The answer is yes, but you should know that your pets could cause certain types of infections that involve diarrhea and skin lesions. However, you can keep your pets and avoid these infections by following a few simple rules:

• Wash your hands with soap and water after playing with your pets, especially before eating or handling food


• Be careful of what your pets eat—only let your pets eat pet food. Avoid giving them undercooked meat; don't let them drink from the toilet bowl or get into the garbage. These are all ways that your pets can pick up germs and pass them on to you


• Don't handle pets with diarrhea—if your pet has diarrhea for more than 1 or 2 days, have an HIV- relative or friend bring the pet to the vet to check for infections


• If your pets get sick and you are worried about getting sick, have a friend or family member watch your pets while they are sick


• Don't bring home an unhealthy pet—if you get a pet from a shelter, have a vet check it out before you bring it home


• Don't touch strays—you could get scratched or bitten. Strays tend to carry a lot of infections


• Don't touch the stool of any animal


• If you have a cat, have someone who is HIV- and not pregnant change the litter daily. If you must change the litter, wear vinyl gloves or household cleaning gloves, and wash your hands with soap and water right away


• Clip a cat's claws so that it cannot scratch you. If you get scratched, wash the wound with soap and water


• Don't let your pet lick open wounds or cuts


• Keep your pet free of fleas. They can carry disease


• Avoid snakes, lizards, other reptiles, and turtles.

Remember, your pets cannot get HIV from you, but they can make you sick. So, try and follow these simple rules as much as possible and you and your pets can have a long and healthy relationship!

All animals, including cats and monkeys, carry viruses. Although some virus names sound similar to human HIV, you can not get HIV from your pets.