It Might Sound Silly, But is Cat Spit Toxic?

[mufasa]

I only ask because I know that cat saliva is bad for Quaker parrots, but I have no idea about pigs. My cats aren't allowed near Amy or Borat without strict supervision. Today, I let Farquaad sit with Amy and I during lap time, and he snuggled up next to me, with her on the edge of my lap. Then he decided she needed to be washed, just like he enjoys washing his cat buddy! I quickly put an end to that, but I'm wondering, do I need to bathe her to remove the saliva? It was on her back, and he only got in two or three licks before I intervened. Silly Amy seemed to enjoy it.

[MissJean]

There can be a lot of bacterial build-up, depending on how you care for your cat. I don't think a lot of people brush their cat's or dog's teeth because they are under the impression that kibble keeps plaque down. I think a lot of common cat diets also can lead to plaque. Chewing through meat,tissues,tendons, are natural ways wild cats keep their teeth in better shape than the adverage house cat that eats Meow Mix.

When cat's teeth are not cared for properly, it can lead to issues in other organs. Swallowing the plaque is what is harmful.

So, I don't know if cat's saliva are inherently toxic to guinea pigs. I'd be worried about the plaque the pig could end up consuming. Perhaps this is just me being paranoid.

[mufasa]

Good point about the plaque. Maybe I'll just wipe her down with baby wipes rather than a full scale bath. It would be a hard area for her to reach when cleaning herself, but I don't want to take chances.

[BrendaMarie]

If you use baby wipes I've found the hypoallergenic non-scented to be best I then wash Snowy (gp) off with a wet wash cloth to make sure he won't get any of the baby wipes anyway. This is all I do for him for a bath whenever he starts smellin' like a pig LOL Works well and fast though :)

[Wildcavy]

I don't think it would be toxic in the sense that if it were consumed through the digestive system, that your pig would get sick right off (someone else correct me if wrong!). However, the worst non-crush injury that I have received from an animal was when I was bitten by a cat when I worked in a kennel. Their mouths are full of bacteria, just as our mouths are, and I ended up with cat scratch fever and a massive infection in my hand. Catch scratch fever is caused by a particular bacterium for which cats appear to be the reservoir.

I don't know what would happen with a piggy if cat saliva were accidentally introduced into its blood stream, say by a scratch you can't see or something.

[Skippie]

No, cat saliva is not toxic to guinea pigs. Also, a lot of cats and guinea pigs get along quite well and cats will groom them. You also don't want to bathe guinea pigs a lot because it dries out the skin.