Handling Pets Guidelines:
Wash your hands thoroughly after handling your pet especially cats (not all cats carry toxoplasmosis, a parasite bacteria from cat feces, also you can get cat scratch fever from an infected cat who scratches or bites you; it can give you fever, swollen lymph nodes, and fatigue). Cats can get infected by eating under cooked meats, raw meat, eating an infected rodent or animal. Then the bacteria grow in the cats intestines and eventually come out in the feces. Some cats show symptoms and some don’t show any symptoms at all. It can also be dangerous to women who becomes pregnant or if any women in their first trimester (toxoplasmosis can cause serious birth defects and can be fatal to an unborn child). But you don’t have to give up your pet; you just need to take some safe pet handling guidelines.
If you are pregnant, here are some safe handling pet guidelines you can follow:
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Always wash your hands after handling your pets
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Try to teach or stop your cats from biting and scratching
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Don’t encourage your cats to play rough with others & yourself.
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Wear gloves when handling cat litter box
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Wear gloves when gardening
- Always cook your meats thoroughly
- Wash any surfaces that’s been contacted by raw meats
- Don’t keep kitty litter box in kitchen
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Always change your kitty litter daily and don’t let it sit longer than 24 hours; toxoplasmosis bacteria turn infectious in 24 hours.
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Wear mask when throwing away the kitty litter; you can be infected if you inhale the dust. Put the kitty litter in a sealed plastic bag to prevent the dust from flying all over the place.
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Disinfect the kitty litter box with hot boiling water and let it stand for 5 minutes or longer.
If you are pregnant, talk to your doctor first before considering any pets (especially cats).
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