Toxoplasmosis and Pregnancy: What About My Cat?

If you’re a cat owner considering motherhood or in the early stages of pregnancy, you may be concerned about toxoplasmosis and pregnancy risks, especially whether it’s safe to be changing cat litter when pregnant.

You might have heard that your cat could carry the potentially harmful parasite Toxoplasma gondii, posing a risk to your unborn baby. But did you know that handling raw meat is actually a more common source of infection?

Let’s set the record straight and give you the facts about toxoplasmosis and pregnancy including the actual risks from your cat.

Understanding the toxoplasmosis lifecycle

Toxoplasmosis, caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, can affect many bird and animal species, including humans. The parasite lifecycle has two main stages:

• Oocysts – Tiny, egg-like forms that are shed in cat faeces.
• Tissue cysts – Dormant forms that develop inside infected animals.

Cats become infected by eating meat that contains tissue cysts, whether through natural hunting activity or by being fed raw meat. Infection often occurs in young cats and they may not show any signs of illness. Once infected, they shed oocysts in their faeces for 1 to 2 weeks. This shedding typically happens only the first time a cat is infected. If they continue eating contaminated meat, further shedding does not occur.

However cats with suppressed immune systems – due to illness, FeLV or FIV infection, or steroid treaments – may repeatedly shed oocysts. These oocysts in cat faeces become infective after 1 to 5 days and can survive in the environment for over a year. Other animals, including grazing livestock, rodents or dogs eating cat poop, may ingest them, continuing the cycle. Once oocysts mature, they can pose a potential risk to humans, particularly pregnant women.

How toxoplasmosis affects humans

Like healthy cats, most healthy humans infected with Toxoplasma gondii don’t show any symptoms. The parasite remains dormant in tissues without causing problems. However, some people experience mild illness, including:

• fever
• swollen glands (lymph nodes)
• muscle and/or joint pain
• tummy pain due to temporary enlargement of the liver or spleen.

In immunosuppressed individuals (such as transplant recipients or people undergoing chemotherapy) or when infected during pregnancy, toxoplasmosis can be much more severe.

Toxoplasmosis and pregnancy: potential risks

Contracting toxoplasmosis for the first time during pregnancy can lead to:

• miscarriage or stillbirth
• brain damage
• blindness
• or developmental disorders that may appear later in life.

This occurs because the parasite crosses the placenta and infects the developing baby. However, women who have already been exposed to Toxoplasma gondii before pregnancy are at minimal risk, since the immune system will prevent repeated infection.

Although not performed routinely in Australia, doctors can test expectant mothers for past Toxoplasma exposure. If positive, the risk to the baby is negligible.

How humans contract toxoplasmosis

Contrary to common belief, cat ownership is not a significant risk factor for toxoplasmosis. Research has consistently shown that living with a cat, especially an indoor cat with no access to hunting, poses little to no risk of toxoplasmosis infection.

Whilst humans can be infected from cat faeces, research shows the most common source of infection is from consuming raw or undercooked meat, particularly lamb and pork.

Other ways humans can become infected include:

• Eating unwashed fruit and vegetables that have come into contact with soil contaminated with oocysts
• Drinking untreated water
• Consuming unpasteurised milk, especially goat’s milk.
• Rarely, toxoplasmosis has been transmitted through organ transplants or blood transfusions.

Remember, oocysts in cat faeces become infective only after several days, so daily litter cleaning is a simple yet effective way to reduce risk.

Minimising your risk: toxoplasmosis and pregnancy

While toxoplasmosis can pose risks during pregnancy, the good news is that simple precautions can significantly reduce the likelihood of infection. 

Safely handling cat litter during pregnancy

While it’s ideal to have someone else handle cat litter when you’re pregnant, you can safely do it yourself by following precautions.

• Clean your cat’s litter tray daily or twice daily (it takes 1 to 5 days for oocysts to mature)
• Wear disposable gloves.
• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water afterwards.

Stay safe around cats during pregnancy

To further misimise your risk of contracting toxoplasmosis from your cat during pregnancy you should also:

• Keep your cat indoors to prevent hunting behaviour.
• Feed your cat a commercial diet or cooked meat, avoid raw meat.
• Wash your hands after handling your cat. Although, cats are naturally very clean, so it is unlikely for them to have faecal matter on their coats.

If you are still worried, talk to your vet about testing your cat for past toxoplasmosis exposure. A blood test can detect antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii. If your cat has already been exposed in the past, they will not shed oocysts again, minimising risk.

Everyday precautions: reducing toxoplasmosis risks

Simple daily habits, can also minimise your risk of toxoplasmosis.

• Cook all meat thoroughly – freezing raw meat beforehand can also kill parasites.
• Use separate kitchen tools (knife and chopping board) for raw and cooked meat.
• Wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly before eating.
• Wear gloves when gardening as stray or roaming cats are more likely to be hunters and may use your garden beds as a litter box, contaminating the soil for up to a year.
• Avoid sandpits and keep sandpits covered (again, giant litter trays for outdoor cats).
• Drink only pasteurised milk (especially goat’s milk).
• Ensure clean drinking water – boiling or filtering reduces contamination risks.

Final thoughts

Toxoplasmosis and pregnancy are often linked in a way that causes unnecessary fear among expecting cat owners. While it’s true that cats can carry the parasite, the risk of transmission is minimal – especially when basic precautions are taken. In reality, handling raw or undercooked meat poses a much higher risk than interacting with a pet cat.

By maintaining good hygiene, managing food safety, and following simple preventive measures, you can protect yourself and your baby while continuing to enjoy the companionship of your cat.

Pregnancy is a time for joy, not worry – so make informed decisions, stay proactive, and keep both your health and your feline friend’s in check. And if you need an excuse to delegate the litter box duties for a while, well, you’ve got one!