I am 6 weeks pregnant and have 2 cats. I was told I can't clean out their litter box. ?

Use gloves and wash your hands afterwards, and you'll be fine. You have far more chance of getting toxoplasmosis from vegetables or undercooked meat, than you do from your cats....

More info: http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tip...

Its dangerous to clean a cats litter tray when you are pregnant as cats feces contain something which could affect the development of the baby. This is the very worst case scenario.

Having said that, if you are all alone then you can do one of two things. Either phone the vet for advice and get it straight from the horses mouth, or if you are independent and like me, you will use a face mask and rubber gloves, dont touch anything in the litter tray with your hand and use a poop scoop. Failing that wear the mask and gloves and just tip the whole litter tray out and refill.

Lots of people have cats when they are pregnant, I know I did, and everything was just fine.

Might be best to ring the vet for advice anyway just to put your mind at rest.

Best of luck.

The theory is that cats can transmit toxoplasmosis to people, and having toxoplasmosis (a protozoan infection) during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects.

However, the risk is really pretty low, especially if your cats don't go outside.

Many more people get toxoplasmosis from eating raw or undercooked meat than get it from cats.

Why can't the baby's father clean your litter box?

Breathe through a wet wash cloth when you clean it out.

Also,

Get someone else to change the cat litter if you can, and if you can't, wear gloves and wash your hands carefully after changing the box.

Change cat litter daily; T. gondii are infectious between 1 and 5 days after the cat defecates

Do not feed your cat raw meat, and keep your cat indoors.

Be careful around stray cats and kittens, and avoid getting a new cat while pregnant.

Keep outdoor sandboxes covered, and wear gloves when gardening in case an outdoor cat has defecated in your garden.

Cats poo is only harmful if your cats are hunters and its more than 48 hours old. If you cats are indoor cats and don't catch mice or other critters then you'll be ok.

Toxoplasma is a parasite that is found in cats poo and can be harmful to pregnant women, but as I said before, you will only find this in cats that are hunters and it is only harmful if it's been left for a couple of days.

My suggestion, clean it up as soon as you can!

TOXOPLASMOSIS ------- is not something to be taken lightly or dismissed during your first trimester. It can cause irreparable neural damage to the fetus OR spontaneous aborting of the fetus.

Anyone that ignores the dangers of this does so at the risk of damage to themselves and their unborn child. Personal hygiene and staying as far away as you can from cat litter are paramount.

i cannot imagine why you cannot clean your litter box.......whats with that?

in any event, they have a new kitty litter, it smells like a room deorderizer..I mean this stuff smells so nice I sometimes place the box in the rooms to give a nice scent.....its fabulous!

its called...fresh step

its a blue box with a kitten on it....sold by 15 lbs or 20 lbs

anyway...what you do is fill a small box... like 15 by 15.....they dont need anymore room...

fill it half full.......put a plastic trash bag in it for a liner.....3-4 inches deep.................when they potty in this stuff.....the pee actually becomes a glue in this sand type stuff, and the sand solidifies.

you wait about 15 minutes and then take a scooper and gently scoop where the cat went and the glue/ urine will be a large glob comepletely encased with this sand. handle it gently and just scoop under out and it wont smell at all because it has this glue type stuff in it and around it......so it keeps the stinky urine from smelling. it will look like a squished ball of sand.

then you just keep a walmart bag handy, plop it in and tie the top.open your window and place a nail out there and hang the baggie outside the window to fillagain later...if you are in an apt.

....if you are ground floor..... just plop the bag in the rubbish tied well.

the poop also is encased in this sand.

this sand is so good,.......it makes my house smell like flowers.

it lasts a month..... as the animal poops and pees it take with it about 2 tlb spoon out of the litter box.....

after about 4-5 weeks.....the litter has gone down and you just pour another qt or 2 in the litter and start over.

no smells..!.if the cat doesnt completely cover the urine and jumps out of the box.....just take your scooper and smooth the sand over the urine top.....dont move the urine blob.....and in 15 minutes it is a blob of glue like stuff...

it smells wonderful ...and no gross stink ever again.

there is no reason why you cannot clean your litter box with this stuff..................and it may cost a bit more..2$ more......but it last longer than reg kitty litter.

your reg 2$ stuff...doesnt screen the smell and gets ikki in about 2 weeks. this fresh step stuff last about 6 weeks for one box.............and can last longer for just 1 cat.

try this...you will love it!...I love it..i never wanted another cat because of this poopy smell and this stinky urine problem......but fresh step will not only make your house smell nice...but you will never have a kitty smell in your house again.

they sell it at walmart...15 lbs box...20 lb box.......and like i say..it last for weeks and weeks....

its wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy better than reg kitty litter....

try it.................you will find you love the smell....and leave the box open in other rooms..for deorderizer....

jean

All I can suggest is keep your cats strictly indoors and bring their stool samples in for testing. There's many ways of contracting toxoplasmosis. You can get it from gardening, from uncooked meat, etc. You can take precautions to avoid complications. Here's some links you might like to read...

http://www.babycenter.com/0_toxoplasmosis-during-p...

http://cats.about.com/cs/catmanagement101/a/humanp...

http://mritechnicianschools.net/2010/17-health-ben...

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. In fact, the chances are that you have already been exposed to toxoplasmosis by handling raw meat or gardening without gloves. According to the CDC, "More that 60 million men, women, and children in the U.S. carry the Toxoplasma parasite, but very few have symptoms because the immune system usually keeps the parasite from causing illness." Your doctor can test to see if you are in this group.

To keep your cat from becoming infected while you're pregnant, feed him only commercial cat food or well-cooked table scraps – never raw or undercooked meat.

Keep him indoors so he won't hunt down potentially infected prey like mice or birds. (Remember, though, that even an indoor cat might catch a mouse.)

Keep the kitty off the kitchen counter and dining table.

Though it's unlikely your cat has any parasites in his fur, it's a good idea to wash your hands after playing with him, especially before eating or otherwise putting your hands to your mouth.

Don't get a new kitten or cat while you're pregnant, and don't play with stray cats or kittens.

UPDATE: Just to let him know that there's many health benefits to owning a cat, especially for your child. Here is just a couple of reasons listed below...

Decrease chance of developing allergies: If you are going to have a baby, you might consider getting a pet. Having a cat can help you prevent allergies in your children. There are some studies that newborns that live with animals, specifically cats and dogs, are more likely to avoid developing allergies. Being used to them from an early age triggers immunity.

Help prevent asthma in children: In addition to helping to prevent children from developing allergies, there is some evidence that living with a cat can also help prevent asthma in children. If you have kids, owning a cat and exposing your kids to cats might help them to avoid developing asthma. Early and regular contact with cats can help your children avoid a number of respiratory problems.

Wear a handkerchief or a wet wash cloth across the face.

It wouldn't be too dangerous, but the dust is very irritable and can hurt the baby if inhaled in large amounts.

Ask your boyfriend or husband to do it. If he refuses, ask a close relative. I changed litter boxes for my pregnant sister in law because my brother is lazy as f*ck.

Just make sure you don't breathe in a lot of the dust and debris that comes out. Wear a moist cloth covered with a handkerchief to keep it in place.

Who told you that?

Cats are no more harmful to babies and pregnant women than any other pet.

There can sometimes be diseases in cat faeces that can be harmful to babies but it's very rare.

Love your cats! And love your baby when it arrives. Just make sure that the cats can't harm the baby (they may get a bit jealous) but cats are usually fine with babies, in my experience.