Toxoplasmosis is one of those diseases that you will inevitably hear about if you’re a cat owner. It often gets billed as this super scary disease, even though circumstances have to be near perfect for you to be infected by your pet’s droppings.
Understandably though, most people want to be as cautious as possible. Pregnant women in particular don’t want to do anything that can jeopardize the health of the baby in their tummy.
With that in mind, I want to offer some additional tips that can protect you further from any potential toxoplasmosis infection. These tips are easy to follow and they should allow you to continue to live worry-free along with your pet cat.
Give Your Cat the Right Type of Food
Cats get the toxoplasmosis-causing parasite from raw meat – pieces they either get from their owner or from a rat they just hunted down, The Mayo Clinic noted. Considering that fact, there’s a very simple way for you to prevent your cat from being a carrier of the aforementioned parasite.
What you want to do is limit your cat to either dry or canned cat food. You can keep your cat on this diet indefinitely or just until you give birth.
Have Someone Else Clean the Litter Box or Wear Protective Gear While Doing So
The parasite that carries toxoplasmosis is found in the cat’s poop.
If you want to prevent it from becoming a problem, you can ask someone in your home to clean the litter box for you. In case that is not an option available to you, the Humane Society recommends wearing rubber gloves prior to cleaning the litter box to protect yourself further.
Clean the Litter Box Daily
Another important thing to point out about the components of the parasite that cause toxoplasmosis is that they can only infect you after they have been left untouched for at least one full day. To lower your odds of getting sick even more, you or someone in your home can just clean up the litter box daily.
In all honesty, potentially becoming infected with toxoplasmosis is not something you really have to worry about even if you share a home with a cat. If you want to be as safe as possible though, you can put the tips listed above into practice.
Living with a cat while you’re pregnant can be fun, but it can also be tiring. If you need extra help caring for your pet, you can turn to us at TAILored Cat Services. Learn more about how we can help by calling 425-923-7791 or scanning our website.
Recent Comments