Can Cats Catch Colds from Humans?

In this guide

It is a reasonable question when you are sneezing and coughing on the sofa with your cat curled up beside you: could your cold pass to your cat, or your cat's sneezing pass to you? The short answer is no, but the full picture is worth understanding.

Why human and cat colds do not cross over

The common cold in humans is caused by rhinoviruses and a handful of other human specific viruses that are simply not built to infect feline cells. Likewise, the viruses behind feline upper respiratory infections, mainly feline herpesvirus and calicivirus, are adapted specifically to cats and cannot infect people. So while it looks similar from the outside, a cat cold and a human cold are caused by entirely different, species specific viruses that do not cross the species barrier.

Why the symptoms look so alike

Sneezing, a runny nose and watery eyes are simply how a body, whether human or feline, responds to an irritated upper respiratory tract, regardless of what specific virus caused it. This shared response is why a sneezing cat can look exactly like a sniffling person, even though the underlying infections have nothing to do with each other.

What this means in practice

• You cannot catch your cat's upper respiratory infection, and your cat cannot catch your cold
• There is no need to isolate yourself from your cat while you have a cold, or vice versa, purely to prevent this kind of cross infection
• A sneezing cat still needs the same attention as always, since its illness is unrelated to anything going around your household

That said, washing your hands after handling any unwell cat, cold related or not, remains sensible general hygiene, particularly if there are other pets, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system in the home.

A caveat worth knowing

While ordinary colds do not cross species, a small number of other illnesses genuinely can pass between humans and cats in either direction, ringworm being one well known example. This is a separate category from the common cold, and if you are ever unsure whether something your cat has could affect you, or vice versa, it is worth asking your vet or doctor directly rather than assuming either way.

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