Are you pregnant and now worried because you heard those old wives tales about keeping your cat? DO NOT REHOME YOUR CAT!!! It is extremely rare to get toxoplasmosis from cats. If another person changes the cat litter, or if the mother wears gloves while she changes the cat litter, it is impossible to get ill from your cat. Personally, my cat is staying with me, cuddling with me, all through any future pregnancy. I know many many women who lived with cats while pregnant and were totally fine. A pregnant woman is much more likely to get sick from salmonella, from mercury in fish, from stress due to work, or from a number of other situations. Toxoplasmosis is very very unlikely. Read on for some toxoplasmosis facts.
From about.com
Reasons Why Cats Rarely Transmit Toxoplasmosis to Pregnant Women
First of all, cats are not usually chronic carriers of T. gondii. They tend to acquire it, and then they develop antibodies and they no longer transmit T. gondii. So, in order for a house cat to pass toxoplasmosis to its owner, the cat itself would have to have had a recent exposure to T. gondii itself -- and to not have circulating antibodies against the infection.
Second, outdoor cats tend to be exposed to T. gondii far more frequently than indoor cats; toxoplasmosis in indoor cats is rare. T. gondii are most commonly found in rodents and raw meat, so a cat who lives only indoors is unlikely to be exposed unless the owner regularly feeds the cat raw meat.
Finally, the means of transmission from cat to owner would most likely be through exposure to cat feces. The woman would have to change the cat litter box, then somehow put the T. gondii into her mouth -- and it's safe to say that most people would probably wash their hands in between changing cat litter and touching their mouths!
Sensible Precautions for Cat Owners
All in all, the risk of acquiring T. gondii from a house cat is rather low. That being said, the CDC suggests the following precautions in order to almost entirely eliminate your risk of cat-borne toxoplasmosis:
- Get someone else to change the cat litter if you can, and if you can't, wear gloves and wash your hands carefully after changing the box.
- Change cat litter daily; T. gondii are infectious between 1 and 5 days after the cat defecates
- Do not feed your cat raw meat, and keep your cat indoors.
- Be careful around stray cats and kittens, and avoid getting a new cat while pregnant.
- Keep outdoor sandboxes covered, and wear gloves when gardening in case an outdoor cat has defecated in your garden.