Is rat litter/feces/urine poisonous for a mom to be?

[Kerry]

I've heard things about kitty litter, I don't know if if its the actual litter or the cats pee or what, I've heard conflicting things but has anyone heard this about rat litter or any other animal? I just found out I am 4 weeks pregnant :happydance: I have 3 rats and they litter trained with yesterdays news.

 

[Godmother]

I've been told that there are organisms in cat poop that could be a risk. Have never heard anything bad about rat raisins, though. You might want to do a Google search and also ask your doctor.

 

[eagle]

The cat poop is hazards for pregnant women, but as Godmothe said I have not heard of issues with rats. Worse case get some gloves when cleaning the litter boxes.

 

[blytherue]

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=15958&hilit=+Pregnant
rats can carry the same parasite that is the reason that pregnant women can't clean litter boxes, so definitely at the very least wear gloves, but if possible have someone else do it.
And congratulations! :thumbup:

 

[Marylou]

We have pregnant women working in our Animal Facility at the Medical College of Wisconsin, I would have to think that if it was harmful our Occupational Health and Safety would be doing something about it...

They are however, NOT allowed to work with cats...

 

[ZoeHale]

Wow, that's all really interesting. Y'know, my mom has had a cat for 10 years now and when she was pregnant with my now 4 year old sister, she didn't shut the cat out or anything.. Hmm. Although I may have been the one cleaning the litter box.

How interesting!

 

[ryelle]

Id suggest using gloves when dealing with any faeces now that your pregnant. You can catch infections and diseases from rat urine when pregnant (i cant remember which ones atm).
If you ask your doctor, they will tell you to rehome your pets, and will be quite harsh about the fact


Oh.. and :congrats!:

 

[SQ]

Any danger no ... but a good reason to get someone else to clean the litter boxes etc for awhile. :wink2:

:congrats!!:

 

[crumbilina]

The reason why cat feces are bad for pregnant women is because of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. The cat sheds Toxo in their feces, and the parasite is ready to infect a rodent to continue its life cycle. Sometimes it gets a bit sidetracked and enters the human body instead of a rodent body, which is what it wants to get into. I believe (but don't quote me on it) that the parasite can cross the placenta and thats why it is dangerous to pregnant women, although it may be a neurological issue instead - I can't remember, either way it can cause serious harm or death to the baby (sorry I don't mean to scare you). When Toxo enters the rodent body from the cat feces it migrates into the flesh waiting for the cat to eat the flesh of the rodent so that it can continue its life cycle in the gut of the cat. There is no risk to a pregnant woman when looking at the rodent aspect, unless the rodent is consumed, but even then it is still not the correct host for the specific part of the cycle, so it may not have an effect. If you want to know more I would suggest looking it up online and look at life cycles - this was a brief summary from what I remember from parasitology class a while ago, so some parts could be missing. You could also talk to your doctor about the Toxo life cycle and find out about the hosts.

And this is just looking at one aspect of feces. I would play it safe and wear a mask or get someone else to clean up for a bit.

Oh and Congratulations!!!!!

 

[crumbilina]

Oh, just remembered a great life cycle site from the CDC: http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/dpdx/HTML/Toxoplasmosis.htm

If you check it out you can see where humans can enter the life cycle. It can never enter from the rodent stage, its always from the cat stage. Hope this helps explain things a bit better.

Sorry to overwhelm you with info, but I love Toxo, so I like to share the knowledge!

 

[henry's_mum]

Any danger no ... but a good reason to get someone else to clean the litter boxes etc for awhile. :wink2:

:congrats!!:

:cheeky: I like this reply!!! I agree, not a health issue that i've ever been told, but MAN, what a GREAT excuse to get hubby to do it, huh?

 

[ashana]

I agree with the other girls, cats definitely avoid contact with litter trays but with rats i am sure you are safe ;-)

Congrats

 

[ryelle]

My sister was told if a rat has a UTI it is dangerous for a pregnant woman (ill ask her about this and check it out) so it was just another excuse for her not to be in the same room as my rats :roll:

And Toxoplasma Gondii can cause abnormalities in the development of the baby, abortion of the foetus (same thing happens if a sheep is infected) or nothing at all. All pregnant women are advised to not clean out cat litter trays, avoid all contact with cat faeces, wear gloves when gardening, and stay away from sheep (i think there is more animals than sheep to avoid). Infections of Toxoplasma Gondii are very low in humans but its still something to be cautious about

 

[lilangel]

When i clean the cages i always put on gloves/dish gloves to clean them, even if im not prego i feel better using gloves on my hands and not touching it lol in the end its still feces.

 

[Kerry]

Thanks so much for all this info everyone-will talk to my vet and doctor as well and no matter what I'll probably use this as an excuse to not be the cage cleaner :thumbup:

 

[Zooy]

Any danger no ... but a good reason to get someone else to clean the litter boxes etc for awhile. :wink2:

:congrats!!:

:cheeky: I like this reply!!! I agree, not a health issue that i've ever been told, but MAN, what a GREAT excuse to get hubby to do it, huh?

LOL theres a reason mike does the cat boxes and cleans the cages, i told him it's practice!

 

[eagle]

Any danger no ... but a good reason to get someone else to clean the litter boxes etc for awhile. :wink2:

:congrats!!:

:cheeky: I like this reply!!! I agree, not a health issue that i've ever been told, but MAN, what a GREAT excuse to get hubby to do it, huh?

LOL theres a reason mike does the cat boxes and cleans the cages, i told him it's practice!

Oh really Peter is going to clean rat cages. :laugh4:

 

[Michaeljdawyd]

I've been interested in articles on toxo for a few years now. Some studies claim up to 60% of north American human population is infected, and up to 80% in south American countries!

There are also theories that toxo has directed human development such as with the ancient Egyptians, Altering their entire society. Another theory is that South American football/soccer teams do very well in the World Cup based on Toxo parasite causing the players to be more hungry to win and take more risks for the win.

In humans it is said to cause higher levels of aggression and risk-taking in males. High percentage of male victims of motorcycle accidents have been found to be infected. In females it is said to cause an increase in promiscuity.

Very fascinating that a parasite can enter a rat's brain and rewire their fear of cat urine to make the rat sexually attracted to cat urine. Results in the rat seeking out cat scented areas, being eaten and infecting the cat.

Happy to read in this thread that rat feces/urine is relatively safe, since I did not find that fact in a lot of articles.

I grew up with indoor/outdoor cats and I've been scratched and bit before, as well as cleaning that dreaded litter box in a poorly ventilated area, bleh. The possibility of being infected myself is mainly what sparked my interest in the subject, which should be more widely researched.

A cat seeking parasite which alters the human brain, very intriguing.

 

[PitLuvs]

With my first son I cleaned the cat litter boxes, since she was indoor and I have been scatched by her before. But when we moved into our new place, she caught mice so I couldnt trust it with my second. Joe always did the litter boxes, although I was forced to do them twice haha Just use lots of gloves and masks if you HAVE to be the one cleaning and wash a lot after. I was told there was no concern with cleaning after the rats or picking up dog poops. Congrats!

 

[jorats]

I've been interested in articles on toxo for a few years now. Some studies claim up to 60% of north American human population is infected, and up to 80% in south American countries!

There are also theories that toxo has directed human development such as with the ancient Egyptians, Altering their entire society. Another theory is that South American football/soccer teams do very well in the World Cup based on Toxo parasite causing the players to be more hungry to win and take more risks for the win.

In humans it is said to cause higher levels of aggression and risk-taking in males. High percentage of male victims of motorcycle accidents have been found to be infected. In females it is said to cause an increase in promiscuity.

Very fascinating that a parasite can enter a rat's brain and rewire their fear of cat urine to make the rat sexually attracted to cat urine. Results in the rat seeking out cat scented areas, being eaten and infecting the cat.

Happy to read in this thread that rat feces/urine is relatively safe, since I did not find that fact in a lot of articles.

I grew up with indoor/outdoor cats and I've been scratched and bit before, as well as cleaning that dreaded litter box in a poorly ventilated area, bleh. The possibility of being infected myself is mainly what sparked my interest in the subject, which should be more widely researched.

A cat seeking parasite which alters the human brain, very intriguing.

Very interesting indeed!