When you were pregnant, did you clean the litter box? I know that "they" say that it is not a good idea for pregnant women to clean out the litter box. Did you do it anyway? Did you give that chore to your children or dh?

That's one thing I think about, because we have 2 cats. I know dh would do the litter box here, no problem. I wonder whether or not I could keep my job at the clinic since I would clean out multiple kitty litters a day on most days.

So what did you do?

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My doctor told me it was safe for me to clean the boxes because my cats were totally indoors. However, if a cat is allowed outside and has access to birds and other wildlife, it is not advisable. The cases of - is it Toxoplasmosis? are few and chances are small, but as with Listeriosis, if it does hit you, the results are devastating. She did say, though to be safe, NOT to change it, especially if dh is willing to, due to the lifting and the dust (allergies get worse during pregnancy, plus there are questions being raised about the dust).

I definitely wouldn't recommend what you're doing, changing multiple boxes on different cats if you were pregnant. We tend to become more immune to the animals we live with, but in your case, the animals are changing, so you are exposed to different things. Once you get pregnant, you won't want to do this anyway.

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I did not....I stopped cleaning the litter box when I started trying to get pregnant (It's a good excuse to dump that nasty chore ) and 17 years later my dh is still cleaning it. Almost makes childbirth worth it

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I did on both kids. I was raised on a farm, I grew up drinking raw milk, and from what I have read on the issue is I've already been infected. I also kept the boxes very clean (meaning I cleaned them every day) and I washed my hands with soap and water while singing the entire ABC song.

I passed that chore onto DH. However, I don't know which would be worse. You see, I would clean out the litter every other day...but he only can seem to get it done after several days of me telling him that it REALLY needs emptied. By this time, it is so gross that I have to remind him that what the cat steps in gets dragged all over our clean home. For example, I've told him now 2 days in a row and the last straw was this morning when the cat even refused to go in the litter box. Yup, poop on the floor does not make for a happy pregnant wife!

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NO way. I wouldn't even go in the bathroom where the litter box was! In fact I refused to do it even when I wasn't PG.

I did stop scooping at home when I was pregnant with my kids. As far as scooping at the vet's office, I would think you'd have to stop that immediately. I know I wouldn't want to be doing that myself, wouldn't be worth the risk IMO.

You can also get it from raw or undercooked meats, so you have to be really careful about clean up, when cooking...I already do that anyhow, so that wasn't an issue for me. Also raw fruits/veggies that could have been contaminated by manure, but again, I always wash all that stuff, so I didn't really have to change anything to be careful about it.

It can also be present in the soil around your home, even if you don't own a cat. So if you want to work in the yard while pregnant, you should wear gloves while working the soil, don't stir up dust that you could inhale and wash your hands very carefully afterwards etc

I didn't change the litter box, but mostly because it was icky! I still don't.

I believe there is a test that your doctor can perform to determine if you have had toxoplasma in the past. If you have already been exposed, which is pretty likely, than there really is no concern.

I've never done it. It was dh who wanted the cat, and I had just had ds #2 when we got him, so I said that I dealt with enought poop, so it was his responsibility. I did used to vacuum up the litter around the box that spilled out when he'd use it, but I quit doing that when I got pg. I didn't want to risk anything.

I think our husbands must be related...

What I do is put a walmart baggie in the bathroom while I keep reminding him to get it done so he doesn't have an excuse (ie, "there was no bag to put it in when I wanted to scoop it".... If he doesn't after like 3 days, (though I want it done every other) I don't let him get into bed until he has, since our kitty sleeps in the bed next to me, and ends up tracking ick into it, if her box isn't cleaned. I almost can't wait until I can do it again, just so I don't have the smell, or the mess!!!

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