up after your dog. When out walking your dog, and if you have been picking up poop, make sure you wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before you eat or drink anything, or prepare food for others.
- Make sure to secure and cover children's sandboxes when they are not in use to deter cats from using them as makeshift litterboxes.
- Birds, including your backyard chooks, and reptiles, have been linked to Salmonella infections in people. Make sure you and any children at your home wash your hands after handling them or cleaning their environment. Always wash your hands after collecting eggs.
- Avoid walking without shoes in parks or beaches that could be visited by dogs or cats, as you may contract parasites from contaminated soil or sand through your skin.
The research about feeding cats raw meat and handwashing after cleaning out litter trays involved 1238 people. It was funded by a donation from SA Health and conducted nationally online in August.
Eileen Wood
I'm a senior news journalist at The Senior newspaper, the leading publication bringing targeted news on issues affecting older Australians. We cover NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, SA and WA. If you have a story idea I would love to hear it. You can email me: eileen.wood@thesenior.com.au or phone The Senior 02-4355-5000, mob. 0487 495 805
I'm a senior news journalist at The Senior newspaper, the leading publication bringing targeted news on issues affecting older Australians. We cover NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, SA and WA. If you have a story idea I would love to hear it. You can email me: eileen.wood@thesenior.com.au or phone The Senior 02-4355-5000, mob. 0487 495 805
