re cats and pregnancy in article apr etl go jp klaus ipri go jp klaus hofmann writes i heard that a certain disease toxoplasmosys is transmitted by cats which can harm the unborn fetus does anybody know about it is it a problem to have a cat in the same apartment the disease you are talking about is toxoplasmosis it is a protozoan that lives and multiplies within cells in cats the protozoan multiplies in the intestinal cells and eggs are shed in the cat s feces the protozoa can cross the placenta to infect the fetus the disease may be asymptomatic after the baby is born or it may be very severe toxo may cause blindness and mental retardation having a cat in the same apartment should not be a problem however pregnant women should not scoop or change the cat s litterbox in addition whoever does empty the litterbox should thoroughly wash his her hands before handling anything else especially food information came from the merck manual th ed i hope this information is helpful to you elisa picl fsphy physics fsu edu
