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I had one of those automatic litter boxes with my other cats but this one is afraid of everything so I don’t think he would use it. I’ll have to get a box of masks when I go to work tonight.
Toxoplasma is a very small parasite that lives in many, many cats: it behaves itself just fine for the cat, but it’s very rude when it gets into other species. And it loves to get into other species! The biggest danger is to ladies who are expecting, because if the parasite enters the body during that time, it can travel to the baby and–sorry–get into the baby’s brain or other tissues and cause major problems. It is possible for one’s cat to seem absolutely healthy and still carry the parasite. The parasite lives in the cat’s intestine, and “lays eggs” (they’re not exactly eggs, but close enough) that are passed in the stools.
There are two things one can do to protect oneself and one’s unborn baby. First, it’s critical that the litterbox be cleaned at least once every 24 hours, and preferably every 12. This is because it takes 24 hours for the Toxoplasma “eggs” to become capable of infecting a host. It’s also super important to never feed a cat raw meat, because this can be a way for cats to get Toxoplasma in the first place. (Apparently the reason Toxo likes to get into species other than the cat, is simply in hopes that the new host will someday be eaten by a cat. Well, it more or less hopes.) And yeah, this means that a cat that catches rodents or birds can get Toxo from one of them, too.
Airborne? I wouldn’t put it past the little devil. It’d be best if you didn’t have to handle the litterbox at all, but I realize that doesn’t work out for every family. A mask is a good idea; you might check with your doctor regarding what particle size it needs to be able to filter out. Toxo “eggs” are 10 micrometers in diameter, but I don’t know what that translates to in terms of what mask type you’d need.
It’s more dangerous to have a newly-infected cat than one that’s been carrying Toxo for a long time, because a newly-infected cat releases gobs of Toxo “eggs” for about three weeks. A cat who’s had it for a while doesn’t have as many “eggs” in its stool.
Okay! More than anybody ever wanted to know about Toxoplasma. I hope that this is more helpful than disgusting. 🙄 If anyone wants to Google the subject, its full name is Toxoplasma gondii.
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