Some house cats can transmit 'beaver fever' to humans, study finds

About 1 in 15 house cats may be carrying an intestinal parasite that can also infect humans, a US study of 1,57,000 cats found. Researchers found that 6.3% of cats tested positive for Giardia duodenalis, a parasite that causes an intestinal illness called "beaver fever". Nearly one in five infected cats carried strains with the potential to spread to humans.