Toxo - could someone please advise?

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DH and I went away last week for 3 days. The lady looking after the cat didn't do the litter tray as asked. DH was working away overnight on our return and I couldn't leave it so I cleaned it out. I wore gloves.

On Saturday I fainted. I have been feeling tired and under the weather since, my glands are up and my throat is sore (however I do have a cold coming out).

I'm scared I have toxo. I know I have been used to doing her litter tray for 2 years but we have always done it every day - this was 3 days worth and I know it takes 48 hrs to become infective. I phoned the GP and she basically said there was nothing they could do anyway so doing a blood test would be a bit pointless.

Could anyone make me feel better please? I wish i had just left it another night for DH to do but it was horrible and I felt so bad for the cat (she's indoor). I keep thinking I definitely touched door handles etc and so I can't have been completely protected.

It sounds like you are being over anxious. Changed all cats litter trays at ours and currently on pregnancy 3 and never worried about it once. I just do it before I jump in the shower and then any dust from the litter is washed away. Maybe talk to your midwife?

Toxoplasmosis can show flu like symptoms but it's unlikely it would manifest in less than 24 hours. More likely you've picked up a bug while on/returning from holiday.

If you used gloves I would say it's highly unlikely. I don't understand the door knob point - how would cat faeces get on the door knobs?

It's unlikely you picked it up. If your cat has it, chances are that you already had it. You only have a reaction if exposed for the first time. So your cat would have had to just picked it up and then you picked it up. It's usually a risk from new or unknown cats. You probably just have a flu-like illness. There seems to be a lot of it around here (Ireland).

NanooCov I changed the tray last Thursday.

What I mean is we do the litter tray in the bathroom downstairs, so I put on gloves to pick the tray up then took it into the bathroom, then changed it, then picked it back up and took it out, but then I went back in opening the door that my gloved hand had been on. I'm aware this is being over anxious - I've just been pretty calm throughout this pregnancy and I'm having a bit of a freak out.

Wonderstar i spoke to my midwife who suggested I phone my gp,. I think my call must have flashed up as 'crazy lady - get rid'!

I went through a very similar panic. Please try to relax. Try to rationalise your worries, you wore gloves which has massively reduced and chances of contamination. Also your cat is an indoor cat which would make it much much unlikely to carry Toxo anyway. Also, it would be unlikely that the symptoms you describe would hit this early.. they can start as early as a week after exposure but it is much more likely to be after a longer incubation period. I also think your doctor should be doing more to put your mind at rest. When I had my panic she tested me for Toxo no problem and it all came back clear (I have two cats and had been doing the littler tray as well as eating raw meat!). You need to wait around 3 weeks before you can be tested but do it because it will put your mind at rest. Also...remember that you may well have already been exposed to it which means you will be immune. Finally.....cases of confirmed Toxo during pregnancy are rare and even if the worst case scenario materialises it still doesn't mean the baby is definitely in danger. I worried myself senseless about this at the start of my pregnancy and I look back now and regret that so much as it zapped all the enjoyment out of it. Please try not to worry and don't Google loads of horror stories! You won't have Toxo and it will all be fine xx

Hope thank you so much - that's really helped.

I will go back and see if I can insist on a test. She was since but I thinks he realised she hadn't made me feel much better! Cat used to be a stray so goodness knows what she has...

Please don’t worry. Unless you cat eats a raw diet or has caught any rodents recently the chances of them having Toxo are slim to none. If you grew up around outdoor cats it’s also possible you’ve already had it without realising and can’t get it again. Then Toxo spores aren’t immediately infectious, I’ve read different thing saying anything from 12-48 hours after they’ve left the cat but cleaning the tray promptly eliminates most of the risk. And you took precautions and wore gloves. I’m sure you have just caught a bug. DH works away so I often found myself cleaning the tray for two indoor cats, I wore gloves and DD is now 1 and absolutely fine.

Mine were farm cats so I thought the same with mine! Get the test, even just booking the test in made me feel a million times better and much more rational. I have seen multiple midwives whilst being pregnant and each one has asked why I got tested for Toxo and they almost laugh. None of them have come across a case of Toxo during pregnancy in their careers. Shout if you need anything....I had some horrid sleepless nights when I was worried about this so know how you are feeling. Look after yourself xx

Troubled No raw diet - I occasionally give her a couple of cams of raw chicken breast but that's it. No rodents (to my knowledge!)

That's what is troubling me - the time period - we were away Mon-Wed and the lady hadn't cleaned it so i did it on Thursday.

Sorry x posted, if the cat was a stray they probably had Toxo during their street days and it’s something they usually only get once. So even more likely that you are just fine

I worried myself senseless during my last pregnancy over toxo, went to a wedding in France at about 7 weeks and ate a very rare (bloody!) steak the anxiety was horrific. My midwife did a blood test at my booking in appt about three weeks later, which showed that i didn't have an active infection (didn't tell me if i was already immune though, annoyingly). To my shame, i have a microbiology degree and a biology PhD, and I've sat through a series of lectures about toxo, so logically i knew what a tiny chance i had of having contacted it... didn't stop me freaking out about it!!! It's highly unlikely that your cat had contacted toxo for the first time during your holiday, especially if it's a house cat, it's highly unlikely that you came into contact with it, especially if you wore gloves, and even if you did then it's up to a 50/50 chance that you're already immune. And as hope says, in the highly unlikely almost impossible scenario that you contacted it, it doesn't necessarily mean it would harm the baby. You don't have it, all is well, don't let it take over your pregnancy... from someone who did let it take over her pregnancy and was bloody miserable!

If you fainted the next day and have had symptoms ever since I think it's unlikely to have manifested it self that soon after you changed the tray. As long as you used appropriate precautions you should be fine.
Speak to your GP but also be cautious about testing as the results can often give you more questions than answers which can lead to more anxiety.

I worked in an animal rescue for years. I have probably cleaned out hundreds of litter trays from stray and sick cats. I asked for a toxo test before I became pregnant and it showed that I didn't have it. As others have said, I think the risk is minimal.

It's probably more likely you caught something while you were away.