Being pregnant & having a cat ?

[TraciG]

Worried since my DH doesn't change the litterbox enough ! The box is in our tiny bathroom where we shower & I smell it, is just being able to smell it dangerous ?? I don't change it except the one time before I knew I was pregnant. I do move it to vacuum, should I not even touch the box or is that over board ? Just another worry for me anyone know anything about this ?????????

[Momof3Labs]

Just have your cat tested. If the cat is indoors and you've had it for a few years, chances are quite good that there is no problem at all.

Smelling it is not dangerous.

[sidmand]

I believe the main risk is if you have an outdoor cat, you can pick up toxoplasmosis from their feces (if they eat uncooked meat and/or wild animals). I would think that as long as you don't touch the litter itself (and therefore any possible contaminants) you would be okay.

We have indoor cats and I wasn't as worried about it. It would have been a nice to chore for DH to pick up (I know a lot of people said that was the point they gave up changing the litter forever), but unless I wanted the poor cats to wait a month, it just wasn't going to happen, so I did change their litter throughout my pregnancy.

Here's a question and answer about it:
http://www.drgreene.org/body.cfm?id=21&action=detail&ref=1644

Debbie
http://b3.lilypie.com/WT7Im4/.png[/img] (][img)

[egoldber]

Yeah, this. If I waited for DH to change the little box I'd still be waiting. From when Sarah was born LOL!!!

[Happy 2B mommy]

As previous post said, have your kitty tested. It will give you peace of mind, at least. However, my Dr. said it would be fine for me to change the litter provided I used rubber gloves, whether kitty was tested or not (out cat does go outdoors, so it seemed pointless to test him). I used disposable painters gloves (cheap at home depot) or latex medical gloves from a pharmacy. I'd put them on, change the litter and pull off the gloves (so they'd be inside out) and toss the gloves. Then I washed my hands. Everything went fine.

To move the box, I'd either use gloves or just a paper towel and wash your hands after.

Basically, the problem is if someone accidentally touches some fecal matter (which is where the parasite lives), doesn't wash her hands and then handles food or does something to ingest the parasite.

Also keep in mind that the same parasite lives in the dirt, so if you do gardening/outdoor work remember to wear gloves.

[TraciG]

Ok thanks, forget about having my cat tested, we can't get her in the cat taxi , we tried once & said forget it ! She was born outside & was rescued, we have her inside for about 2 years . I will push for my DH to clean her litterbox more !

[TraciG]

Ok thanks, forget about having my cat tested, we can't get her in the cat taxi , we tried once & said forget it ! She was born outside & was rescued, we have her inside for about 2 years . I will push for my DH to clean her litterbox more !

[elliput]

You may be able to just take in a sample of the cat's fecal matter. Give your Vet a call to find out what your options are.

[elliput]

You may be able to just take in a sample of the cat's fecal matter. Give your Vet a call to find out what your options are.

[KCR4]

I researched this years ago. This is what I remember.... Toxoplasmosis can be in the fecal matter IF your cat has eaten infected rodents. If your cat is indoors, what are the chances of that? Moreover, to infect YOU, you have to ingest it! Again - is that likely? Don't you wash your hands after you change or scoop the litter? My OB said that having DHs do litter box duty was a great excuse for a helping hand, but not necessary - he laughed and just said, wash your hands well afterwards. But like I said, the feces would only be infected if your cat had eaten something that was infected - I don't think my indoor cats could even kill and eat a mouse if a toxoplasmosis-infected mouse happened to sneak into our house (not all rodents are infected anyway)....And, if your cats had already been exposed to toxoplasmosis, than they would be immune anyway. The only thing I stopped doing when pregnant was helping at cat rescue center...since I'd be scooping boxes of feral and stray cats (much more likely to be eating rodents!) You are more likely to get toxoplasmosis from handling raw meat in your kitchen (more likely to touch your mouth for example before hand washing). That was my understanding anyway. I think people used to be more concerned about this because a long time ago, more cats were outdoor cats that ate rodents as a main food source. Pregnant women gardening might accidentally get their hands in cat poop (in the soil) and touch their mouths at some point. That sort of thing. Hope that helps! Karen

[KCR4]

I researched this years ago. This is what I remember.... Toxoplasmosis can be in the fecal matter IF your cat has eaten infected rodents. If your cat is indoors, what are the chances of that? Moreover, to infect YOU, you have to ingest it! Again - is that likely? Don't you wash your hands after you change or scoop the litter? My OB said that having DHs do litter box duty was a great excuse for a helping hand, but not necessary - he laughed and just said, wash your hands well afterwards. But like I said, the feces would only be infected if your cat had eaten something that was infected - I don't think my indoor cats could even kill and eat a mouse if a toxoplasmosis-infected mouse happened to sneak into our house (not all rodents are infected anyway)....And, if your cats had already been exposed to toxoplasmosis, than they would be immune anyway. The only thing I stopped doing when pregnant was helping at cat rescue center...since I'd be scooping boxes of feral and stray cats (much more likely to be eating rodents!) You are more likely to get toxoplasmosis from handling raw meat in your kitchen (more likely to touch your mouth for example before hand washing). That was my understanding anyway. I think people used to be more concerned about this because a long time ago, more cats were outdoor cats that ate rodents as a main food source. Pregnant women gardening might accidentally get their hands in cat poop (in the soil) and touch their mouths at some point. That sort of thing. Hope that helps! Karen