Cat litter/poop & pregnancy.

[Duefeb2022]

So me and my partner had a bit of a disagreement today and I have no idea if I’m being over the top with my hormones.
We have a kitten, nearly 1 year old. He keeps having some poop incidents, he’s long haired and keeps getting poop stuck in her tail, which she then wipes her bottom across the carpets (gross I know but it is being cleaned up by someone else who’s temporary living with us but will be gone next week). Saying that though we have no idea if our cat does it at night time when we’re asleep and has also had some incidents where she’s stood in the poop with again it’s going to trace it around the house. With me being on my own from next week and is the only person to clean the mess up I said to my partner maybe it’s best to rehome her.. for the safety of our baby, but he doesn’t want to which I completely understand.
We’ve both agreed that she isn’t allowed in her bedroom.. where I’ve been all day as haven’t been in the best of moods and haven’t wanted to talk to anybody. Our kitten has been meowing and scratching at the door for ages and it’s making us both feel bad but I just don’t want the risk of harming our baby. Am I being over the top???

Is your kitten an outside cat? There’s no risk of toxoplasmosis unless your cat is eating raw meat (birdies and mice). The actual rates of toxoplasmosis in this country are very very very low. It’s to do with us being an island -
more of a risk in the US and mainland Europe.

I think you are being a little over the top, yes. Wouldn't it be easier and kinder to just get her bum trimmed at a groomer so poo doesn't stick?

Does she have quite wet/runny poo? Or not use a litter tray? Cat poo should be really quite dry/hard (obviously not rock solid!) to the point that it doesn't really stick to fur, and if it's in a litter tray it's surprising that she's stepping in it often enough for it to be a real problem. Obviously both can happen occasionally but it shouldn't be frequent.

If it is wet you might want to consult a vet about diet changes.

Also echo above postr that your cat is unlikely to be infected, though as it's hard to know whether she's infected I understand still wanting to take precautions. But just wash your hands after any potential contact.

If they are having soft poo then maybe you need to change their food. The vet or a groomer could also give your cat a hygiene clip at the back end so that the poo doesn't get caught in the hair there. Highly unfair to rehome the cat

I would re-home. We had similar issues but with a very old cat and a baby crawling around. We ended up keeping the cat in the dining room. It was horrible for everyone including the cat. And I had major anxiety about the whole thing. Sorry, it's a horrible dilemma especially if you and DP are not in agreement.

The old having a baby get rid of the pet routine. Poor Kitten. Rehome to better people.

Since you have had this cat a year but appear unable to decide if its a male or female... i say rehome to someone who actually likes the cat.

Or, worm cat regularly.
Trim cats bottom fur.
Feed a quality diet so that there is no runny poo
Practice sensible hygiene

And then the risk is vanishingly small.

My cat was similar as a kitten, kept getting poo in his tail and around his legs. I changed his food to a digestive care food and it made his poo firmer. He also got better at cleaning himself as he got older. What food to you feed the cat? It might be worth changing it.

I meant to add to my above comment. I’ve not had to clean up poo once in the year that he’s been on the digestive care food.

Definitely rehome the cat to somebody who actually cares about animals.

You'd rather rehome your pet than pop some washing up gloves on to clean up?

I think that is pretty rubbish tbh. You made a commitment to the cat.

Get your cat groomed!! Trimmjng the fur round their bum will work wonders!

I feel so sorry for the cat!

We've got 3 cats and I'd never even co spider rehoming them when I got pregnant. My partner does the litter tray now but if he really didn't want to do it then I'd just put gloves and a mask on and make sure I wash my hands afterwards.

It sounds like the food you have the cat on isn't great for its digestive system so I would look at changing that. If your cat constantly has runny poo then that's not normal and you need to make sure there's nothing wrong - maybe a trip to the vet to rule out any illness.
Then maybe clip the fur around the bum to make sure the poo doesn't stick to it.

To be honest you sound a bit naive to the cats needs 😔

Yanbu. I know two people who have eye problems because of toxoplasmosis, in one case she nearly lost her sight in one eye. The people telling you not to worry don’t know what they’re talking about. Be careful!

Talk to vet about how to manage the cat. Most cats don’t wipe poo everywhere. Could it have diarrhoea? Insure the cat before asking the vet in case this is an expensive issue. Might be worrms, or IBSz

Rehoming might be best. Can’t believe someone just suggested you trim cats bottom fur regularly. No way my cat would let me do that, would be a huge fight even with 2 ppl. And you’re about to have a baby you don’t have time to be regularly chasing an angry pooey cat around the house with scissors.

If you have a garden it may help to train it to go outdoors - then at least some poo will get wiped off in garden.

But I would insure it then talk to vet then have a serious talk about rehoming.