Hello everyone!

I am currently suffering with OCD and am getting one to one sessions to help me overcome this, I have discovered that a big part of my OCD links back to my cats which I love an awful lot but I find it difficult to relax when I'm around them at the moment. My OCD sessions have given me the idea of asking questions about cats to reassure me and knowing I am okay when I'm with my cats.
So I would really appreciate it if you could take 5 minutes to answer a few questions, almost like an OCD cat survey....

Do you wash your hands everytime you touch your cat/s?

Have you ever got ill from being with your cat/s?

How often do you wash your hands after stroking your cat/s?

Do you wash your hands after touching things you know your cat/s have been on?

How often do you stroke your cat/s daily?

How often do you clean where the cats have been?

And do you have an indoor or outdoor cat?

I would really appreciate it if you took the time to answer some of these questions as I think knowing how other people cope so easily will help me!

Thankyou

xx

Hope that helps

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Basil & Sybil

Do you wash your hands everytime you touch your cat/s?No

Have you ever got ill from being with your cat/s? NO

How often do you wash your hands after stroking your cat/s? Rarely

Do you wash your hands after touching things you know your cat/s have been on? No

How often do you stroke your cat/s daily? As often as possible

If your cat/s touches your clothes/skin/bed how do you respond? I stroke them

Hope that helps - I also feed raw meat and watch them drag chicken wings all over the house. I suppose it helps that I am from the school of if you are too clean then you won't build up your immune system and you will make yourself ill that way. SO why fight what is good for you.

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please look at my website - www.finesthourcats.webs.com - for gorgeous GCCF registered RagaMuffins and Selkirk Rex

Do you wash your hands everytime you touch your cat/s?
No
Have you ever got ill from being with your cat/s?
Not that I'm aware of
How often do you wash your hands after stroking your cat/s?
Rarely if ever
Do you wash your hands after touching things you know your cat/s have been on?
No
How often do you stroke your cat/s daily?
Very often
If your cat/s touches your clothes/skin/bed how do you respond
I dont even think about it

Now that I have answered these questions I feel like a real "mucky mare"







ETA I do wash my hands after cleaning/emptying the litter tray

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My answers would be much the same

I wash my hands before feeding them of course, and I am slightly OCDish about not letting them get anything remotely toxic near them (i.e. wash my hands more thoroughly if I've been handling disinfectant or hand cream, etc).

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RIP Charcoal my shy girl 1987-2000, Patch the wanderer 1987-?, Tabby my darling fluffball 1988-2002 & Panda the rascal 1988-2008

Hi there and welcome to the forum.

I'm happy to answer your questions below - my answers in red - and I hope that we can help with your OCD.



To add: I do wash hands after doing their litter trays but I think most folks would consider that to be a given....

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Hi, I've now got three cats and have brought up two children (now teenager) alongside two or three cats.

No way do I wash my hands every time I touch a cat. I'd have my hands permanently in water if I did, as mine are frequently kissed, stroked and cuddled!

Illnesses from cats - I have asthma and other people's cats can bring it on (eg my sister's) but I have built up a tolerance to my own cats, as my doctor said would. About 10 year ago one of my cats sneezed when cuddling up to me on the bed. Some of the sneeze went in my eye, resulting in my eye swelling in an allergic reaction. It went down in 24 hours, helped by antihistimine. Not exactly being made ill by my cat, but worth mentioning, if I'm being totally accurate.

How often do I wash my hands, after stroking cats? Don't really know, I wash my hands before eating, after going to the toilet, after cleaning out the litter tray, before cooking, or when they are dirty. I don't really associate washing my hands with having stroked a cat, unless I've been doing something such as giving them a tablet, or cleaning up a scratch or cat sick.

Washing my hands after touching things my cats have been on - no don't bother. They go everywhere!

How many times a day do I stroke my cats - it's not possibly to quantify. As I type one of them is sitting on my feet. Another is on my son's lap. They roll over at my feet for a tummy tickle as I walk around - contact happens constantly whenever I am in the house.

If a cat touches me, I respond by cuddling it, usually. They sleep on clothes if I leave them lying about, I brush the hairs off and wear them. They come DOWN my bed or those of my children most days/nights for a snuggle. (I must point out that because of this, my cats are given injections to prevent fleas on a six month basis - I'm happy to have the cats down the bed but NOT fleas!)

I don't think of my cats as any dirtier than my children really! Good luck with conquering the OCD - it must be difficult for you.

Do you wash your hands everytime you touch your cat/s? **No
Have you ever got ill from being with your cat/s?
**Never
How often do you wash your hands after stroking your cat/s?
**Never
Do you wash your hands after touching things you know your cat/s have been on?
** Only his litter box
How often do you stroke your cat/s daily ** As often as i can
If your cat/s touches your clothes/skin/bed how do you respond ** I stroke him other then that nothing

cats are actually very clean animals they hate mess so i would try not to worry too much about it however i wish you the best of luck with your treatment

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I did however have quite an allergic reaction to flea bites when I was a kid, they would swell up quite big and itch really, really badly!!! (Thank goodness for Anthisan cream!) This is one main reason to keep up to date with flea treatments and spot-ons, in which case you won't have to worry about that problem!!

When I had Tabby, my lovely longhair, I would kiss his fluffy white neck many times a day, and usually end up having a serious sneezing fit! But that never stopped me, I'd do it all again if he were here, and I do it with my current 2

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RIP Charcoal my shy girl 1987-2000, Patch the wanderer 1987-?, Tabby my darling fluffball 1988-2002 & Panda the rascal 1988-2008

Do you wash your hands everytime you touch your cat/s? no

Have you ever got ill from being with your cat/s? no

How often do you wash your hands after stroking your cat/s? Never. I wash my hands after cleaning the litter, after going to the toilet, before eating or preparing food, irrespective of what I have done bprior to that, but never as a direct result of or response to interacting with a cat

Do you wash your hands after touching things you know your cat/s have been on? no

How often do you stroke your cat/s daily? at least hourly, when I am home. They sleep in my lap, they sleep in my bed, they come and give me kisses and cuddles, and I give at least as good as I get

If your cat/s touches your clothes/skin/bed how do you respond? I love them for wanting to be so near to me, I see it as a sign of their love for me

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Jiskefet & the mognificent Dutch bunch

My little angels at the rainbow bridge