Unclean Pets in the Home?
Sixty per cent of all human infectious diseases are caused by either wild or
domestic animals, that according to author David Quammen ("The next human
pandemic" FT
Magazine, Oct 5, 2012).
Having pets that are biblically unclean does not appear to be wrong, but
should we keep unclean animals as pets in our homes? Let’s explore what
scripture and science says about it!
Unclean pets are known to carry many diseases that can be passed on to humans,
the following are diseases that are known to pass unto humans from unclean pets;
BACTERIAL DISEASES
Campylobacter Infection (campylobacteriosis): A bacterial disease associated with cats, dogs, and farm animals which is spread via cat and dog feces, your pet might rub their butt on your furniture, which you touch before eating.
Cat Scratch Disease (Bartonella henselae): A bacterial disease associated with cat scratches and bites.
Coxiella burnetti Infection (Q fever): A bacterial disease occasionally associated with cats.
Helicobacter pylori: A spiral bacteria is spread to humans from cats dogs and ferrets through poor sanitation.
Leptospira Infection (leptospirosis): A bacterial disease associated wild and domestic animals including cats.
Pasteurellosis (Pasteurella multocida) Can cause swollen lymph nodes, fever, and, in rare cases, meningitis, it's found in the mouths of cats and dogs, many rabbit farms harbor it in their stock.
Plague Infection (Yersinia pestis): A rare bacterial disease associated with rodents and cats and fleas.
Salmonella Infection (salmonellosis): "Typhoid Mary" A bacterial disease associated with various animals, including cats.
Tularemia Or Rabbit Fever: is associated with rabbits and rodents.
FUNGI
Ringworm: A fungal disease associated various animals, including with cats.
PROTOZOAN DISEASES
Cryptosporidium Infection (cryptosporidiosis): A parasitic disease associated with cats, dogs, and farm animals.
Giardia: inhabits the intestines of mammals and birds
Toxoplasma Infection (toxoplasmosis): A parasitic disease associated with cats and their environment.
TICK BORNE DISEASES
Lyme Disease Lyme disease is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected ticks.
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever The disease is caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, a species of bacterium that is spread to humans by Dermacentor ticks.
WORMS
Dipylidium Infection (tapeworm): A parasitic disease associated with cats, dogs and fleas.
Dirofilaria immitus: (Dog Heartworms): A parasitic disease associated with dogs
Hookworm Infection: A parasitic disease associated with cats, dogs and their environment.
Roundworm: See Toxocara Infection.
Tapeworm (flea tapeworm): See Dipylidium Infection.
Toxocara Infection (toxocariasis, roundworm): A parasitic disease associated with cats, dogs and their environment.
VIRUS
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome: is a rare viral disease associated with wild deer mice.
Rabies:: A viral disease associated with various animals, including cats.
These are just the most common diseases passed to humans, there are many
more.
Revelation 6:8 " And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth."
Could it be that the beasts are killing with diseases?
When Dogs and Cats excrete waste they get it on their fur, and then they
transfer it to ones carpet, furniture, and humans. They leave fur, dandruff, and
excrement all over your home, which in turn will get into your food, and though
it is so small, it still means that you are ingesting the unclean things!
When dogs and cats clean themselves, they lick themselves to clean, and in
turn lick the hand or face of their owners, think about it!
The only good thing that’s said about dogs in the Bible is that they would
sometimes watch the flocks, they were used as work animals such as asses where.
As for those that say pet interaction is a positive thing, think about this,
it takes the place of human interaction, and replacing human interaction with
animals is not a good thing.
We are supposed to lead a life free of uncleanness, can you honestly say that
you are if you bring the unclean things into your home?
2 Corinthians 6:17 " Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you."
Now lets first take a look at all scriptures that mention dogs, nothing is
mentioned of cats,
Exodus 11:7 "But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel."
Dogs being scavengers, this refers to when the death angel would kill the
first borne of Egypt; none of the first born of Israel would die for the dogs to
eat.
Exodus 22:31 "And ye shall be holy men unto me: neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs."
Judges 7:5 "So he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink."
It is interesting to note that dogs were known as being capable of vicious
and savage action against people, and the Lord choose those that drank like a
dog to use in going after the Midianites.
1 Samuel 17:43 "And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods."
Dogs roamed wild in the streets at that time and would be chased away with
staves/sticks.
1 Samuel 24:14 "Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea?"
2 Samuel 3:8 "Then was Abner very wroth for the words of Ishbosheth, "Am I a dog's head on Judah's side?"
2 Samuel 9:8 "And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?"
2 Samuel 16:9 "Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head."
Its interesting to note in the above scriptures that dogs were of very low
esteem.
1 Kings 14:11 "Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat: for the Lord hath spoken it."
1 Kings 16:4 "Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat."
1 Kings 21:19 "...Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine."
1 Kings 22:38 "And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood;"
2 Kings 8:13 "And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing?"
2 Kings 9:10 "And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her."
2 Kings 9:36 "In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel:"
Job 30:1 "But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock."
According to the Dictionary, disdained = 1. To regard or treat with haughty
contempt; despise. 2. To consider or reject as beneath oneself. Dogs were
considered on the same level as swine.
Psalm 22:16 "For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me:"
Psalm 22:20 "Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog."
Psalm 59:6 "They return at evening: they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city."
Dogs did not live in the cities, they would come into town in the evenings and
scavenge.
Psalm 59:14 "And at evening let them return; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city."
Psalm 68:23 "That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same."
Proverbs 26:11 "As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly."
Proverbs 26:17 "He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears."
Ecclesiastes 9:4 "For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion."
Isaiah 56:10 "His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter."
Isaiah 66:3 "He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations."
Jeremiah 15:3 "And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the Lord: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy."
Matthew 7:6 "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you."
Matthew 15:26 "But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."
Mark 7:27-28 "But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs."
Though most like to point out the above scriptures as, look they were in the homes! They were speaking in metaphors, in that the crumbs were Gods word, and he was sent only to deliver it to the Israelites. The woman was from Canaan according to Matthew, and in Mark was called a Greek, in any case she was not an Israelite so was considered as an unclean person on the same level as a dog would be at that time.
Luke 16:20-1 "And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores."
Philippians 3:2 "Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision."
2 Peter 2:22 "But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."
Revelation 22:15 "For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie."
Dogs were not thought of as household pets, but as something normally
vicious, unclean, and abominable. As Gods people we are commanded to remain a
holy/clean people,
Exodus 19:6 " And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel."
Exodus 22:31 " And ye shall be holy men unto me:"
Leviticus 20:25-26 " Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean. And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine."
Leviticus 10:10 " And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy and between unclean and clean"
Leviticus 11:27 " And whatsoever goeth upon his paws among all manner of beasts that go on all four those are unclean unto you"
For further reading WHEN ANIMALS ATTACK