The truth about cats and toxoplasmosis

There has been a flurry of articles in the media about the results of a recent study, which indicated that Toxoplasma gondii is linked to mental illness and suicide. Susan Logan of Cat Fancy states that the reporting about this study is an example of bad journalism.

Logan adds that using scare tactics in headlines and slanting the stories to gain the most internet traffic doesn't help and can only hurt in this situation. Here is her take on the study as reported on CatChannel.com:

The T. Gondii Study

“First of all, the actual study does not suggest that cats cause women to commit suicide. Other studies have shown, quite the contrary, that cats and other pets are good for our self-esteem, lower our blood pressure, help us recover from heart attacks and might prevent them in the first place, and give people something to live for. People, including women and children, who might benefit from having a cat could be harmed from this bad journalism.”

The Toxo Truth

“The truth about cats and toxoplasmosis is that felines do shed in their feces the T. gondii parasite’s eggs, but only for a few days out of the cat’s entire lifetime. So the chances of contracting the infection from cat feces are extremely slim. And, it takes at least 24 hours for the eggs to become infectious after the cat defecates, so if you clean your litterbox every day, you reduce even more your chances of contracting it from the cat’s feces. To become infected from your kitty’s litterbox, your hands would have to come into contact with the feces and then you would have to handle food without washing your hands. That sounds disgusting and anyone with common sense would wash their hands after scooping a litterbox, especially if they’re going to handle food immediately afterward.”

Real Help to Fight Toxoplasmosis

“The real damage these poorly reported stories do is they don’t help pregnant women and immune-compromised people avoid T. gondii infection. You are much more likely to become infected with toxoplasmosis after handling raw meat or gardening with your hands in the dirt. Prevent infection by washing your hands with hot soapy water after handling raw meat, gardening or cleaning the litterbox, and sanitize all kitchen items that come into contact with raw meat during food preparation. It’s really that simple.”

For more information about cats and toxoplasmosis, visit http://bit.ly/N7iaGg.