Litter Tray and Toddler - I'm panicing!

[MiseryBusiness]

We recently got two adult cats. One is a house cat and always uses the litter tray and one is more of an outdoor cat and generally goes outside to do his business.

Anyway tonight, we were all tidying up and I was bringing some bit of DC's upstairs and see nearly 3 yr old DD with her hands in the litter tray.

When I went in to get her away one of the cats had done a poo in there.

Now I'm panicing big time. I put DD straight in the bath and washed her all over but I can help thinking I should take her to GP to see if there is anythng they can give her.

I've read about the parasites young children can be affected with from cat poo.

WWYD?

[suzi2]

I wouldn't panic. Probably the 'worst' thing she could get is toxoplasmosis and even then it's pretty hard to catch. She would have had to eat infected poo, which if the cat is an adult is unlikely to be shedding the infection. Reality is that many adults have had it as a child and never noticed - it can be caught from other sources, not just cats, and even from infected soil near where your outdoor cat poos. It's typically not terribly worrying to catch unless you're pregnant.

I'm not sure which other parasites, if any, people can catch from cats though. And there's nothing a GP could give I don't think.

[MiseryBusiness]

The one I've read about is toxoplasmosis. Probably shouldn't have googled it because it always comes up with the worse case scenario.

I am worried that she could have put her hands in her mouth after she put them in the litter tray.

From what I've read the under 4 yr olds are at risk of having a more severe case.

I'm probably over reacting but I keep thinking what if she's caught it and gets really ill or it effects her sight or something horrible.

[suzi2]

I don't think it's anything to worry about - the worst case scenarios are rare. I don't think a GP could do anything anyway. But it's probably wise to be vigilant to any bugs she's running over the next few weeks (no idea how long the incubation period for it is).

[MiseryBusiness]

Ok thanks for replying and putting my mind at rest.

From what I've read I think it's about 1 - 3 weeks. I'll be keeping a very close eye.

[bonzo77]

oh and move the cat litter tray. I keep ours in the bath.

[MiseryBusiness]

I have moved it now.

The only reason it was in the upstairs bathroom was because DC's only really went in there for a bath so it was one of their least used rooms.

I'm still worrying a bit but my DH is trying to convince me it'll be fine and that I've probably had it since I was a kid because I grew up on a farm with lots of outdoor cats that killed rodents and birds all the time and it hasn't made me ill etc.

[Daisybell1]

How about a covered tray? Would that help?

[MiseryBusiness]

We did buy a covered tray orginally but she wouldn't use it.

Outdoor cat doesn't really use the tray it's only really the indoor cat and from what I've read she's unlikely to have the parasite because she doesn't go out or hunt or anything like that.

She is only slightly likely to have it because she lives with an outdoor cat.

Hopefully I dont have to worry too much. Fingers crossed.

[fridakahlo]

When we got our cat and two kittens back in october, ds, at the time two going on three went through a two-three week period of emptying the litter trays all over the floor using his hands , also when he was crawling he found a turd from where one of our old ladies had had an accident ans came crawling into the bathroom happily waving what remained with the rest smeared around his mouth.
NHS told me that as it was fresh, it was very unlikely to be an issue.