Pets often become full-fledged and bona fide members of the family. We love our pets as though they are our children, friends, brothers or sisters. We kiss our pets, hug our pets and let them lick our faces. In many cases, pets curl up on our couches with us, sleep in our beds and make themselves at home on recliners all day long.

But is it healthy to allow your pets on your furniture? In many cases, it seems harmless enough and many people make this a regular practice for years with no negative consequences. However, there are some concerns regarding pets living like humans all over your living rooms and bedrooms. There have been documented cases of pets spreading diseases or causing infections in the very humans who love them so much.

Infections and Diseases Pets Spread

You probably care for your pet, including bathing, immunizing and grooming him, but it is possible, especially in pets that go outside (such as most dogs and indoor/outdoor cats) that he can contract diseases or infections that also can make you ill. Sleeping with or curling up on the furniture with a pet that possibly carries a potential illness that can affect your health can be a risk you may want to consider. The following health concerns have been linked to animal-to-human transmissions.

• Fleas: Anyone who has experienced a flea infection in the house understands the consequences of such an occurrence. By allowing animals on the furniture, fleas are given an opportunity to jump off of the animal’s body and infest that surface. Fleas will bite humans and cause itchy, uncomfortable, red, raised bumps on the skin that can become inflamed and infected if not treated.
• Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA): This is a bacterial infection that is unusually resistant to multiple strains of antibiotics, and it is believed to have originated in the canine species. MRSA has been passed from animal to human in identified cases. One couple was affected by recurring MRSA infections that were eventually linked to the family dog that slept in their bed.
  

• Pasteurellosis: This is a bacterial infection that can evolve into more serious health concerns, including blood infections, abscesses or pneumonia. In one case, an infant was infected by pasteurellosis after his two-year-old brother put his finger in the baby’s mouth. The two-year-old had passed the infection from the dog to the infant.Rabies: While most pets are vaccinated against rabies, it is always a concern for pet owners, and you should be aware of signs and symptoms of this disease because it easily can be spread from animal to human.
• Plague: Since 1974, there have been multiple cases of plague identified in the southwestern region of the United States. There was an outbreak of the plague in 2008. Many of those affected by this condition were pet owners who allowed their animals on the furniture. Plague is carried by fleas, and dogs are most likely to spread plague because they often do not show signs of plague illness. Therefore, the pet owner is unaware that the flea-bitten dog may be infecting them with a serious illness. Cats can also spread plague; however, it is more likely for a cat to show symptoms that may prompt a preemptive visit to the vet.
• Parasites: The most common animal to human transmitted parasites are hookworms and roundworms. Worms can be passed to humans when they come into contact with the eggs, which can be left behind on furniture or bedding by infested pets.
• Infections: Allowing a pet to lick open wounds or damaged skin can cause various types of infections. Be careful when sleeping or cuddling with a pet on the furniture or elsewhere if you have a cut or scrape that can be infected by contact with the animal.
• Meningitis: Meningitis is a dangerous illness that has been linked to pet to human transmission. Meningitis can require hospitalization and can lead to serious complications or even death.
• Cat-scratch fever: It's not just a song. When scratched or bitten by a cat carrying the Bartonella henselae bacteria, lymph nodes may swell, and a feeling of illness including fever, sore throat and headache can ensue. By sleeping with your cat, you may be inadvertently scratched without knowing it during the night and contract this illness.
  

• Allergies: If you have even a slight allergy to animal dander, allowing your pets on the furniture can cause mild to extreme suffering. If you have allergic family or friends who visit, you may cause them discomfort if they sit on the same furniture where your dog loves to curl up for afternoon naps. Cleaning the areas where your animal lays or sits regularly may help eliminate some of the effects of allergies, but it is difficult to maintain dander-free areas when the animal regularly returns to the furniture.

In many cases, the risk of transmission of disease or infection from pet to owner is relatively small. It is important to understand that the risks do exist, however.

Precautionary Measures

If you still wish to have your pet on the furniture at home but are concerned about potential health concerns, there are some steps you can take to minimize your risks for contracting a disease or illness from your animal. First, always be sure to keep your animal up to date on vaccinations. Wash your bedding often and use furniture covers on your living room furniture that can be washed regularly. Take sick animals to the vet quickly and ask the vet if the animal has an illness that can be transmitted to humans. Keep a sick pet off furniture until the illness is resolved. Wash your hands often after petting your animals, and don’t allow them to lick open wounds. Keep a close watch on elderly family members, anyone with a compromised immune system and young children because they are most at risk for illnesses or infections spread by pets.