About 4 years ago, there was an article in one of the main national press channels that “Cuddling kittens can kill you.” The reason that they wrote that is because of a disease known as CSD, or Cat scratch disease. While CSD is a real infection that you can potentially get from cat scratches, they are so rare that only 500 people a year are admitted to the hospital with it. Furthermore, the report on the disease was based on zero deaths; it was just scaremongering.
However, the reality is that you first need to quantify “dangerous.” Any scratch or bite from any animal, yes, even cats and kittens, can become infected. CSD comes from bacteria that spread between cats by fleas. The infections from cat scratches and bites can be dangerous for people with weakened immune systems, but you just need to use a bit of common sense. Wash your hands regularly, treat your pets for fleas, and if you get scratched and it starts to look infected, seek medical attention.
