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</ iframe > </noscript> <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) --><div id="header"> <div id="CClogo"><a href="https://www.cookchildrens.org"><span class="srText">Cook Children's</span></a></div> <div id="CCsearch"> <form id="searchform" name="searchform" method="GET" onsubmit="return (this.q.value == '') ? false : true;" action="/CookChildrens/en/parents/"> <input type="hidden" name="search" value="y"/> <input type="hidden" name="getfields" value="description"/> <input type="search" class="search" name="q" id="q" maxlength="256" autocomplete="off" autocorrect="off" placeholder="Search"/> <input type="hidden" name="datasource" value="cookchildrens"> <input type="hidden" name="start" value="0"> <input type="hidden" name="rows" value="10"> <input type="hidden" name="lang" value="english"> <input type="hidden" name="section" value="parents_teens_kids"> <input type="submit" value="" id="searchButton" class="buttonImage"/> </form> </div> </div> <!-- If we have main navigation separated then it will reside here --> <div id="thelou" tabindex="-1"> </div> <div id="mainContentContainer" class="kh-article-page"> <div id="rsSearchBrowse"> <div id="rsBrowse" role="navigation"> </div> <div id="rsSearch"> <div id="rsSectionLabel">parents</div> </div> </div> <div id="khContentHeading" class="ar licH"> <h1>Is it Safe to Clean a Cat's Litter Box During Pregnancy?</h1> </div> <div class="clearBox"> </div> <div id="khcontent"> <div id="xp1"> </div><br clear="all" style="width: 0; height: 0; line-height: 0; font-size: 0;"><div id="khcontent_article" lang="en-us"> <div id="NavigatePage1"> <div id="whichRead_1"><span class="ISI_MESSAGE"><!-- The following article is brought to you by CookChildrens. --></span><div class="rs_skip rs_skip_en rsbtn_kidshealth rs_preserve" id="readspeaker_button1"><script> var theRSURL = (escape(document.location.href)); var rsAudioTitle = document.title.replace(/ |\'|\?/g,"_"); var whichReadPage = 1; var doesItGotFlash = ''; makeTheRSLinkEN(); var readSpeakerDownloadLink = "//app-na.readspeaker.com/cgi-bin/rsent?customerid=5202&lang=en_us&voice=Kate&speed=100&readid=khcontent_article&url="+theRSURL+"&audiofilename=KidsHealth_"+rsAudioTitle+""; </script></div> <!--googleoff:all--> <div id="languagePairLink" class="rs_skip"><a href="/CookChildrens/es/parents/litter-box-pregnancy.html"><span class="pairedURLHead" lang="es">en español<img src="/images/n00/icons/langPairArrow.svg" alt=""></span><span class="pairedURLBody" lang="es">¿Es seguro limpiar el cajón de los excrementos del mi gato?</span></a></div> <!--googleon:all--><div class="rte-image"><!--<sly data-sly-test.buttonBorder="khb-noborder"></sly> --><h3>Can I Clean Our Cat's Litter Box While I'm Pregnant?</h3><p>Pregnant women should, when possible, have someone else clean their cat's litter box. That's because cats can have an infection called <a href="/CookChildrens/en/parents/toxoplasmosis.html">toxoplasmosis</a> (tok-so-plaz-MOE-sis). Usually, cats catch it outdoors by eating rodents, birds, or other small animals. It comes out in their feces (poop), so it can spread to people who touch a soiled litter box.</p><p>The infection can cause serious problems in a fetus, including <a href="/CookChildrens/en/parents/preemies.html">premature birth</a>, poor growth, and severe eye and brain damage. Often, it won't cause symptoms in a pregnant woman who gets infected, but she can still pass it to her developing baby (called congenital toxoplasmosis).</p><h3>How Can I Protect Myself From Toxoplasmosis?</h3><p>Keep your cat indoors and feed it commercial dry or canned food (not raw food) to help lower its risk of getting infected. But even if you have an indoor cat, someone else should clean the litter box every day while you are pregnant. They should wash their hands well afterward.</p><p>If you must do it yourself, wear disposable gloves and wash your hands well after throwing out the gloves.</p></div> <div id="reviewerBox"> <div id="reviewedBy">Medically reviewed by: Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, MD</div> <div id="reviewedDate">Date reviewed: January 2023</div> </div><span class="ISI_MESSAGE"><!--Thank you for listening to this KidsHealth audio cast. The information you heard, is for educational purposes only. If you need medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment, consult your doctor. This audio cast is Copyrighted by KidsHealth. All rights are reserved.--></span></div> </div> </div> </div> <!--googleoff:all--> <div id="relatedBoxParents" class="t1 "> <div id="navTabs"> <ul id="navTabsPKT" role="tablist" aria-labelledby="moreOnThisTopicHeader"> <li role="presentation" class="current" id="PKTtabParents"><button class="PKTJSTButton" role="tab" id="parents_tab" aria-controls="relatedArticlesListParents" aria-selected="true" tabindex="0"><span>for Parents</span></button></li> </ul> </div> <div id="mainBar"> </div> <div id="mrLinks"> <h2 id="moreOnThisTopicHeader">MORE ON THIS TOPIC</h2> <ul id="relatedArticlesListParents" role="tabpanel" aria-labelledby="parents_tab"> <li><a href="/CookChildrens/en/parents/toxoplasmosis.html">Toxoplasmosis</a></li> <li><a href="/CookChildrens/en/parents/preg-health.html">Staying Healthy During Pregnancy</a></li> <li><a href="/CookChildrens/en/parents/pregnancy-precautions.html">Pregnancy Precautions</a></li> <li><a href="/CookChildrens/en/parents/pregnancy-calendar-intro.html">A Week-by-Week Pregnancy Calendar</a></li> <li><a href="/CookChildrens/en/parents/pregnant-mental-health.html">Taking Care of Your Mental Health During Pregnancy</a></li> <li><a href="/CookChildrens/en/parents/preg-caffeine.html">Coffee and Caffeine Use During Pregnancy</a></li> </ul> </div> <div id="boxBreaker"> </div> <div id="zeroTester"> </div> <div id="relatedButtonsHolder"> <div id="relatedButtonsBoth"> <ul> <li id="relatedPrinterButton"><a href="/CookChildrens/en/parents/litter-box-pregnancy.html?view=ptr" rel="nofollow" onclick="printWindow(this.href); return false;" title="This link will open in a new window.">Print<span class="newWindowIcon_leftSpace"> </span></a></li> <li id="relatedEmailFriendButton"><a rel="nofollow" href="/CookChildrens/en/parents/litter-box-pregnancy.html?view=emailto" target="_blank" title="This link will open in a new window.">Send to a Friend<span class="newWindowIcon_leftSpace"> </span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div><br clear="all"></div><br clear="all"><script>window.onload=setVars('');PKTChoose(6,0,0,0);</script><div id="kh_lic_footer"> <nav aria-label="Content info"> <ul id="kh_lic_footer_links"> <li><a href="/CookChildrens/en/parents/editorial-policy-licensee.html">Editorial Policy</a></li> <li><a href="/CookChildrens/en/parents/policy-licensees.html">KidsHealth Privacy Policy & Terms of Use</a></li> <li><a href="/CookChildrens/en/parents/copyright.html">Copyright</a></li> </ul> </nav> <div id="kh_lic_footer_legalease"> <p><img lang="en" alt="A KidsHealth Education Partner" src="/images/n00/logos/eduPartner3.svg"> Note: All information is for educational purposes only. 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