Pregnant women need to exercise special care with cat litter boxes. Another disease transmitted to humans from cats is cat scratch fever . This mostly infects children and seems most prevalent in the cold weather months. The small flakes of dander from a cat's fur and skin , like those from a dog cause allergic reactions in some people. The person's nose and eyes may feel irritated or skin eruptions may appear.
More people seem to be allergic to cats than to dogs.
Diseases transmitted by other pets Parakeets and other birds kept as pets do not present as many disease hazards to humans as cats and dogs do. However, any bird, not just a parrot, can transmit parrot fever . Parrots and parakeets are the most usual sources because they are the birds most commonly kept by humans. Reptiles have been associated with the transmission of bacterial diseases such as salmonella . In some places turtles have been such regular carriers of bacteria that they have been banned from commerce.