Cat Litter Box Health Considerations
Excerpt : Cats are the most popular pets in the United States. According to the latest version of the U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook (2002 Edition) there were almost 70 Million pet cats in the
Cats are the most popular pets in the United States. According
to the latest version of the U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics
Sourcebook (2002 Edition) there were almost 70 Million pet cats
in the United States. Why are cats so popular? There are as many
answers to this question as there are cat owners, but the low
health risks cats pose to their owners is certainly near the top
of this list. Even though the potential health risks cats pose
to people are small, it is important that cat owners are aware
of these risks and understand how to reduce them.
The majority of all risks stemming from cat ownership are
associated with the cat litter box and/or cat feces. There are
two categories of risks. The first category contains health
risks posed by bacteria and parasites to both cat owners and
their cats. The second category contains injuries resulting from
an automatic litter
box or self
cleaning litter box.
Primarily the health problems experienced by cat owners or their
cats come from the first category and the most significant of
these risks is called Toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis is an
infection caused by a tiny parasite called Toxoplasma gondii
which can be found in raw or undercooked meat, unwashed fruits
and vegetables, dirty cat litter boxes and outdoor soil where
cat feces can be found. According to the Center for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) more than 60 million people in the
United States may be infected with the Toxoplasma parasite(1).
Fortunately, very few people ever experience any symptoms
because a healthy person's immune system usually keeps the
parasite from causing illness. However, pregnant women and
individuals who have compromised immune systems, such as
individuals infected with the HIV virus, are at risk and should
take precautions to avoid being infected by the parasite. For
people in this group a Toxoplasma infection could cause
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serious
health problems to the individual or to a pregnant woman's
unborn child.
Again, most of the 60 million plus American's infected with
Toxoplasmosis parasite will never experience any symptoms. Most
of those who do experience symptoms will simply think they have
the Flu as the most common symptoms include swollen glands,
fever, headache, muscle pain, or a stiff neck. For those in the
high risk group, Toxoplasmosis can cause damage to the brain,
eyes and internal organs. According to the US Food and Drug
Administration, children born with Toxoplasma gondii can suffer
from hearing loss, mental retardation, and blindness with some
children developing brain or eye problems years after birth(2).
The CDC estimates that 400-4000 fetuses are infected with the
Toxoplasma gondii parasite each year and as many as 80 infants
die from Toxoplasmosis annually(2).
So how does an individual contract Toxoplasmosis? A
Toxoplasmosis infection is caused by ingesting the Toxoplasma
gondi parasite. Most cat owners are infected with the parasite
by accidentally ingesting infected cat feces. This happens when
a person touches their mouth after handling a cat litter box,
working in a garden or sand box or touching anything that has
come in contact with cat feces(3).
People in the high risk group may wonder whether or not they
should give up their cat to avoid infection. According to the
CDC, it is not necessary for cat lovers to give up their cats,
but it is important for them to protect themselves from
infections. The USFDA makes the following recommendations for
avoiding infections(2): 1) If possible, have someone else change
the litter box. If you have to clean it, wear disposable gloves
and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water
afterwards. 2) Change the litter box daily. The parasite doesn't
become infectious until one to five days after the feces are
deposited in the litter box. 3) Wear gloves when gardening in a
garden or handling sand from a
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Training a Cat for the Litter Box
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sandbox because cats may have
excreted feces in them. Be sure to wash your hands with soap and
warm water afterwards. 4) Cover outdoor sandboxes to prevent
cats from using them as litter boxes. 5) Feed your cat
commercial dry or canned food. Never feed your cat raw meat
because it can be a source of the Toxoplasmosis gondii parasite.
6) Keep indoor cats indoors. Be especially cautious if you bring
outdoor cats indoors. 7) Avoid stray cats, especially kittens.
8) Don't get a new cat while you're pregnant.
Safer Child, Inc. makes 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 consider having someone else keep your cat during your
pregnancy. 2) Keep sandboxes covered to prevent cats from using
the sandbox as a litter box. 3) Be aware of neighborhood
sandboxes as the parasite can be brought home on shoes, clothing
and toys.
Similar to Toxoplasmosis, Escherichia coli (commonly called E.
coli) can infect humans thru contact with feline fecal material,
although the primary means of infection is thru ingestion or raw
or undercooked meats. E. Coli is a bacterium commonly found in
the intestinal tract of humans and animals. Almost all strains
of the bacteria are harmless. However a few strains can produce
powerful toxins and cause severe illness, especially in children
under 5 years of age(5). Symptoms usually include diarrhea and
abdominal cramps. In children under 5, 2%-7% of E. coli cases
can cause kidney failure. Fortunately, E. coli is easy to
prevent. Using the preventative measures, outlined above for
Toxoplasmosis will greatly reduce the risks of you or your
children contracting an E. coli infection.
In addition to these human risks, there are a few health risks
cat litter boxes actually pose to cats that cat owners should be
aware of. Just as a dirty litter box poses health risks to
humans, cats are equally at risk if forced to use a dirty
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litter
box. Since cats stay clean by licking themselves, allowing a
cat's litter box to get too dirty can cause infections when a
cat cleans it's paws after using the dirty litter box. The most
common infection is a urinary tract infection, and although this
type of infection is rarely fatal it can be very uncomfortable
for your cat and will most likely require treatment by your
veterinarian.
Finally, a lesser-known health risk to cats is actually caused
by cat litter itself. What many cat owners do not realize is
that some types of cat litter can be harmful or even fatal to
their cat. Both clumping and non-clumping litters pose health
problems to cats. Clumping cat litters are probably the most
popular type of cat litter because of their convenience,
hygienic qualities and the fact that clumping litters are
required for use in self-cleaning litter boxes. Unfortunately,
some clumping litters can be harmful to cats. Clay based
clumping litters can contain the mineral sodium bentonite, which
can be harmful or fatal to your cat. It is best to avoid using
clay based cat litters, especially with kittens. Wheat or corn
based clumping litters such as Swheat Scoop, World's Best Cat
Litter and Littermaid cat litter work very well and are
non-toxic(6).
By their very nature, non-clumping litters do not absorb and
isolate a cat's urine or feces like clumping litters do. As a
result, it is much harder to keep your cat's litter box clean
when using non-clumping litter. When using non-clumping litter
it is important to frequently clean and disinfect the litter box
itself to reduce the chance of bacterial buildups that can cause
urinary or other infections in your cat.
The second category of health risks covers injuries caused by an
automatic litter
box or self
cleaning litter box. Occurrences of this type of injury are
rare, but they can happen. An automatic or self
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cleaning litter
box does just what it's name implies. Usually between 10-15
minutes 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 occur if a small child or toddler plays with the automatic
litter box during the cleaning cycle. All major brands of
automatic litter boxes contain sensors to prevent the cleaning
mechanism from activating when a cat or other foreign object is
inside the box. However, children can still be injured if they
put their hand inside the cleaning mechanism in such a manner as
to avoid the sensors.
Although these types of injuries are very rare it is best to
take precautions. Placing the litter box in a location where
your cat can get to it but small children can't is an easy
method. This is good advice for any litter box as this is the
best way to keep children from contracting one of the illnesses
described earlier in this article. If you can't keep the
automatic litter box out of a child's reach then it is best to
put the litter box inside a litter box cover. There are many
types of covers and all of them will help prevent a child from
reaching the litter box and the cleaning mechanism. A final
option is to unplug the litter box or put it into a "manual
operation" mode. Both of these options will require the cat
owner to start the cleaning cycle whenever necessary. Although
this reduces some of the convenience of an automatic litter box
it certainly removes the danger to children.
Automatic or self cleaning litter boxes are completely safe for
almost all cats. However, most manufacturers recommend that the
litter box be used in "manual operation" mode for cats under 5
lbs. Cats under 5 lbs many not be large enough to activate the
sensors and the cleaning mechanism could cause injury. Since
most adult cats weigh over 5 lbs, it is only necessary to use
the "manual operation" mode until kittens grow to 5
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lbs.
This article is not intended to dissuade anyone from owning a
cat. 70 Million cat owners can't be wrong; cats make great pets!
So, if you already own a cat or are thinking of becoming a cat
owner it simply makes good sense to be aware of the health risks
associated with cat ownership. Understanding the risks can
definately increase the enjoyment of cat ownership.
(1)Toxoplasmosis Fact Sheet;
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/toxoplasmosis/factsht_tox
oplasmosis.htm (2) While You're Pregnant - USFDA
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~pregnant/whiltoxo.html
(3) Toxoplasmosis - An important Message for Cat Owners;
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/toxoplasmosis/toxoplasmos
is_brochure_8.2004.pdf
(4) Safer Child, Inc.; http://www.saferchild.org/pets&.htm
(5) Escherichia coli O157:H7 Fact Sheet;
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/escherichiacoli_g.htm
(6) Stanford Cat Network's - Guide to Caring for Your Adopted
Cat or Kitten;
http://www.stanford.edu/group/CATNET/articles/careguide.html#litt
er
http://www.stanford.edu/group/CATNET/articles/careguide.html#litt
er
About the author:
The author is a long time cat lover who currently owns and
operates LitterBoxesandMore.com; a business specializing in high
quality automatic
litter boxes or self cleaning litter
boxes.
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