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Cats are the most common pets in the United States. According to the most current version of the U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook (2002 Edition) there have been practically 70 Million pet cats in the United States. Why are cats so well-known? There are as numerous answers to this question as there are cat owners, but the low well being risks cats pose to their owners is definitely near the leading of this list. Even although the possible well being risks cats pose to men and women are small, it is essential that cat owners are conscious of these hazards and understand how to decrease them.

The majority of all hazards stemming from cat ownership are linked with the cat litter box and/or cat feces. There are two categories of hazards. The 1st category includes well being risks posed by bacteria and parasites to each cat owners and their cats. The second category contains injuries resulting from an automatic litter box or self cleaning litter box.

Primarily the well being difficulties knowledgeable by cat owners or their cats come from the 1st category and the most considerable of these dangers is known as Toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a tiny parasite named Toxoplasma gondii which can be found in raw or undercooked meat, unwashed fruits and vegetables, dirty cat litter boxes and outdoor soil exactly where cat feces can be located. According to the Center for Disease Manage and Prevention (CDC) far more than 60 million folks in the United States may be infected with the Toxoplasma parasite(1). Fortunately, quite handful of individuals ever experience any signs and symptoms since a healthy person's immune program usually keeps the parasite from causing illness. Even so, pregnant ladies and folks who have compromised immune systems, such as men and women infected with the HIV virus, are at threat and should take precautions to steer clear of being infected by the parasite. For men and women in this group a Toxoplasma infection could result in severe well being troubles to the individual or to a pregnant womans unborn youngster.

Once again, most of the 60 million plus Americans infected with Toxoplasmosis parasite will never ever encounter any symptoms. Most of these who do encounter signs and symptoms will simply feel they have the Flu as the most prevalent signs and symptoms consist of swollen glands, fever, headache, muscle discomfort, or a stiff neck. For those in the higher risk group, Toxoplasmosis can result in harm to the brain, eyes and internal organs. According to the US Food and Drug Administration, kids born with Toxoplasma gondii can endure from hearing loss, psychological retardation, and blindness with some children creating brain or eye troubles years right after birth(two). The CDC estimates that 400-4000 fetuses are infected with the Toxoplasma gondii parasite every year and as many as 80 infants die from Toxoplasmosis annually(two).

So how does an person contract Toxoplasmosis? A Toxoplasmosis infection is induced by ingesting the Toxoplasma gondi parasite. Most cat owners are infected with the parasite by accidentally ingesting infected cat feces. This happens when a particular person touches their mouth immediately after handling a cat litter box, working in a garden or sand box or touching something that has come in contact with cat feces(three).

People in the higher risk group might wonder whether or not or not they must give up their cat to steer clear of infection. According to the CDC, it is not required for cat lovers to give up their cats, but it is crucial for them to safeguard themselves from infections. The USFDA makes the following suggestions for avoiding infections(two):

1) If achievable, have somebody else modify the litter box. If you have to clean it, put on disposable gloves and wash your hands completely with soap and warm water afterwards.

2) Modify the litter box everyday. The parasite does not turn into infectious until one to 5 days after the feces are deposited in the litter box.

3) Put on gloves when gardening in a garden or handling sand from a sandbox due to the fact cats may have excreted feces in them. Be sure to wash your hands with soap and warm water afterwards.

4) Cover outdoor sandboxes to avert cats from making use of them as litter boxes.

five) Feed your cat commercial dry or canned food. Never feed your cat raw meat simply because it can be a supply of the Toxoplasmosis gondii parasite.

6) Preserve indoor cats indoors. Be specifically cautious if you bring outdoor cats indoors.

7) Keep away from stray cats, particularly kittens.

eight) Don't get a new cat whilst you happen to be pregnant.

Safer Youngster, Inc. tends to make the following additional recommendations(4):

1) Have your veterinarian test your cat for the Toxoplasmosis parasite. If you cat is infected, you may want to contemplate having somebody else hold your cat for the duration of your pregnancy.

2) Maintain sandboxes covered to avoid cats from using the sandbox as a litter box.

three) Be conscious of neighborhood sandboxes as the parasite can be brought residence on shoes, clothes and toys.

Related to Toxoplasmosis, Escherichia coli (commonly named E. coli) can infect people thru get in touch with with feline fecal material, even though the principal signifies of infection is thru ingestion or raw or undercooked meats. E. Coli is a bacterium frequently identified in the intestinal tract of humans and animals. Nearly all strains of the bacteria are harmless. Nevertheless a handful of strains can produce effective harmful toxins and trigger extreme illness, specially in young children below five years of age(5). Signs and symptoms generally consist of diarrhea and abdominal cramps. In kids under five, two%-7% of E. coli circumstances can cause kidney failure. Fortunately, E. coli is effortless to avoid. Making use of the preventative measures, outlined above for Toxoplasmosis will greatly lessen the hazards of you or your kids contracting an E. coli infection.

In addition to these human dangers, there are a couple of health risks cat litter boxes really pose to cats that cat owners must be aware of. Just as a dirty litter box poses health risks to humans, cats are equally at danger if forced to use a dirty litter box. Considering that cats keep clean by licking themselves, enabling a cats litter box to get too dirty can trigger infections when a cat cleans its paws following making use of the dirty litter box. The most common infection is a urinary tract infection, and although this sort of infection is hardly ever fatal it can be extremely uncomfortable for your cat and will most probably demand therapy by your veterinarian.

Finally, a lesser-identified well being risk to cats is really brought on by cat litter itself. What many cat owners do not understand is that some kinds of cat litter can be hazardous or even fatal to their cat. Both clumping and non-clumping litters pose health difficulties to cats. Clumping cat litters are possibly the most common type of cat litter because of their convenience, hygienic qualities and the reality that clumping litters are essential for use in self-cleaning litter boxes. Sadly, some clumping litters can be dangerous to cats. Clay based clumping litters can consist of the mineral sodium bentonite, which can be dangerous or fatal to your cat. It is best to steer clear of employing clay based cat litters, specifically with kittens. Wheat or corn based clumping litters such as Swheat Scoop, Worlds Finest Cat Litter and Littermaid cat litter perform very nicely and are non-toxic(6).

By their extremely nature, non-clumping litters do not absorb and isolate a cats urine or feces like clumping litters do. As a result, it is significantly harder to preserve your cats litter box clean when employing non-clumping litter. When employing non-clumping litter it is critical to regularly clean and disinfect the litter box itself to decrease the opportunity of bacterial buildups that can trigger urinary or other infections in your cat.

The second category of wellness risks covers injuries caused by an automatic litter box or self cleaning litter box. Occurrences of this kind of injury are rare, but they can occur. An automatic or self cleaning litter box does just what its name implies. Typically in between 10-15 minutes right after a cat uses the litter box, the litter box automatically cleans itself by sweeping or raking the cat waste into a sealed compartment or bag. For cat owners, injuries can take place if a small child or toddler plays with the automatic litter box for the duration of the cleaning cycle. All major brands of automatic litter boxes consist of sensors to avoid the cleaning mechanism from activating when a cat or other foreign object is inside the box. Nonetheless, youngsters can nonetheless be injured if they place their hand inside the cleaning mechanism in such a manner as to keep away from the sensors.

Even though these types of injuries are extremely rare it is best to take precautions. Placing the litter box in a area where your cat can get to it but modest young children cant is an simple technique. This is good advice for any litter box as this is the very best way to maintain kids from contracting one of the illnesses described earlier in this report. If you cant keep the automatic litter box out of a childs reach then it is greatest to put the litter box inside a litter box cover. There are a lot of types of covers and all of them will assist avert a kid from reaching the litter box and the cleaning mechanism. A final solution is to unplug the litter box or put it into a manual operation mode. Each of these alternatives will demand the cat owner to start the cleaning cycle whenever required. Even though this reduces some of the comfort of an automatic litter box it surely removes the danger to youngsters.

Automatic or self cleaning litter boxes are completely protected for practically all cats. However, most suppliers advise that the litter box be utilised in manual operation mode for cats beneath five lbs. Cats below 5 lbs many not be huge sufficient to activate the sensors and the cleaning mechanism could lead to injury. Since most adult cats weigh over 5 lbs, it is only essential to use the manual operation mode until kittens grow to 5 lbs.

This write-up is not intended to dissuade any individual from owning a cat. 70 Million cat owners cant be wrong cats make great pets! So, if you currently own a cat or are pondering of becoming a cat owner it merely tends to make excellent sense to be conscious of the well being hazards connected with cat ownership. Understanding the risks can definately enhance the enjoyment of cat ownership.

(1)Toxoplasmosis Fact Sheet http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/toxoplasmosis/factsht_toxoplasmosis.htm

(2) Although You happen to be Pregnant USFDA

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~pregnant/whiltoxo.html

(three) Toxoplasmosis An essential Message for Cat Owners http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/toxoplasmosis/toxoplasmosis_brochure_8.2004.pdf

(four) Safer Child, Inc.

http://www.saferchild.org/pets&.htm

(5) Escherichia coli O157:H7 Reality Sheet

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/escherichiacoli_g.htm

(6) Stanford Cat Networks Guide to Caring for Your Adopted Cat or Kitten

http://www.stanford.edu/group/CATNET/articles/careguide.html#litter read more