Kitty litter boxes: What you need to know!
Cat owners outnumber dog owners in the United States by almost 14 million, but it’s surprising knowing how foul-smelling and messy those kitty litter boxes really can be. As long as you hygienically handle your cat’s litter box – in other words, washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling - there are minimal risks to you, provided you’re not pregnant or immunosuppressed. The risk of bacterial transmission from the litter box is relatively rare, but cats fed a “BARF” (“bones and raw food”) diet may be more at risk for carrying and shedding abnormal bacteria (like E. coli, Salmonella or Camylobacter) in their feces. More recently, the potential risk for bacterial spread (Salmonella) has been reported with dry pet food also, and has resulted in multiple pet food recalls. So, to be safe, good hygiene is recommended after handling anything dog or cat: scooping after your pet or handling their food.
The bigger risk that you’re more likely to get from your cat’s feces is Toxoplasma, which is an infectious, single-celled parasitic organism that cats can become infested with and can shed to you. If you’ve ever owned a cat and been pregnant or immunosuppressed (e.g., AIDS, HIV, chemotherapy), your M.D. or veterinarian may have already educated you on this potential risk. While rare, Toxoplasma can be quite dangerous, and can result in miscarriage, birth defects, and neurologic signs. It’s contagious via three ways: (a) via transmission from a pregnant mother to her unborn child when the mother is infected during pregnancy, (b) by handling or ingesting undercooked or raw meat from infected animals (like venison, lamb, or pork), or (c) by inhalation or ingestion of the oocyst (an early “egg” stage of the Toxoplasma) from soil or litter contact (which can happen when gardening, playing in your kid’s sandbox, or from an unhygienic litter box). Toxoplasma oocysts take more than 24 hours to “ripen” and become infectious to you, so daily cleaning of the litter box helps prevent transmission. If you’re pregnant, it’s safer for you to clean the litter box once or twice a day for the duration of your pregnancy, or better yet, let your partner have litter box duty for the next nine months. A few other easy ways to protect yourself are to avoid raw meat (cooking meat to at least 152ºF), using gloves when gardening, washing your garden vegetables well, and being an advocate for keeping cats indoors, as they first are exposed to toxoplasmosis while hunting vermin.
As for where to keep the litter box, it’s based on how much space you have in your digs, and your tolerance for trafficking around kitty litter clay remnants left on the floor. I personally like to keep the litter box out of sight – where you don’t have to deal with the smell and the litter dust. I’d keep it out of the kitchen too, since you’re prepping or cooking food there. Personally, I keep two litter boxes in my furnished basement, but make sure to clean it daily (Remember, out of sight doesn’t mean out of mind!). While it’s not necessarily unhealthy to smell, I do feel that the dust (which is typically bentonite clay) can chronically build up in your lungs. The easiest tip: clean your kitty’s litter box daily to keep both you and your cat healthy!
The bigger risk that you’re more likely to get from your cat’s feces is Toxoplasma, which is an infectious, single-celled parasitic organism that cats can become infested with and can shed to you. If you’ve ever owned a cat and been pregnant or immunosuppressed (e.g., AIDS, HIV, chemotherapy), your M.D. or veterinarian may have already educated you on this potential risk. While rare, Toxoplasma can be quite dangerous, and can result in miscarriage, birth defects, and neurologic signs. It’s contagious via three ways: (a) via transmission from a pregnant mother to her unborn child when the mother is infected during pregnancy, (b) by handling or ingesting undercooked or raw meat from infected animals (like venison, lamb, or pork), or (c) by inhalation or ingestion of the oocyst (an early “egg” stage of the Toxoplasma) from soil or litter contact (which can happen when gardening, playing in your kid’s sandbox, or from an unhygienic litter box). Toxoplasma oocysts take more than 24 hours to “ripen” and become infectious to you, so daily cleaning of the litter box helps prevent transmission. If you’re pregnant, it’s safer for you to clean the litter box once or twice a day for the duration of your pregnancy, or better yet, let your partner have litter box duty for the next nine months. A few other easy ways to protect yourself are to avoid raw meat (cooking meat to at least 152ºF), using gloves when gardening, washing your garden vegetables well, and being an advocate for keeping cats indoors, as they first are exposed to toxoplasmosis while hunting vermin.
As for where to keep the litter box, it’s based on how much space you have in your digs, and your tolerance for trafficking around kitty litter clay remnants left on the floor. I personally like to keep the litter box out of sight – where you don’t have to deal with the smell and the litter dust. I’d keep it out of the kitchen too, since you’re prepping or cooking food there. Personally, I keep two litter boxes in my furnished basement, but make sure to clean it daily (Remember, out of sight doesn’t mean out of mind!). While it’s not necessarily unhealthy to smell, I do feel that the dust (which is typically bentonite clay) can chronically build up in your lungs. The easiest tip: clean your kitty’s litter box daily to keep both you and your cat healthy!
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