I have heard that when your pregnate, you shouldn't change or be around cat's litter boxes. Why?

Question

How does being around or touching a cat's litter box harm the unborn baby inside of you? Will it cause you to miscarry? Is it safe to even be in the same house or room as a litter box?

Answer 1

You can get Toxoplasmosis and pass it on to the baby.

Toxoplasmosis is an infectious disease that can be caused by contact with a microscopic parasitic organism called Toxoplasma gondii. This parasitic infection, found worldwide, can either be acquired or be present at birth (congenital). The congenital type is a result of a maternal infection during pregnancy that is transmitted to the fetus and involves lesions of the central nervous system. These lesions may lead to blindness, brain defects and more serious conditions. The disorder may be most severe when it is transmitted to the fetus during the second through sixth month of pregnancy.

Millions of people are infected with the Toxoplasma parasite, but very few exhibit symptoms because a healthy person’s immune system usually keeps the parasite from causing illness. For people with a compromised immune system, such as those with HIV-AIDs, toxoplasmosis can be a serious disorder.

The most common ways in which the acquired form is spread include cleaning a cat’s litter box, eating contaminated meat that is raw or under-cooked, and drinking contaminated water.

Just don't take the chance.
Good luck!

Answer 2

From what I remember when I was pregnant, there is something in the cat litter that when you change the box and it get's "dusty" that can harm your baby. Can cause birth defects. I don't know about miscarriage. I think it is ok to be in the same house or room as the litter box, just stay clear when the litter is being changed. Be sure to discuss this with your doctor and if you don't get any good answers, research it on the web as I am NOT a doctor! Hope this helps!

Answer 3

Because of toxoplasmosis, which is a parasitic disease. A woman with no previous exposure should avoid handling raw meat, exposure to cat faeces, and gardening (a common place to find cat feces). Most cats are not actively shedding oocysts and so are not a danger, but the risk may be reduced further by having the litterbox emptied daily (oocysts require longer than a single day to become infective), and/or by having someone else empty the litterbox.

Treatment is very important for recently infected pregnant women, to prevent infection of the foetus. Since a baby's immune system does not develop fully for the first year of life, and the resilient cysts that form throughout the body are very difficult to eradicate with antiprotozoans, an infection can be very serious in the very young.

Answer 4

Just so everyone is CLEAR. Toxoplasmosis can only affect a cat if they contract it from something like another cats feces, eating raw meat (dead mice birds). Then a while later they poop out the parasite and then if you touch the feces and then your eyes or mouth you can contract the bacteria. You CAN'T get it from EVERY cat. They have to have it. And a STRICTLY indoor cat cannot contract it, if they're always indoors and kept away from ohter outdoor cats. You actually have a lot better chance of getting it from touching raw meat or not cleaning your fruits and veggies well enough. Just wash your hands after cleaning the litter box.....NO NEED TO GET RID OF THE CAT. Have someone else do it for you if you're really freaked. But these ARE THE FACTS......so don't listen to a lot of the other ignorant advice on here. good luck

Answer 5

cats who contract toxoplasmosis do not always show symptoms. To prevent getting infected with the disease, whenever you scoop or clean the litter box, wear disposable gloves and wash your hands immediately afterward. Even better, get a friend or adult member of the family to take over litter box maintenance while Mom is pregnant.

Eating raw or undercooked meat is the most common way that humans contract toxoplasmosis. If you eat meat, wash off all surfaces and utensils that touched raw meat, and don't prepare meat and raw foods like salads on the same cutting board. Wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw meat.

If you garden, wear gloves when working in the soil. The toxoplasmosis parasite lives in the dirt, so also wash your hands well after gardening. Many people naturally acquire an immunity to toxoplasmosis, and will not pass it on to their unborn child. Your doctor can test to see if you are in this group.

Hope this helps

Answer 6

You can get toxoplasmosis from cleaning a cat's litter box during pregnancy. This can cause major problems for you and your unborn child. It is safe to be in the house and room, just do not handle the litter box. Also, be sure to wash your hands well after any contact with your cat.

Answer 7

The problem with cat litter is that the feces of a cat can carry toxoplasmosis which can cause severe birth defects or miscarriage. However , cats get this toxoplasmosis from eating raw meat and rodents. So if the cat is strictly a house cat then it will not carry the bacteria. Also if you have always been around cats and dealt with the litter then you have been exposed already and it will not effect your pregnancy. My OBGYN told me this when I was pregnant with my first child 8 yrs ago. I now have 3 and I have had 2 house cats the entire time with no problems what so ever.

Answer 8

"I have two cats at home. I've heard that cats carry a disease that can harm a fetus. Do I have to get rid of my pets?

Don't send your feline friends packing. Since you've lived with cats for a while, the chances are pretty good that you've already contracted the disease toxoplasmosis and have developed an immunity to it. It's estimated that much of the Australian population has been infected, and the rates of infection are much higher amon people who have cats, as well as among those who frequently eat raw meat or drink unpasteurised milk, both of which can also harbour and transfer the infection. If you weren't tested prenatally to see if you were immune it's not likely you will be tested now, unless you show symptoms of the disease (and some practitioners will run regular tests on pregnant women who live with a lot of cats). If you were tested prenatakky are were nit immune, or if you're not sure whether you are immune or not, you should take the following precautions to avoid infection:

Have your cats tested by a veterinarian to see if they have an active infection. If one or more do, board them at a kennel or ask for a friend to care for them for at least six weeks - the period during which the infection is transmissable. If they are free of infection, keep them that way by now allowing them to eat raw meat, roam outdoors, hunt mice or birds (which can transmit toxoplasmosis to cats) or faternise with other cats. Have someone else handle the litter box. If you must do it yourself, use disposable gloves and wash your hands when you're finished, as well as when you touch a cat. The litter should be changed daily.

Wear gloves when gardening. Don't garden in soil which cats may have despoited faeces. Don't allow your children to play in sand that may have been used by cats.

Wash fruits and vegetables, especially those grown in home gardens, rinsing very thoroughly, and/or peel or cook them.

Don't eat raw or undercooked meat or unpasteurised milk. In restaurants, order meat well done.

Wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw meats

Some practitioners are urging routine testing before conception of in very early pregnancy for all women, so that those who test positive can relax, knowing they are immune, and those who test negative can take the necessary precautions to prevent infection. Others believe the financial cost of such testng may outweigh the benefits it may provide"

Answer 9

There can be a bacteria in the cat feces that can cause birth defects or miscarriages. Obviously, cat feces are found in liter boxes, so pregnant women need to st ear clear.

The good news: The husband has to clean the liter box for the next nine months!! :)

It's okay to be in the same house, and in the same room from time to time, but stear clear of prolonged exposure.

Answer 10

While toxoplasmosis is something you tend to be immune to if you have always been around cats, recent studies have shown that toxoplasmosis has been known to cause sociopathic behaviors in children of mothers who were exposed to it during pregnancy. Just make someone else change the litter, and don't spend time around it.