Cat Litter Scooping

OneLove 09

We have 2 cats and DH hates them, and he has never ever even gone near the litter box. As you know, we pregos are not supposed to go near it... so I don't know what to do. Does anyone have that automatic litter box? Is it good? It's like $50 and I'll totally get it if it's worth it.

He's gonna HAVE to change it and he will, but it's gonna cause a problem since he's been trying to get rid of them for years, lol, so I'm trying to find a solution.

zinnia9

The automatic litter scooper might be a good idea in general (less work for you in the future, too), if your cats aren't freaked out by it.  But I also noticed that "What to Expect when You're Expecting" says that if you live with cats, you might already have an immunity against toxoplasmosis (the stuff in the cat feces that is the issue), so you might consider asking your practicioner for an antibody titer to see if you're immune.  Or, if your cats are strictly indoor, they might not be infected - you can have them tested at the vet.

So, the kitties may not be as high risk as DH may want you to think - no reason to get rid of them!  (We don't get to have kitties - my husband has asthma - but we would love to have them if we could.)

Joyous1106

Pregos can change cat litter, under certain conditions, so please don't get rid of your cats just because you got pregnant.

Here is a link from the humane society that spells things out pretty simply.  A simple google of toxoplasmosis in cats and pregnancy will give you lots of information.

Basically, if you wash your hands after cleaning up after your cats, you shouldn't have any problems.  If you've had your cats for years, then you've already been exposed to whatever your cats may have, especially if they're indoors only.  It's only if they go outside and dig around in infected dirt, or eat infected animals, that you have to worry.  And there are certainly plenty of precautions to take.

OneLove 09

I haven't gotten rid of them yet and I'm not even thinking about it now!!  I'm going to follow zinnia's advice and get tested. I've had them for over 5 years and they are indoor kitties, so hopefully it won't be a problem. Thanks for all your responses!BTW, the litter robot looks awesome and I'm thinking of buying it on ebay right now, but it's really expensive!! But then again, what price would I pay to never have to scoop poop again?? I expect that I'll have plenty of poop to deal with when the baby get here! 

MCH77

My grandmother had the scooping litter box and loved it.  You still need to empty and refill, but it is less often and easy to do.  It could be a good longterm investment.

My DH is now on cat litter duty.  He has never done it before PG (not once in 5 1/2 years), they were my cats for years before we even met. He was not happy about it, but knows it is important and does it without complaint (well atleast not to me).  I always use cat liners and it makes it really easy for him and buy the cat letter/liners and remind him. 

 GL! 

 

slm13

I tried the automatic litter box a few years ago, but my cats were really freaked out by it.  They wouldn't go near it once they heard and saw it work, so they started using the floor.  We switched back to a regular box very quickly.

 My DH has always been the one to handle the litter.  But, he travels a lot for work, which means that I have to handle it when he's gone.  It's actually not that easy to get toxoplasmosis.  Best way to prevent transmission is really washing your hands well after handling the litter, but if that makes you nervous, you could do latex (or even latex free) gloves when changing the litter and then wash your hands thoroughly.  You can grab gloves in a big box at any drug store (or if you're like me, you can steal them from work - which I am not condoning in any fashion).