# Health Hazard of Sleeping with a Corpse \[animal remains brought in by cat\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 22, 2018, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-hazard-of-sleeping-with-a-corpse-animal-remains-brought-in-by-cat/811039 "2018-03-22T18:50:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-hazard-of-sleeping-with-a-corpse-animal-remains-brought-in-by-cat/811039/21 "2018-03-23T00:47:39Z")
Fleas are funny things. In my old house we had them frequently, though almost never on the dog–I’m sure she got bit, but Frontline kept her from major infestations. But there were other animals about, constant tree rats and families of raccoons, and in drier years it seemed like I would get swarmed whenever I stepped outside–dozens of ankle bites. Weirdly they always stuck to my feet, even when I was, say, lying in a hammock and they could have moved to different parts of my body. However, my wife and daughter NEVER got bitten by fleas, even when I was finding them in the house. (I never told them about that.) Mosquitoes yes, they got slaughtered, but for some reason the mosquitoes avoided me. Bringing it back to the OP, yes fleas could be an issue and I’d take precautions–like checking your body for flea bites, and your cat for any signs of infestation. You might want to have her on Frontline or Revolution (I think they make these medicines for cats?) as a prophylactic. Of course if the bunny head or future bunny heads have flea infestations you haven’t necessarily staved off the problem, but it’s something. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-hazard-of-sleeping-with-a-corpse-animal-remains-brought-in-by-cat/811039/22 "2018-03-23T00:47:56Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Skin contact with/handling dead rabbits is one way to contract tularemia, which causes flu-like symptoms and skin ulceration at the point of bacterial entry. If the OP doesn’t develop symptoms within a few days (a couple weeks at most), she should be in the clear. > > I’m not sure I’d term the disease “easily treated by antibiotics”, since a couple of the main-line agents (streptomycin and gentamicin) carry a significant risk of side effects, some serious (even Cipro which is sometimes used, is not well tolerated by certain people). > > I have been in occasional contact with wild rabbits\* via gardening activities and survived without incident. > > \*not dismembered ones though. I read “easily treated by antibiotics” from the web site. I am thinking an antibiotic would be preferable to the disease.YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-hazard-of-sleeping-with-a-corpse-animal-remains-brought-in-by-cat/811039/23 "2018-03-23T02:30:39Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Maybe I whooshed too soon … I don’t know any House reference … _Lepus_ is the genus name for jackrabbits and hares … _Lepus californicus_ is pest in the Central Valley … Yes… that was my joke. I mean, technically it’d be Sylvilagus or whatever. Maybe we can just agree to be mutually confused. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-hazard-of-sleeping-with-a-corpse-animal-remains-brought-in-by-cat/811039/24 "2018-03-23T02:53:02Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Yes… that was my joke. I mean, technically it’d be Sylvilagus or whatever. Maybe we can just agree to be mutually confused. 😉 Around this House … the danger would be my cats giving the dead rabbit fleas … see, not all that confused … ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-hazard-of-sleeping-with-a-corpse-animal-remains-brought-in-by-cat/811039/25 "2018-03-23T03:03:10Z")
I assuming here, but wouldn’t a cat or dog be susceptible to worms by eating wild animals or rodents? ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-hazard-of-sleeping-with-a-corpse-animal-remains-brought-in-by-cat/811039/26 "2018-03-25T16:31:09Z")
I just have to say that I am extremely disappointed that it took until Post #5 in this thread for someone to make a Godfather reference. C’mon people, you need to step up your game here! ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2018, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-hazard-of-sleeping-with-a-corpse-animal-remains-brought-in-by-cat/811039/27 "2018-03-25T20:36:08Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > My murderous feline charges would do this to me if allowed outdoors. That ain’t happening. The worse thing they ever did was puke on my pillow. They cornered a centipede in the laundry room once. That skeeved me out. Mine spent a lot of time outdoors before ending up in shelters, so no attempt to make them indoor cats has ever worked. They are pretty good at munching on spiders in the house and they once trapped a snake lizard in my bathroom. I scooped it up in a towel and took it outside. They did bring in a nearly dead fledgling once but I had to take it away myself. At least they didn’t leave it in my bed. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2018, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-hazard-of-sleeping-with-a-corpse-animal-remains-brought-in-by-cat/811039/28 "2018-03-26T14:49:25Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > I just have to say that I am extremely disappointed that it took until Post #5 in this thread for someone to make a Godfather reference. > > C’mon people, you need to step up your game here! Well, this is GQ. A high premium is put on factual answers as early as possible, and joking answers are forbidden as the first answer in any event, so post #5 is about as good as you can get. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2018, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-hazard-of-sleeping-with-a-corpse-animal-remains-brought-in-by-cat/811039/29 "2018-03-26T19:31:06Z")
Tularemia is no joke, I wouldn’t want it antibiotics or not. But it’s pretty rare, and you’re likely 100% fine. If you are willing to eviscerate the body (of the rabbit; I’ll let you work it out with the cat), it causes a very spotted liver. Fleas might be a concern but that’s a summer thing mostly. And an infested rabbit is obvious, they usually get covered. Not harmful to you so much as gross. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-hazard-of-sleeping-with-a-corpse-animal-remains-brought-in-by-cat/811039/30 "2018-03-28T07:20:09Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > It gives you lepus. She’s going to have a baby! ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-hazard-of-sleeping-with-a-corpse-animal-remains-brought-in-by-cat/811039/31 "2018-03-28T13:07:41Z")
Don’t punish the kitty - he is trying to be nice. He thinks you are large but incompetent and can’t hunt, so he is trying to provide for you. Treat it as you would any unwanted gift - say “thank you” politely, smile, and then dump it when the cat isn’t looking. A thank-you note is not necessary. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-hazard-of-sleeping-with-a-corpse-animal-remains-brought-in-by-cat/811039/32 "2018-03-28T14:39:22Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > She’s going to have a baby! ‘the rabbit died’ :eek: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-hazard-of-sleeping-with-a-corpse-animal-remains-brought-in-by-cat/811039.md?page=1)