Cat scratch disease (CSD) is a bacterial infection transmitted by cat scratches. Understanding the welfare aspects for both cats and humans helps manage this zoonosis appropriately.
Cat scratch disease creates a welfare consideration primarily for the cats whose owners overreact to a CSD diagnosis. Cats that are euthanized because they carry Bartonella - which the majority of cats exposed to fleas may do - are victims of misinformation. A cat that infects its owner with CSD does not 'know' what it is doing and is not acting aggressively - the transmission typically occurs through normal play interaction with kittens. The appropriate welfare response is flea control (which prevents Bartonella transmission between cats and reduces overall carriage rates), appropriate hand hygiene after cat contact, and medical treatment for infected humans - not removal or euthanasia of the cat. Understanding the actual risk level and transmission pathway prevents unnecessary harm to cats whose owners are frightened by a diagnosis.