Immunocompromised People Should Take Precautions With Pets

People with compromised immune systems can enjoy the health benefits of living with pets, provided they take precautions.

A healthy adult cat is less likely to carry diseases than kittens. Alena Ozerova/Shutterstock

Q: I have a compromised immune system, and I want to adopt a cat. What do I need to know about protecting my health?

A: Many people are immunocompromised because of physiological factors like pregnancy or extremes of age, metabolic conditions such as diabetes, infectious diseases such as HIV, or treatment with immunosuppressant drugs for autoimmune diseases, cancer, or organ transplantation.