Pregnancy and Toxoplasmosis
Written on July 26, 2005 by Kevin.
In addition to yesterdays post, we also received a lot of information on toxoplasmosis. While my wife and I were already aware of the issue, we felt that gathering all of the information we could would be good. The bottom line is that pregnant women should not be cleaning the kitty litter box. This infection can be spread from the pregnant woman to the unborn child and possibly cause serious birth defects. Many cats can acquire this from eating contaminated raw meat, birds, mice and soil. (why you would have a pet cat and keep it outside is beyond me.) Further information can be seen at the provided link. Husbands, since we want to do all we can for our wives, make sure you clean out the litter box often.
Link: Our Prescription for Toxoplasmosis: Learn the Facts and Keep Your Family Together
I'm assuming you live in a larger city by your last post. Living in a small town with little to no traffic, my pet cats love to wonder around outside for a while and then come in to take a nap, for bedtime, etc. Also, with the small town situation, having pets running around at large is quite common because everyone knows which pet belongs where, and more often than not, you know if the animal is sick, bites, etc.
Written by Anonymous on Jul 26, 2005
To my understanding, cats with toxoplasmosis is really not noticable. I believe you may be able to view it in there litter but how many of us stare at that? The reason why I do not understand why you would let your pet cat run around is because it is your pet, it is your job to take care of it, not to let it roam around as it pleases. Cats in small towns get sick without being noticed as well as more likely to be inpregnated if outdoors, just like other city cats. I just think you should have a pet not a half wanted animal. Just my 2cents.
Written by The Dad to Be on Jul 26, 2005