Can you be around cat litter when pregnant

In this photo, Dr. Katie is demonstrating proper personal protective equipment for litter box cleaning if you are pregnant. Pregnant women who clean the litter box should wear gloves and a mask, and thoroughly wash their hands when finished. Masks and disposable gloves are available at many stores and online.

Many people have had a lot of questions about being safe around animals during pregnancy. The most commonly asked question is “Is it safe to be around cats when you’re expecting?” We hope to answer that question and maybe give a few more tips about being safe around pets when you or a loved one is expecting.

Is it safe to be around cats? The short answer is yes, but precautions should be taken to protect the mother. Generally when people ask this question, they have the disease toxoplasmosis in mind. Toxoplasma is a parasite that can be very harmful to an unborn baby if the mother acquires the infection for the first time during pregnancy. It can cause miscarriage, neurological defects (brain damage), blindness, and other symptoms. Some of these symptoms may not be apparent at birth, but they may become evident as the child grows. Cats pick up this infection by ingesting small animals (mice, birds, etc). For this reason, we recommend keeping your cat indoors to minimize hunting of small prey. Infected cats shed the parasite in the feces. It takes one or more days for the parasite to develop in the cat’s feces to an infective form.

How would a pregnant woman become infected with toxoplasma? Interestingly, most people acquire toxoplasma by eating undercooked meat or contaminated produce. A pregnant woman can also become infected by inadvertently ingesting contaminated cat feces or inhaling litter dust while cleaning the litter box.

Here are some tips quoted directly from the Center of Disease Control on preventing toxoplasmosis (https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/gen_info/pregnant.html):

• Have someone who is healthy and not pregnant change the cat’s litter box daily. If this is not possible, wear gloves and clean the litter box every day, because the parasite found in cat feces needs one or more days after being passed to become infectious. Wash hands well with soap and water afterwards.
• Wash hands with soap and water after any exposure to soil, sand, raw meat, or unwashed vegetables.
• 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.
• Freeze meat for several days before cooking to greatly reduce the chance of infection.
• Wash all cutting boards and knives thoroughly with hot soapy water after each use.
• Wash and/or peel all fruits and vegetables before eating them.
• Wear gloves when gardening or handling sand from a sandbox. Wash hands well afterward.
• Avoid drinking untreated water, particularly when traveling in less developed countries.

Do you have questions? Feel free to give us a call at 573-875-3647. If you have an idea or a question you’d like answered on a blog, leave a comment here or on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MyZooAnimalHospital)

MORE INFORMATION

Remember, if you are expecting, it’s even more important for your pets to be healthy and up to date on vaccinations. Schedule an appointment today to get your pet checked out and up to date. Call us at 573-875-3647.

Everything you need to know about toxoplasmosis

Have you been wanting to get out of changing your cat’s litter tray? If you are pregnant, you have a legitimate reason to pass this chore on to your partner.

Cat faeces can carry a parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, an infection that poses a danger to your developing baby.

Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by the parasite Toxoplasma Gondii that can affect the unborn child if a pregnant woman becomes infected.

The parasite can also be found in undercooked meat, unpasteurised milk and garden soil.

“In pregnant women the parasite can cross the placenta and negatively affect the foetus, resulting in an increased risk of birth defects,” says Red Nose Chief Midwife Jane Wiggill.

“It can also cause skin rashes, nervous system damage, brain damage, liver damage, eye problems, and even miscarriage.”

But, explains Jane, there are small changes pregnant women can make to minimise their risk.

“Pregnant women are advised to avoid contact with cats, especially the litter tray,” Jane says. “Ensure your partner takes over all handling and cleaning of your cat’s litter tray as soon as you decide to try for a baby, and make sure litter trays are cleaned daily.”

Jane also advises taking precautions when preparing, handling or eating meat.

“The parasite can be found in muscle tissue of undercooked lamb, pork or kangaroo, so it’s important to wash your hands after handling raw meat, and make sure meat is cooked thoroughly.

“Avoid eating rare or medium-rare meat dishes, and also thoroughly wash chopping boards, knives and kitchen utensils that have come into contact with raw meat,” Jane advises.

Toxoplasmosis can also be found in soil. “Make sure you wear gloves while gardening, and wash vegetables to remove any traces of soil,” Jane says.

And what should you do if you think you have come into contact with the parasite?

In most cases, Jane explains, toxoplasmosis has no symptoms. However, if symptoms do occur they can include swollen lymph nodes, muscle aches and pains, headache, and fever.

“If you are generally feeling unwell and are pregnant, please see your GP as evidence of infection can be found through a blood test,” Jane explains.

Check out other articles to to help you on your pregnancy journey.

• you're pregnant or you have a weak immune system and you think you may have toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is usually harmless, but in rare cases it can lead to serious problems.

You're more at risk if:

• you get infected in pregnancy – toxoplasmosis can cause miscarriage. If it spreads to your baby it can cause serious complications, especially if you catch it early in pregnancy
• your immune system is weakened – for example, if you have HIV or you're having chemotherapy. The infection may affect your eyes or brain

Q: I have a couple of cats and changed their litter before I found out I was pregnant. Should I be concerned about toxoplasmosis?

A: Toxoplasmosis infections are rare, so you’ll most likely be fine.

Toxoplasmosis is caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. You can get it from handling feces of an infected cat, or more commonly, from eating raw or under-cooked meat from animals that have been infected.

In most cases, expectant mothers don’t have any symptoms. But sometimes there can be flu-like symptoms.

A blood test can show if you’ve been recently infected, or if you have been exposed to it in the past (which would give you immunity and prevent infection in your baby).

For the rest of your pregnancy, avoid changing the cat litter. And wash your hands after touching your cat. I’d also keep your cat inside and away from animals like mice, which could be infected. Wear gloves when gardening as soil can contain cat feces. Finally, cook all meat well before eating it and wash cutting boards, dishes, counters, utensils and your hands with hot, soapy water after they’ve come in contact with raw foods.

― Ob/Gyn Jeff Chapa, MD

Related Articles

The myth about cats giving pregnant women toxoplasmosis has been causing misery for a long time. Pregnant women can transmit toxoplasmosis, a rare parasitic disease, to their unborn babies, and a toxoplasmosis infection can lead to miscarriage or cause malformed babies.

Since toxoplasmosis can be transmitted via contact with cat feces, many pregnant women are told to lower their risk by giving away their cats or by putting their cats outside. Neither is necessary.

The CDC says your cat isn't the greatest threat

It's unlikely that your cat will give you toxoplasmosis. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "people are more likely to get [toxoplasmosis] from eating raw meat or from gardening." To help keep your and your baby safe, the HSUS has put together tips for avoiding exposure to toxoplasmosis.

Other animals can transmit toxoplasmosis

Cats get toxoplasmosis from eating contaminated raw meat, birds, mice, or soil. But cats aren't the only animals who can transmit it, they're just the only species to shed the infectious stage in their feces. Humans can contract toxoplasmosis from the infected, undercooked meat of other animals, too.

Understanding the disease can make you feel safer

An understanding of the life cycle of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) and the role that cats play in disease transmission can allay fears of cats' role in the disease.

T. gondii is a protozoan organism that can infect all mammals, who serve as intermediate hosts. Once a cat has been infected with toxoplasmosis, he typically acquires immunity and can only rarely get reinfected. So, normally, it is only during a cat's first exposure to T. gondii that he will excrete potentially infectious oocysts (reproducing microorganisms). In addition, oocysts are not immediately infective, requiring an incubation period of one to five days.

How humans get toxoplasmosis

Humans most commonly contract the disease from the consumption of undercooked meat, which contains T. gondii within tissue cysts. A less common method of acquisition is through direct ingestion of infective oocysts. Finally, transplacental transmission of the disease to an unborn child can occur when the mother gets a primary infection while pregnant.

The likelihood of contracting toxoplasmosis

Because it's difficult for cats to transmit toxoplasmosis directly to their caregivers, a pregnant woman is generally unlikely to contract the disease from her pet cat.

Several factors keep the chance of such transmission low.

• Only cats who ingest tissue cysts get infected. Within the feline population, this would be limited to outdoor cats who hunt and eat rodents, as well as cats who are fed raw meat by their owners.
• Typically a cat only excretes oocystsis when she is first exposed to T. gondii, and this goes on for only two weeks. An outdoor hunting cat is often exposed to the disease as a kitten and is, therefore, less likely to transmit the infection as she ages.
• Because oocysts only become infective after one to five days, exposure to the disease is unlikely as long as you clean the cat's litter box daily.
• Since oocysts are transmitted by ingestion, in order to contract toxoplasmosis, a woman would have to make contact with contaminated feces in the litter box and then, without washing her hands, touch her mouth or otherwise transmit the contaminated fecal matter to her digestive system.

Take steps to protect yourself against toxoplasmosis

Even though it is unlikely that you will contract toxoplasmosis from your cat, it's good to be as careful as possible. The following recommendations will help cat owners expecting a child to reduce their risk of contracting toxoplasmosis.

• Avoid undercooked meat.
• Wash all uncooked vegetables thoroughly.
• Wash all cutting boards and utensils that might have come in contact with meat before using them.
• Wear gloves when gardening or working in soil for other reasons. If you don't wear gloves, wash your hands thoroughly afterward.
• Ask your spouse, friends, or neighbors to help out with litter box duties while you're pregnant.
• If you don't have help to keep the litter box clean, wear rubber gloves when changing the litter and thoroughly wash your hands afterward.
• Have your cat's litter changed on a daily basis.
• Keep your cat indoors.

A final thought

Sensible precautions will protect you from toxoplasmosis during your pregnancy, and getting rid of your cat would be an unnecessary cruelty to both of you. If you are concerned about your well-being, it's far better for you to enjoy your cat's love and companionship throughout your pregnancy and following the birth of a child.