Worried About My Cat

Kitty litter is a terrible thing for pregnant women. You can get taxoplasmosis from it by changing the litter. If you've never had it, it can be especially dangerous because you have no antibodies. Chances are you have had it if you've had the cat for a while. The sysmtoms are much like having a cold or the flu, it usually goes unnoticed. If you have had it before than you shouldn't get it again, but that's not saying the baby can't get it. You need to talk to your doctor about it, and see if you can find someone to do that chore for you. Maybe a neighbor, or neighbor kid. Most people are understanding when it comes to pregnant women.

That is so very weird. I have never heard of that. I have a cat. I have had her for almost two years. Does that mean, I have already had this?

Hey, I just found this on a humane society website....Here goes....
Fear, rather than common sense, takes over when someone first hears that taxoplasmosis- a disease harmful to unborn babies- can be transmitted by cats. Unfortunately, this news leads many pregnant women, often urged by well-meaning friends and family, to give up their beloved feline. But the good news is that health professionals continue to assert that if caution is taken, there is no reason why the family feline has to leave home.

Taxoplasmosis is a paasite found in rats, mice, pigs, cows, sheep, chicken, birds and is shed in the feces of infected cats. The disease, transmitted to humans by handling contaminated meat, cat litter, or soil, can cause cold-like symptoms and may last from 1 to 12 weeks with little to no lasting effects on most people. However, if a pregnant woman gets the disease, it can be transmitted to the fetus causing possible brain or eye defects. Health officials report that most infections result from eating undercooked meat, not from cats.

So there's no need to give up the family cat if you're pregnant. Simply get someone else to change the litter box for the duration of the pregnancy. If that's not possible, use gloves when handling litter. And since the feces is not contagious for the first 24 hours, removing the litter daily and practicing good hygiene afterwards (inccluding washing hands) significantly reduces any chance of exposure. Follow these preventative measures and talk with your physician about how you can protect yourself from this disease, and you and your feline friends can continue enjoying each other's company for many years to come.

Hope this helps!

You can have your cat tested for the parasite, and that could put your mind at rest. If your cat does not go outside, it is unlikely to have become infected (unless she got it from meat). Even then, it is not as common as some people claim. There is a tv prgram here called "how clean is your house", where a pair of professional cleaners go in and rescure someone from their disgusting mess. On this week's episode the family were true slobs -- there was mouse poo in the kitchen, their cats weed on the carpets, there was uneaten food all over the place, laundry piling up for months, yuck. They tested a bunch of work surfaces in the kitchen, and showed that the cats walked all over everything -- i.E. Evidence of "fecal matter". This family also had a young baby. But although these cats went outside, and the place was filthy, there was no toxoplasmosis present.

So, you should be careful anyway when cleaning out litter boces -- just like you wash your hands with soap after using the toilet! But your best bet is to get a blood test on your cat, just so you can stop worrying.

What is toxoplasmosis?
Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a single-celled parasite called toxoplasma gondii. The parasite is found throughout the world. More than 60 million people in the united states probably carry the toxoplasma parasite, but very few have symptoms because the immune system usually keeps the parasite from causing illness. However, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems should be cautious because a toxoplasma infection can cause serious problems.

How can I get toxoplasmosis?
Through accidental ingestion of contaminated cat feces. This can occur if you accidentally touch your hands to your mouth after gardening, cleaning a cat’s litter box, or touching anything that has come into contact with cat feces.
Through ingestion of raw or partly cooked meat, especially pork, lamb, or venison, or by touching your hands to your mouth after handling undercooked meat.
Through contamination of knives, utensils, cutting boards and other foods that have had contact with raw meat.
Through drinking water contaminated with toxoplasma.
Although extremely rare, by receiving an infected organ transplant or blood transfusion.
What are the symptoms of toxoplasmosis?
You may feel like you have the "flu," swollen lymph glands, or muscle aches and pains that last for a month or more. Rarely, a person with a "normal" immune system may develop eye damage from toxoplasmosis. However, most people who become infected with toxoplasmosis do not know it. Persons with weak immune systems, such as infants, those with hiv/aids, those taking certain types of chemotherapy, or persons who have recently received an organ transplant, may develop severe toxoplasmosis. This can cause damage to the brain or the eyes. Most infants who are infected while in the womb have no symptoms at birth but may develop symptoms later in life. Only a small percentage of infected newborns have serious eye or brain damage at birth.

Who is at risk for severe toxoplasmosis?
Infants born to mothers who became infected with toxoplasma for the first time during or just before pregnancy.

Persons with severely weakened immune systems, such as persons with aids. This results from an acute toxoplasma infection or an infection that occurred earlier in life that reactivates and causes damage to the brain, eyes, or other organs.

How do I know if I have toxoplasmosis?
See your health care provider who may order a blood sample to be taken. There are several different kinds of blood tests for toxoplasmosis. The results from the different tests can help your provider determine if you have toxoplasma infection and if the infection is recent ("acute").

What should I do if I think I am at risk for severe toxoplasmosis?

If you have a weakened immune system, have your blood tested for toxoplasma. If your test is positive, your doctor can tell you if and when you need to take medicine to prevent the infection from reactivating. If your test is negative, it means you have never been infected and you need to take precautions to avoid infection. (see below.)
if you are planning to become pregnant, your health care provider may test you for toxoplasma. If the test is positive it means you have already been infected sometime in your life. There usually is little need to worry about passing the infection to your baby. If the test is negative, take necessary precautions to avoid infection (see below.)
if you are already pregnant, you and your health care provider should discuss your risk for toxoplasmosis. Your health care provider may order a blood sample for testing.

How can I prevent toxoplasmosis?
There are several general sanitation and food safety steps you can take to reduce your chances of becoming infected.

Wear gloves when you garden or do anything outdoors that involves handling soil. Cats, which may pass the parasite in their feces, often use gardens and sandboxes as litter boxes. Wash your hands well with soap and water after outdoor activities, especially before you eat or prepare any food.

When preparing raw meat, wash any cutting boards, sinks, knives, and other utensils that might have touched the raw meat thoroughly with soap and hot water to avoid cross-contaminating other foods. Wash your hands well with soap and water after handling raw meat.

Cook all meat thoroughly; that is, to an internal temperature of 160° f and until it is no longer pink in the center or until the juices become colorless. Do not taste meat before it is fully cooked.

For further information on safe food handling to help reduce foodborne illness visit the fight bac!® web site.

Am I able to keep my cat?
Yes, but if you have a weakened immune system or are pregnant there are some steps to take to avoid being exposed to toxoplasma.

Help prevent your cat from becoming infected with toxoplasma. Keep it indoors and feed it dry or canned cat food. A cat can become infected by eating infected prey or being fed raw or undercooked meat infected with the parasite.

Do not bring a new cat into your house that might have spent time out of doors or might have been fed raw meat. Avoid stray cats and kittens and their adopted habitat. Your veterinarian can answer any other questions you may have regarding your cat and risk for toxoplasmosis.

Have someone who is healthy and not pregnant change your cat's litter box daily. If this is not possible, wear gloves and clean the litter box daily (the parasite found in cat feces needs one or more days after being passed to become infectious.) wash your hands well with soap and water afterwards.

Once infected with toxoplasma is my cat always able to spread the infection to me?
No. Cats spread toxoplasma in their feces for only a few weeks of their lives, usually after they are first infected with the parasite. Like humans, cats rarely have symptoms when first infected, so most people do not know if their cat has been infected with toxoplasma. It is not helpful to have your cat or your cat's feces tested for toxoplasma.

What is the treatment for toxoplasmosis?
Once a diagnosis of toxoplasmosis is confirmed, you and your health care provider can discuss whether treatment is necessary. In an otherwise healthy person who is not pregnant, treatment usually is not needed. Symptoms typically go away within a few weeks. For pregnant women or persons who have weakened immune systems, drugs are available to treat toxoplasmosis.

Thanks poopoo. It is funny though....The info you posted above is what I found after I made my post. I read that last night too. Small world!