cat litter and pregnancy?!

[supermuma]

HI :)

I remember a while back I saw a thread about cat litter and pregnancy somewhere on here...can anyone point me in the right direction? I can not find it!!

[Lousli]

I can't point you to the thread, but I can tell you what the potential problem is. Cats, especially those that go outside/hunt can have toxoplasmosis, which can be transmitted through feces to humans. It is potentially dangerous to the developing fetus. Although my mom, a CNM, says it is pretty rare. But it is a goodway to talk someone else into emptying the box for a few months! :lol

[boscopup]

I use it as an excuse for DH to continue changing the litter box too. :lol But in reality, if I needed to, I'd just wear gloves and wash my hands afterwards. That's what I do when handling raw meat anyway (which is also a source of toxoplasmosis - although I wear gloves because meat blood irritates my skin). My indoor cats are indoor-only, but they're also raw fed, which means they could be exposed to toxo. But if you've had cats a long time, you've probably been exposed before anyway, so for most pregnant women, it really isn't much of an issue. Just don't change the litterbox and then stick your fingers in your mouth without washing your hands. And don't eat cat poop. :lol

[supermuma]

Thanks for the info!

I know get really paranoid about things like this during pregnancy...and of course, we just found a little kittie 2 days ago..and I was downstairs moving his litter box when I suddenly thought...wait a minute, we have been ttc...what if I ruined my baby forever! Ahh my crazy thought when shifting to "pregnancy mode". :lol

I also grew up with outdoor/indoor cats..since birth! I was raised on a farm! It has only been that past few years that I have been cat-less.
Your info made me feel a bit more rational and calm! Thanks again!

[ashtree]

I honestly hate not being able to do the litter box. I cleaned it everyday, and Im lucky if my dh does it every 2 days. I cant stand a dirty litter box, and look forward to giving it a good scrubbing once the baby gets here. Am I totally crazy?:bgbounce

[boscopup]

If my litterbox wasn't in a weird configuration making it hard to get to, I'd be cleaning it everyday too (even while preg). My DH cleans it ONCE PER WEEK - on garbage day. *sigh* It's a really big litterbox - a big Rubbermaid tub, since we have a Maine Coon who needs lots of room. :wink I don't think I could even fit in there to clean it at this point though. My DH built a wooden casing for the litterbox to keep the dogs out, and then we stuffed it in the corner of our laundry room, with freezer on one side and dryer on the other. There's about 8" between the litterbox and the dryer, and you have to stand in that spot to get into the box. The wooden thing has a lid that opens, and you have to lean way over to get down to the litter box. It's a neat setup and works well to keep the dogs out (there's an opening towards the back wall where the cats can jump in over the side of the Rubbermaid tub), but it makes it really difficult for me to stand there and scoop it even when I'm not preg.

But no, you're not weird for wanting to clean the litterbox everyday. It keeps the smell out, provides the kitties with clean litter most times that they go, etc. :)

[momz3]

I was wondering the same thing. I wanted to rescue a preggy cat on death row at the pound...(I have a sore spot for pound animals.Thats where I got my dog from!)...but planning on an addition to the family and worried about kitty litter, toxoplasmosis, etc.:(

[supermuma]

I am still rather worried about it! I keep telling myself that I am being ridicuous, but it is always in the back of my head. I have had to clean it a few times (with my kind dd's help, so I didn't have to touch as much of it!) since my dh works all weekend and the cat litter is newspaper right now. (Cat just had surgeries).

So, here I am still being paranoid about it, and I don't even know if I am REALLY pregnant yet..for sure! I am almost hoping that I am not yet pregnant, so that the contact I have had with the new kitty's poop can be forgotten and I can be more careful next month.

I probably sound insane! But it is really getting annoying to worry about! :(

I am starting to wish that we had not brought the cat home...but I really do like the cat!

[boscopup]

You know, you CAN get tested for previous toxoplasmosis exposure. Then you know for sure. :)

But really, just wear gloves and wash your hands afterward. It's really not hard to avoid toxo. Don't ingest cat poop. That's a good rule of thumb for preggo or not preggo. :wink

[supermuma]

Ha! Thanks.

My DH keeps trying to tell me to chill out too. :)