Toxoplasmosis and pregnancy: do you need to keep away from your cat?
Few things have led to so many cats being given up as the word toxoplasmosis. The reality is that cats are an uncommon route of infection and an easy one to avoid, while undercooked meat and badly washed vegetables matter far more. This is what the science says, and what to do.
What toxoplasmosis is
It is an infection caused by a microscopic parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, which is widespread all over the world. In most healthy people it goes unnoticed or causes mild, flu-like symptoms, and it leaves lifelong immunity. The problem arises when a woman is infected for the first time during pregnancy, because the parasite can pass to the foetus and cause damage, especially to the nervous system and the eyes. That is why a blood test is done in pregnancy to find out whether you have already had the infection. If you had it before, you are protected; if not, it is worth taking precautions for the whole nine months.
How it is really caught
The main route of infection in people is not the cat: it is food. Eating raw or undercooked meat containing cysts of the parasite, uncooked cured sausages, fruit and vegetables that haven't been washed properly after contact with contaminated soil, or touching soil while gardening and then putting your hands to your mouth. The cat comes into the story because it is the only animal in which the parasite completes its life cycle and reproduces in the gut, which is why a newly infected cat sheds forms of the parasite called oocysts in its faeces. But that happens at a very specific moment in its life, not all the time.
Why your cat is almost certainly not the problem
A cat sheds oocysts for only about two or three weeks, usually after its first infection, which tends to happen when it is young, from hunting mice or birds or eating raw meat. After that it develops immunity and rarely sheds them again. On top of that, freshly shed oocysts are not infectious: they need between one and five days in the environment to become dangerous. This means that an adult indoor cat that eats dry or cooked food and doesn't hunt has a very low risk of passing on toxoplasmosis, and that cleaning the litter tray daily removes oocysts before they can become infectious.
Precautions with the cat
If you have no antibodies, a few simple measures reduce the risk to almost nothing. Have someone else in the household clean the litter tray during pregnancy; if you have to do it yourself, wear gloves and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards. Clean the tray every day, so the oocysts never get the chance to become infectious. Don't feed the cat raw meat or a raw diet during that time, only dry or cooked food. Keep it indoors if possible, so it doesn't hunt. And don't adopt a street cat or a young kitten of unknown background during those months, as they are the most likely to be in that shedding phase.
Precautions with food, which matter more
This is where the real risk lies, which is why obstetricians stress it so much. Eat meat well done, with no pink parts, and avoid raw or undercooked meat such as carpaccio or steak tartare. Be careful with cured sausages and cured ham, and follow your doctor's advice on them, because the recommendations have been changing. Wash fruit and vegetables very well, especially those eaten raw. Wash chopping boards and knives after cutting raw meat. Wear gloves when gardening or handling soil. These measures protect you far more than keeping away from the cat.
What about testing the cat?
You can have your cat tested for antibodies, but the result is of limited use and it helps to understand why. A cat with antibodies has already had the infection and almost certainly no longer sheds oocysts, so, paradoxically, it is a low-risk cat. A cat without antibodies hasn't had it, and could become infected if it hunts or eats raw meat. So the practical step is not so much testing the cat as following the hygiene measures, which work either way. If it would put your mind at rest, discuss it with your vet and your obstetrician, who can advise you based on your situation.
What you don't need to do
You don't need to get rid of the cat. You don't need to stop stroking it or having it on the sofa: toxoplasmosis is not passed on by touching a cat's fur, by its scratches or by being licked. You don't need to bath it or shut it away. What is recommended is what we have already said: someone else on litter tray duty, hand hygiene and care with food. Every year cats end up in shelters because of a fear that a pair of gloves and a scoop would solve. If someone tells you to keep your cat away during pregnancy, ask your obstetrician: they will most likely tell you the opposite.
You and your cat during pregnancy
Beyond toxoplasmosis, pregnancy is a good time to start preparing the cat for the baby's arrival: changing routines gradually, setting up the nursery in good time, getting it used to new sounds and smells. It is also a good moment to check it is up to date at the vet, with parasite treatments and vaccines, and for someone else in the household to start taking over some of its care, such as the litter tray, so that everything doesn't change at once when the baby is born. A cat that is well prepared by the time of the birth goes through it with far less stress.
In short
Toxoplasmosis matters in pregnancy, but cats are an uncommon route of infection and a very easy one to control. A cat only sheds the parasite for a few weeks, almost always when young, and its faeces take days to become infectious. The measures that really protect you are having someone else clean the litter tray daily, or doing it with gloves, not feeding the cat raw meat and, above all, taking care with food: well-done meat, well-washed vegetables and gloves in the garden. With that, your cat can stay by your side throughout your pregnancy.
A cat sheds the parasite for only a few weeks in its life, usually when young, and its faeces take days to become infectious. Have someone else clean the litter tray daily, don't feed the cat raw meat and above all watch what you eat: well-done meat and well-washed vegetables. You don't need to part with your cat.
Educational content from Michipedia, translated from the Spanish original. It does not replace the advice of a vet or a feline behaviour specialist. Every cat is an individual.