Don’t panic! If you own a cat, the odds are slim that you will get a disease from your feline friend’s feces, but it’s important to understand how this can occur. Below, you will learn how to prevent cat poop-related diseases from occurring in your household and what to do if one develops so you can recover as quickly as possible. Just remember—the best way to protect yourself against all types of diseases from cat poop is not to scoop the litter box!
Introduction
It can be shocking to learn that there are many disease-causing bacteria in cat poop, including the common E. coli bacteria that is responsible for up to 200,000 human illnesses per year in the United States. However, this post will explain how you can help protect yourself and family members by understanding the risks and finding out how to prevent illness or infection. As always, it’s important not to panic – but by following these tips, you should know how to prevent getting a disease from cat poop!
1. Educate Yourself on Cat Poop Diseases
2. Recognize Potential Symptoms
3. Understand How Prevention Works
4. Keep Your Distance if Someone Else Has a Fever or Diarrhea
What is Toxoplasma gondii?
Toxoplasma gondii is a small parasite found in cat feces, which has the capability of being transmitted to humans. Cats may pass Toxoplasma gondii through their feces onto various surfaces and once in the environment, it can be difficult to remove.
Toxoplasma gondii enters through cracks or pores in the skin such as cuts or bites, whereupon it infects new cells with its parasitic DNA and continues this process as long as you are alive. When consumed raw or undercooked, tainted cat feces can even transmit toxoplasmosis disease from cat poop to humans. If you happen to ingest an infected cat litter box that contains eggs, more serious health risks can result for example schizophrenia and birth defects if pregnant.
How do you get toxoplasmosis?
Toxoplasmosis, a parasite found in cat poop, can lead to life-threatening toxoplasmosis infection. Toxoplasmosis affects pregnant women and anyone with a weak immune system. For this reason, those at risk should make sure to always wash hands after handling the litter box or other surfaces where kitty might have left their droppings. Cooking or freezing raw meat will also reduce the chances of contracting this disease from cat poop.
Unfortunately, there is no treatment for toxoplasmosis. Those who contract it will need to take medication for weeks or months. The most important way to avoid getting a disease from cat poop is by not handling kitty’s waste directly, as mentioned above. If you have children and they handle litter boxes often, make sure they wash their hands after cleaning kitty’s box or being near it. Teaching children to always wash hands after playing with pets of any kind can go a long way in reducing their risk of illness.
Teaching your child how to properly handle cat waste helps keep them safe – even if your child doesn’t have direct contact with them on purpose!
Symptoms of toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis is an infectious disease that is caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. It can be transmitted to humans by contact with cat feces and contaminated soil, water, or raw produce. Symptoms of toxoplasmosis can include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, loss of appetite, and fatigue. If you have concerns about exposure to toxoplasmosis or other diseases from cat poop please call your doctor immediately.
Treatment for toxoplasmosis
There are many things you can do to prevent Toxoplasma gondii in your cat’s litter box. You can use sand or shredded paper as opposed to clay or clumping litter, because toxoplasma eggs require moisture to become infectious and it takes far more time for the parasite to hatch. One good example of this is Dr Elsey’s Cat Attract Litter, which is made of recycled paper products. It features an herbal scent that draws cats into the litter box with its aroma. This is one way to control the spread of toxoplasmosis disease from cat poop so it does not affect humans in the home environment.
How to prevent toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis is one of the most common diseases that can be caused by the parasite, T. gondii. It’s estimated that toxoplasmosis might cause more than two-thirds of human disease due to foodborne pathogens, but this is in fact not the case. The protozoan parasites found in cat feces are believed to be responsible for transmitting toxoplasmosis to humans. With such a high number of cats still roaming free and thus able to deposit their fecal matter around any place they please, how do you protect yourself against this nasty infection? Read on below for tips on how you can avoid getting this potentially life-threatening disease from cat poop!
In conclusion
Make sure to always wash your hands and keep the litter box clean. These are easy ways to protect yourself from diseases that can come from cat poop.
The best way to protect yourself is to make sure that your cat doesn’t poop in other places besides its litter box. If it starts pooping outside of its litter box, you need to take your cat to see a vet. This behavior can be caused by numerous health problems that should be treated as soon as possible. While uncommon, some people have developed infections and diseases from touching cat poop and then putting their hands on their mouths or scratching themselves.