Hi all,
I love my two five-year-old cats more than anything in the world, but after reading an article on 'cat litter changing' recently, I realise that I've been doing it all wrong!
Firstly, I have never used soap or any other cleaning agent to wash out their cat tray (I had understood that cat's are sensitive to any chemical agents), instead I have always just cleaned their tray with water and paper towels.
Secondly, I never scoop my cats' poop; rather I tend to just replace the sand once I begin to notice that they smell, throwing all the collected poop away and washing the tray with water, which I suppose could be anywhere between 4 and 7 days. I also live in a hot country, so in summer I often tend to leave the cleaning for even longer periods! Basically, their tray is a shared one that is kept upstairs in a small room with the window open; Because of the heat, the poop becomes very dry and doesn't really smell like it can do during the rest of the year, or get as messy, so this is the main reason I sometimes wait several weeks before cleaning them. I've now come to realize that cats can become very affected by having to live in such an environment (surrounded by poop), and that also it can be hazardous to both animals and humans
Needless to say, now I scoop twice-a-day and I wash the cat trays thoroughly with soap and water. I feel terrible for not thinking enough about their needs, and I now worry that over the years I may have affected their health. I also recently read an article about 'Toxoplasmi Gondi' and other related bacterial infections that can occur within cats, and that can subsequently be passed onto humans too. Could my poor, unhygenic methods of the past have caused tons of bacteria to spread to them and all around my house? I mean, my cats have free reign of the house, they walk around on the bed, pillows, they sleep with me and I hug and kiss them all the time. They also lick me a lot, and over the years they've (unwillingly) scratched me many times, especially very recently they've both caused me some very deep, bloody wounds (their claws can grow really thick and long)... I'm now totally worried that, not only have I jeapordised their health, but also mine... I read such bacteria can cause blindness, organ failure or even death in humans. I know, on the face of it, I'm a low risk category for picking up such an infection (I'm a healthy 32-year-old male), but I'm also aware that I've been caring for them poorly, and surely this has always placed me in a higher-risk bracket for bacterial spread! Should I worry that I've harmed my cats? Is there anyway for them to have a test for such infections, or to test myself?
Please help, I'm really worried.
Thank you.
Alec
I love my two five-year-old cats more than anything in the world, but after reading an article on 'cat litter changing' recently, I realise that I've been doing it all wrong!
Firstly, I have never used soap or any other cleaning agent to wash out their cat tray (I had understood that cat's are sensitive to any chemical agents), instead I have always just cleaned their tray with water and paper towels.
Secondly, I never scoop my cats' poop; rather I tend to just replace the sand once I begin to notice that they smell, throwing all the collected poop away and washing the tray with water, which I suppose could be anywhere between 4 and 7 days. I also live in a hot country, so in summer I often tend to leave the cleaning for even longer periods! Basically, their tray is a shared one that is kept upstairs in a small room with the window open; Because of the heat, the poop becomes very dry and doesn't really smell like it can do during the rest of the year, or get as messy, so this is the main reason I sometimes wait several weeks before cleaning them. I've now come to realize that cats can become very affected by having to live in such an environment (surrounded by poop), and that also it can be hazardous to both animals and humans
Needless to say, now I scoop twice-a-day and I wash the cat trays thoroughly with soap and water. I feel terrible for not thinking enough about their needs, and I now worry that over the years I may have affected their health. I also recently read an article about 'Toxoplasmi Gondi' and other related bacterial infections that can occur within cats, and that can subsequently be passed onto humans too. Could my poor, unhygenic methods of the past have caused tons of bacteria to spread to them and all around my house? I mean, my cats have free reign of the house, they walk around on the bed, pillows, they sleep with me and I hug and kiss them all the time. They also lick me a lot, and over the years they've (unwillingly) scratched me many times, especially very recently they've both caused me some very deep, bloody wounds (their claws can grow really thick and long)... I'm now totally worried that, not only have I jeapordised their health, but also mine... I read such bacteria can cause blindness, organ failure or even death in humans. I know, on the face of it, I'm a low risk category for picking up such an infection (I'm a healthy 32-year-old male), but I'm also aware that I've been caring for them poorly, and surely this has always placed me in a higher-risk bracket for bacterial spread! Should I worry that I've harmed my cats? Is there anyway for them to have a test for such infections, or to test myself?
Please help, I'm really worried.
Thank you.
Alec
