Did You Know: Cats, Pregnant Women & Toxoplasmosis

Picture of Cat - Tipnut.com An unborn child can be infected with the toxoplasmosis parasite if a pregnant women is in contact with a cat carrying the parasite.

The disease may be most severe when the fetus is infected during the second to sixth month of a pregnancy. Infection in the unborn child early in pregnancy can result in miscarriage, poor growth, early delivery or stillbirth. If a child is born with toxoplasmosis, he/she can experience eye problems, hydrocephalus (water on the brain), convulsions or mental disabilities.

Source: BC Health Files

It’s recommended that pregnant women wear gloves, plants and shoes when gardening (or avoid gardening altogether) and never clean a litter box in case the feces carry the parasite.

However, think about cat behavior for a moment:

Cats dig around the litter box with their paws
They walk around the house, furniture, on bedding, sleep on your pillows and may even sleep in the same bed with you–with those same paws that were digging around the litter box

Cats groom and clean themselves frequently, but they don’t step out of the litter box and immediately start grooming. They trot around for a bit.

As a precaution, pregnant women should always wash their hands well before touching any food as well as wash their hands immediately after petting a cat or touching something that was in contact with a cat.

For food items that pregnant women are advised not to consume, please see Food Standards Agency UK, some highlights: