Litter Box question
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Litter Box question
| Sun, 03-04-2007 - 11:50pm |
I have a cat that is almost 6 years old. I have had her since she was 12 weeks. She has NEVER gone outside and does not have the opportunity to come into contact with raw meat or soil, etc. Now here is my question: is it okay for me to change her litter box? I am the only one who has ever done it, and with DH working on the road for weeks at a time, I am the only one who CAN do it. Once I found out I was pregnant, I started wearing disposable gloves while changing the box and I wash my hand thoroughly with warm soapy water when I am done. I absolutely cannot get rid of my cat, but I want to be sure I am not doing anything dangerous.
Thanks,
Jessica


Cats can still have stuff even if they don't go out and don't eat raw meat, so if someone else can scoop, they should. I wouldn't get rid of my cats though either. I think you are taking good precautions by wearing gloves and washing your hands. I would just also wash your face good or do it before you take a shower in case any of the dust or particles contain stuff that is bad and you get it on you and accidentally come into contact with your mouth.
karri
Yep, all the stuff Karri said is right.
I wore both gloves and a face mask when I changed the litter box during my last pregnancy. My dh was away for a few weeks at a time with work. Will do the same if he has to travel.
Holly
Caleb 3/30/06
EDD 8/22/07
Jessica,
I did alot of research on this before becoming pregnant. My DH isn't a fan of my cats but knows they are with us until they die. I didn't want him to have to deal with the litter. From my research, it takes 24 hours for the toxoplasmosis virus to become active in the litter from the feces. I scoop my litter box twice a day. That eliminates the chance of any problem. My cats are also totally indoor cats. Plus if you have ever been exposed to toxoplasmosis before, it can't hurt you. Since you have had the cat for years, if your cat had it, you would have already been exposed. The only time there is a risk is when you are newly exposed during pregnancy. I have dealt with our litter box during my entire pregnancy without gloves and have been just fine. I hope this helps. Good luck!
Always best to be cautious....our sheep (lambs) recently got postive results back from toxoplamosis (yes it can be passed to other animals). The vet told us that the parasite is mainly in the kittens with the adult cats being the carriers. So if you've had the cat for a long time, you should be ok, also what Gina said...you may have already been exposed to it and become immuned.
I've had to do the bloodwork (they put my blood in a bio-hazard bag, which really freaked me out). The tests can take up to 4-6 weeks to come back, so I'm still patiently waiting. I haven't been to the barn in over a month and my DH has taken over all laundry duties and showers lots. I'm trying not to be worried, something tells me that I've already been exposed to this at the barn, but like I said....cautious and careful.
Sandra
Hi -
I, too, have cats and a DH who travels for weeks at a time. I researched this quite a bit. IMO, the chances are quite low of contracting something from your cat but it is better to be safe than sorry. I wear gloves and a mask, scoop at least once every 24 hours and wash my hands really well afterward. Toxoplasmosis can also occur in the soil (if a wandering cat has used it for a bathroom) so you should wear gloves while gardening, too. Veggies (esp. from a homegrown garden) should be thoroughly washed and meat needs to be thoroughly cooked because it can be in meat, too.
You can have a simple blood test to see if you've been exposed prior to your pg in which case you would have immunity. Even though I am a lifelong cat owner I was never exposed so I am cautious when dealing with my cats' boxes. So far I haven't had to scoop much because I have a nice neighbor who comes over and does it for me when DH is away.
Susan