However, being domestic cats means they aren't "naturally occuring" wild animals. And they don't live “natural lives” on our streets. Some were born on the street, others where abandoned there - but they're all domestic cats.

Stray Cats + Community Cats + Feral Cats = Street Cats

The great Sahaabi Abu Hurayrah (literally "Father of the Kitten") was so called because he loved cats and always used to keep them with him.

Cats are not naajis (impure), they actually keep away other vermin, like rats and mice. Generally they keep themselves very clean too - they dislike dirt on their coats, or even getting their feet dirty or wet. If street cats look thin and scruffy it is not because they are different from your pet cat or even us. They are susceptible to all the same problems as pet cats, but care and protection is a lot harder to find on the street.

Remember, the Prophet (pbuh) said;
"There is meritous reward in Kindness to all living things."
Don't be afraid of giving care or a home to these creatures.

If you do care for a street cat, a quick veterinary check up, love and attention (maybe some shampoo) is usually all that's needed! Just look at these ex-street cats.

Just wash the injury in disinfecting soap or cleanser. Then you can apply a bit of antibacterial cream too. If you notice any swelling / inflammation later, you should seek medical advice, but this usually isn't necessary.

However, people with immune compromise (patients of organ transplant, splenectomy, HIV / AIDs etc ) should seek medical advice directly.

Let your doctor know it is a cat-bite and remind them that the antibiotic choice should cover Pasteurella multocida in particular.

Cat Scratch Disease does occur rarely, see this article for further details.

The only connection we can think of - between this story and the facts - is that people who say this might be referring to dermatophytosis - or fungal infections of the skin / hair. Some cats carry this and it can cause lesions in others (see ringworm below).

However:

• If you touch any unknown animal it is advisable to wash your hands afterwards - the "bugs" can't jump from your hands to your head.
• Secondly, most cats don't suffer with it, so they're not any risk at all.
• Lastly, with modern treatments, any skin problem can be treated well before your hair falls out!

Cats can get ringworm and so can people. Because the disease usually affects young animals and children, most commonly, a child can get dermatophytosis from a new kitten which has the infection. To reduce the risk, any new pet should have a vet-check first to make sure it is healthy and suitable.

Dermatophytosis, in people, looks like circular patches of thickened, inflamed skin or hair loss with scaling. These may be itchy. But remember, you can catch it from any affected animal, or person, or even the environment itself. If in doubt, check with your doctor and your vet. It's not to hard to treat.

In addition, young children should not be left alone with a cat, or any other animal for that matter, because either one could be hurt if the child grabs it too hard or accidentally does something that frightens the cat.

I don't think having a cat and an infant in the same house should be a problem. It just requires a bit of common sense. I believe the benefits of teaching children care for animals and the companionship they provide is much more valuable and I don't know any of my veterinary colleagues who got rid of their cats when they had babies come into the family.
(more dangers?)

The Toxoplasma parasite is found everywhere that cats are found but it is actually rare to find a cat that is infectious with the disease. The parasite has a complicated life cycle; it reproduces in cats and the oocysts (a bit like eggs) are passed in the cats stools. In the soil, they may be eaten by other animals, like mice, that may then get eaten by cats, which starts the cycle all over again.

But the oocysts may get eaten by other animals too, or even people. People can get infected by accidently eating infected soil e.g. while gardening, on salads, cleaning a dirty cat litter tray - or drinking contaminated water. Or, people could become infected if they eat meat from other animals who have the parasite e.g. sheep or chicken. It is very rare to be infected directly from a cat; in fact, vets working with sick cats are no more likely to get Toxoplasmosis than people who don't have any cats.

Most healthy people who become infected are usually unaware of the infection or only have "flu-like" symptoms. The first time a person gets the infection they develop a strong life-long immunity to the parasite and it won't cause them any problems again.
But for people with immune compromise, such as HIV / AIDS victims, people on chemotherapy, etc, Toxoplasmosis is a much more serious infection.
Unborn babies don't have a fully developed immune system either. If the mother is not immune and gets the infection while she is pregnant, the baby may suffer.
About 50% of people have already been infected, had only minor symptoms and have developed immunity. For women expecting babies, they can have a blood test to check if they (and their baby) are already protected. If she has no immunity she is advised to take the following precautions. These are good common sense ideas for hygiene anyway!

Like HIV, FIV is an insidious, wasting disease which is eventually fatal, as the cat's immune system fails. Unlike people, cats can't take precautions with "safe sex" and care with dirty needles (or in their case tooth bites).

Feline AIDs is one of the reasons we advise neutering! Tom cats are especially at risk from this disease as the regularly fight and bite during mating with multiple partners and rivals. FIV is most common in older un-neutered male cats and once infected they start spreading the fatal disease to other cats they fight with. Neutering significantly reduces the FIV risk to your cat and the others in the community.

(more dangers?)

The virus is transmitted via saliva when an effected animal bites. On rare occasions, it can be passed via scratches. If you are bitten by any animal it is important to clean the wound straight away with disinfecting soap, this may destory the infection at the site.

In the newly infected animal, the virus begins to multiply around the area of the bite. After some time, the virus travels up the nerves toward the brain. It can take up to 6 months between being bitten and being effected by the disease! So, for example, if you are bitten on the foot, it will take a longer time for the virus to reach the brain compared to a bite on the neck. The delay in the disease onset also explains why animals have to stay so long in quarantine if they could have been exposed to rabies.

We can use the delay in the virus effect to our advantage. Because our immune systems only takes 2-4 weeks to develop protection after a vaccination we can beat the virus by getting a "post exposure vaccine" (i.e. after the bite), which can work before the virus affects the brain. You should get a rabies vaccination immediately after being bitten by any suspicious animal to protect yourself.

Once inside the brain, the rabies virus multiplies again. This time it spreads to the salivary glands - which accounts for the danger associated with infected animals' saliva.

At this stage the victim starts to show the effects of the disease. Early symptoms include personality changes: friendly animals may become shy or scared and reserved animals often become aggressive. Two forms of rabies are recognized: the "furious" or "mad" type and the "paralytic" or "dumb" form. The most common form of rabies is the furious type. As the disease progresses animals become disorientated, hallucinate and snap at imaginary objects. A rabid animal can be extremely aggressive and may attack or bite other animals as well as his (or her) owner. Other signs include excitation, irritability, photophobia (sensitivity to light) and unco-ordination or seizures. The symptoms get progressively worse until the victim dies, about 10 days later.
There is no treatment for rabies.

Vaccinating pets is protection for them. It also protects other animals in the community and your family and friends too!

If you suspect a bite from any cat or any other animal that could have rabies:

1. DON'T DELAY TREATMENT
2. Wash the wound well with disinfecting soap, immediately.
3. See your doctor - the same day.
4. Tell them you suspect rabies and get a post-exposure rabies vaccination.
   Once you get rabies it is too late - you can only prevent the disease NOT treat it.
5. Take the usual medications to treat infection, as these antibiotics do not affect the vaccine.

Black cats are just cats which happen to have black fur. They are not a special type of cat. They have no magical powers. They don't create good luck or bring bad luck.