Toxoplasmosis--why is cat poo so toxic today is it Candida, I think it is, now thats really worrying, are dogs to follow

Ideally, you should get someone else to do it. This is because cat poo can carry a parasite that causes the infection toxoplasmosis.

Toxoplasmosis isn't serious for you but it can pose a danger to your developing baby if you catch it shortly before or during pregnancy.

Happily, the odds of contracting toxoplasmosis during pregnancy are very low. A 2010 study showed that toxoplasmosis affected just five in 1,000 pregnant women in the UK. Less than half of these cases are passed on to an unborn baby. About three in every 100,000 babies are born in the UK with congenital toxoplasmosis.

If you've had toxoplasmosis before, you can't catch it again. It's believed that up to one in three pregnant women will have already contracted toxoplasmosis before becoming pregnant.

If you have a cat, it's even more likely that you've already contracted toxoplasmosis without knowing and developed an immunity to it.

Infection during pregnancy with toxoplasmosis is rare. However, on the few occasions it does happen, toxoplasmosis can cause serious problems for an unborn baby. If you pick it up during early pregnancy, it can lead to miscarriage.

With that in mind, it's sensible to be cautious. Cats are the only animals that transmit the parasite in their poo, which then ends up in litter boxes and in soil. So:

• Make sure your cat’s litter tray is changed every day. The litter tray should also be cleaned every day and if possible filled with boiling water for five minutes.
• If you have to empty the litter tray yourself, wear disposable rubber gloves and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.
• If your cat is ill, ask someone else to look after it. Cats can sometimes, but not always, become ill when infected with toxoplasmosis.
• Don't pet or handle stray cats.
• Wear gloves when you're gardening and handling soil or sand, to cut down the risk of infection from cat poo.
• If your child has an outdoor sand box, cover it up to prevent cats using it as a litter tray.

Some birds and other animals, such as sheep, carry the parasite too. If you've been in contact with sheep at farms, or been visiting outdoor play centres where there are animals, wash your hands thoroughly afterwards. Also don't handle newborn lambs while you're pregnant.

It's also possible to catch toxoplasmosis from eating certain foods, namely:

• raw, cured or undercooked meats
• unpasteurised goat's milk, cream and cheese
• unwashed fruit and vegetables grown in soil contaminated by cat poo

Here are other precautions you can take:

• Always wash your hands before preparing or handling food.
• Wash your hands and kitchen surfaces after handling raw meat and be very strict about food hygiene in general.

Toxoplasma gondii has not been found in human milk, so there is no risk of passing this infection to your baby through breastfeeding. If you do decide to breastfeed, your baby will have the advantage of getting extra antibodies from your breastmilk, which would be particularly helpful in fighting infection.

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/x536416/is-it-safe-to-change-cat-litter-during-pregnancy#ixzz3V1WZhzYk