My cat had a cold, complete with runny nose, sneezing and laryngitis. A few days later, I got a cold too. Could I have caught it from my cat?
—Tina Shaycort, Melissa, Texas
The possibility is slight. Feline, canine and human upper respiratory illnesses are virtually specific to their species. Cats and dogs get these illnesses less often, partly because fewer exist. (Humans are susceptible to more than 200 cold viruses!) Also, our animal friends aren’t exposed to other animals as much as humans are exposed to other humans. A mutation or evolving disease may indeed jump from animals to humans, but this is rare—and frightening: Remember “swine flu” and “bird flu”?