My cat tested positive for toxoplasmosis. Is my pregnant wife safe?

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Your Doctor can test you. If you are negative then you should avoid gardening or doing things with the soil as toxoplasma lives there as well. Then I would have your husband clean Cecile's litter box or you do it wearing gloves and wash your hands. I would also keep your cats indoors. As a Vet, I have been exposed, who knows when or how, and I had a normal pregnancy. Below is a link to the CDC's page on toxoplasma. It should answer all of your questions! I hope this helps and I wish you the best! https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/index.html

Toxoplasmosis can be diagnosed by blood work or a fecal examination. However toxoplasma takes 24 hours after a bowel movement to become infectious. So if your sister cleans the box daily, and showers daily, and wears clean clothes daily then the likelihood of contamination approaches zero. I am a veterinarian, and touch cats daily, and had my antibodies tested before pregnancy and I have never been exposed. I hope this helps explain this for you. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

In my opinion, with the proper precautions it can be perfectly safe. The most common time for the baby to be at risk for transmission is during the women's final trimester, so right now would be your home stretch. However, all information that I have ever learned indicates toxoplasmosis is passed only through the feces (maybe the urine too, I'd have to check on that!) and has nothing to do with the hair, saliva, or blood. Keeping that in mind, the only way you are likely to get in contact with the microorganism is by coming in contact with the cat's poop. Best ways to avoid this are the following: -If you must handle cat litter. always wear protective gear around your face and hands. -Always wash your face and hands after handling soiled litter. -Always wash your face and hands after any extensive handling of your kitty. -Avoid sleeping in the same bed as your kitty. -Don't let your cat rub his butt on you! Hope this helps. Don't get rid of your cat. While the risk is there, I think it is blown completely out of proportion. Then again, I am a male veterinarian. Perhaps a female might answer your differently. I am just giving you the facts. Let me know if you have any other questions.

This is a screening test that give a simple negative or positive. It does not quantify the level of antibodies (Ab). For that, you would need to submit blood samples to measure titers. Most screening tests will test for IgG and IgM antibodies, but you would need to speak to the veterinarian or the company that makes the test for confirmation. If you are still concerned regarding the validity, discuss your concerns with your vet or consider a retest in 4 weeks.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Do not allow yourself or your daughter to handle Minnie's stool. That is the only way you both could contract worms. You would have to get the cats stool in your mouth. The kitten and a stool sample need to go to the Vet this week. They can deworm her, start her kitten vaccines and provide you with a schedule on when to come back. Also since you are pregnant you shouldn't be handling cat stool due to toxoplasmosis risks. Good luck

I'm sorry to hear about this. Toxoplasmosis is a parasite that is commonly acquired by cats, people and many other animals, but doesn't always cause disease. This means that any animal can be infected and shedding the infective stage, but doesn't necessarily have the disease. Unless Blink is having signs of illness, there is no need to treat the infection. However, it may be worthwhile to have a vet find out if she is in-fact the source of the infection. For your sake, it may be worthwhile to eliminate the infection in Blink, so she doesn't continually spread it. Keep in mind that cat's are not the only source of this disease. Many other animals can carry this parasite and it's often transmitted through undercooked meat. Below are links to a couple of articles that should be helpful for understanding this disease and making future decisions. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/toxoplasmosis https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/index.html I hope that helps and you get better soon.

No, this isn't true at all. I have three cats and have had two kids. Now cat poop can carry toxoplasmosis, which causes miscarriage in humans, but that is why pregnant women should not scoop or change the litter box.