all this cat blood. . biohazard? protocal? etc?

[Skunky's Mom]

Hey all. Something I haven't seen anybody talk about is procedures to deal with all this cat blood. Do people wear gloves etc? I have been washing my hands before and after I take a sample but I get blood on paper towels and such. I toss them in the garbage, I just wondered if we need to be careful - can we catch anything from all this cat blood? My 3 year old wanted to watch me take Skunky's blood sugar test yesterday, and she likes to feed her her treat after her shot.
I'm just nervous. I also got some blood drops on the box that I set all our stuff on (the cat's room is also the storage room)

AND - the freeze dried chicken - how careful do we need to be about that? I always wash mine and my daughter's hands after handling. I mean, it is raw chicken, basically, but there was nothing on the bag to indicate any danger.

thoughts?
thanks
sarah

 

[Larry and Kitties]

I have not been taking any precautions since I started about 13 years ago. I do wash my hands though

 

[dirtybirdsoaps]

I don't think nothing of it. All I do is wash my hands before and after. The only concern I would really have when it comes to the blood is between other cats, although if you have a house full of cats their bound to be in contact with each others blood anyways. The most I do is have my sharps clip for the needles, and I also put my lancets in a container as well as an added precaution. I just use the container their freeze dried chicken comes in.

 

[Dusty Bones]

I poked through Dusty's skin and through to my finger one time, nothing happened other than my ears being a little more furry now... ;-) Guess if your kitty is up to date with all his/her shots it shouldn't be a problem. Regarding treats/food, we should all wash our hands after handling them, there have been cases of salmonellae poisoning from them.

 

[Laura & Heffernan]

Most diseases cats carry are species specific, so I wouldn't worry about transmission or contamination. I use a sharps container to dispose of my lancets and needles. I wrap the strip in the tissue used to wipe his ear and toss it in the regular garbage. It's a good idea to wash your hands before & after, just like I always wash my hands after scooping litter boxes.

 

[Skunky's Mom]

thanks all! I feel better about it now ;-)

 

[JenM]

I put my syringes, lancets and used strips in a sharps container - but now that that's full, I think I'm going to start using old juice bottles or cat litter jugs as my sharps containers. Seems silly to buy a plastic container just to throw it away... when I'm already throwing away empty ones I already bought.

And

I poked through Dusty's skin and through to my finger one time, nothing happened other than my ears being a little more furry now... ;-)

:lol: haha_smiley :lol:

 

[Skunky's Mom]

I've been using a PowerAid Zero bottle, 32 ounces. It's very thick plastic. I figure, those puny needles aren't going through it! I did read on here somewhere where it is supposed to be opaque. . . oh well :?

 

[Laura & Heffernan]

My local pharmacy gives out the sharps containers for free & also disposes of them. I wouldn't pay for them either.

 

[atajev]

Interesting. My area will absolutely not let you dispose of sharps, even in an approved container, in the regular garbage. It's considered biohazard material and we have to ship it to a place in Ohio for processing (the garbage company provide us with pre-paid boxes and the containers, we just have to request one). Probably because all our trash is manually sorted to remove recyclables and so any non-marked plastic container that had sharps in it would put the workers at high risk for injury and scary testing since they would have to assume the worst from getting pricked by a random batch of sharps.

I would double check the laws in your county/state before using anything other than an approved container and make sure you know what you're supposed to do with the container.

But, in terms of cat blood in my own house? I'm not concerned about it at all, even with my own wee ones. They're exposed to plenty of cat and dog slobber with kisses already anyway.

 

[JenM]

Definitely a good idea to check local laws/ordinances.

Interestingly enough... for the Seattle area (not specifically my area though, I'm still looking)... it says THIS...

In King County outside Seattle City limits, put the items in a 2-liter plastic pop bottle. Make sure the lid fits tightly, then tape it shut for added safety. Put a label on the bottle: "SHARPS, DO NOT RECYCLE." Then put the bottle in your regular garbage. Do not put the bottle in your recycling bin. King County Solid Waste does not accept manufactured sharps containers.