|  If you are going to build your own cat house it is important to under stand that whether you build it outside or inside there are certain health risks. Probably the most well know is Toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Although it infects many animals and can cause human parasitic diseases, the primary host is the cat. The most common ways that people become infected are by eating raw or undercooked meat or by contact with cat feces. The second manner of infection is actually the most rare. Congenital toxoplasmosis when an unborn child is infected via the placenta. The best protection in this case is prevention. All pregnant women should be checked to see if they have had previous exposure, which means they have developed a natural resistance and largely ensures the unborn baby's safety. If the pregnant mother receives her first exposure to toxo while in the early stages of pregnancy then the baby is at particular risk. Any pregnant mother that has never been exposed to toxo should avoid handling raw meat, exposure to cat feces, and gardening (a common place to find cat feces). It is true that most cats are not actively shedding oocysts and so do not pose a danger, and the risk can be reduced further by emptying the kitty litterbox every day (oocysts require more than one day to become ineffective).
A pregnant mother should never empty the kitty litter tray. Amazingly enough at least one third of the world population may  have contracted a toxoplasmosis infection in their lifetime. Treatment is very important for recently infected pregnant women, to prevent infection of the fetus. Since a baby's immune system does not develop fully for the first year of life, and the resilient cysts that form throughout the body are very difficult to eradicate with antiprotozoans, an infection can be very serious in the very young. |
