Are cats really clean?

@mzz663 (2772)
United States
September 14, 2009 12:03am CST
I was wondering if cats really are clean....I always thought they were, having a litter box and always cleaning themselves but I was at a friends' house and noticed something I never noticed before, even having had cats as pets myself.....this cat used the litter box, walked out and jumped up on the couch, the owner said it her sleeps on her bed, jumps on the table and counter. She got kind of mad at me when I mentioned that I thought cats were dirty, they go outside, inside, catching mice and other small rodents, use the litter box and then walk around the house like they own it, spreading the germs around the house that they've collected on their paws....have you ever wondered what kind of illness you could get from a cat from it just walking around like this? can you get an illness from it or does a cat actually clean the germs off of it's paws when it licks it's paws?
2 people like this
7 responses
• United States
14 Sep 09
As long as you give your cats the right kind of preventive medicine, meaning a monthly treatment so that they don't get fleas, and shots so that they don't get diseases, then they are perfectly fine and clean. I have three cats, had one of them for 11 years now and nobody has ever gotten sick from any of them. If you want to talk about germs, just realize that if you touch the door knob to a public restroom, the inside where u walk out of the bathroom, realize that someone might not have washed their hands, and then realize what else they could have touched, and so on and on.....doesn't make cats seem so gross because they clean their paws and get the germs off, they stay off of counters and tables where there may be food, but other than that, they are perfectly fine to me.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
14 Sep 09
I have never ever thought of cats as spreading germs as you put it. I've had cats since I was five years old and now I'm 53 and have two cats at this time. I allow them to jump on my sofa, sleep with me and so forth...and NEVER have I gotten sick from my cats--to think they spread germs is kind of silly in my mind....LOL. And yes cats are very clean as my two are always cleaning themselves. I mean when you think of it, kids can have "germs" too and come in from being outside and playing
1 person likes this
@ibuemma (2953)
• United States
15 Sep 09
hahaha, good question. I have a cat here, and I think the resason we got it because we don't have to bath her, we don't have to walk her out to poop and pee because of the litter box. And all you have to do is 'declaw' her and make sure she don't have fleas.
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
15 Sep 09
I'm not sure how clean a cat is but I do prefer my pets to do their business outside where they can walk around in the grass and wipe any dirt off their paws. I have dogs, I'm allergic to cats.
• United States
14 Sep 09
I think that cats are as clean as dogs. Of course I love cats so I'm probably biased.
1 person likes this
• United States
15 Sep 09
I've been a "cat person" for about 10 years now and currently have 2 adult females and 2 kittens (which I'm fostering). I certainly wouldn't want to think too much about how dirty they might be, but I think it's all relative. Like the other poster stated, children are walking germ factories and we let them come instead and sit on the furniture, right? :)
@cyrus123 (6363)
• United States
14 Sep 09
I've always heard that cats were pretty clean animals. Yet, they stil get into stuff in the outside world. I don't think you can get sick from them, though. I've had cats for pets, myself, and we only had one that stayed inside. Some people are allergic to cats and can't be around them. Kathy.