New Kitten, Wife is Pregnant, Health Concerns?

wolfmanwes

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On 11/21/15, a 5 week stray kitten showed up in our driveway.  We fell in love with the kitten and decided to take it into our home.

Anyway, this past weekend, my wife and I found out that she is pregnant from a HPT.  We're excited, but are there any health concerns between our kitten and my pregnant wife?  We've been taking the kitten to the vet ever since we found him and he has been strictly inside since we've adopted him.  The 2 concerns that I have are:  toxoplasmosis and round worm.

Toxoplasmosis - ever since we've adopted the kitty, my wife scooped the kitty litter every couple of days.  I've never heard of toxoplasmosis until 2 days ago, and since then, I have been scooping the kitty litter daily.  What are the odds that my wife contracted toxoplasmosis from scooping out the kitty litter over the last few months?  I think we're going to have our kitten tested next week when we go back to the vet to give us a piece of mind, but it has me concerned in the meantime since it can cause devastating effects to the baby.

Round Worm - last week when we went to the vet, we were told that our kitten has round worms.  Can humans contract these parasites, and should we be concerned on the effect it may have on my wife and baby?  Since we didn't know that my wife was pregnant last week, we didn't think about this question, but it is something that I am concerned about and I will also ask the vet this next week as well.

In the meantime, I will be scooping out the kitty litter everyday.  Thanks!
 

zed xyzed

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It is very rare to get toxoplasmosis for a cat.  The following extract is from here http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/Health_Information/brochure_toxo.cfm 

"Can I "catch" toxoplasmosis from my cat?

Because cats only shed the organism for a few days in their entire life, the chance of human exposure is small. Owning a cat does not mean you will be infected with the disease. It is unlikely that you would be exposed to the parasite by touching an infected cat, because cats usually do not carry the parasite on their fur. It is also unlikely that you can become infected through cat bites or scratches. In addition, cats kept indoors that do not hunt prey or are not fed  raw meat are not likely to be infected with T. gondii.

In the United States, people are much more likely to become infected through eating raw meat and unwashed fruits and vegetables than from handling cat feces."

Everything I read shows that roundworms will not hurt the baby but I would make sure that your wife doesn't clean the litter just to be safe.  Also   CONGRATULATIONS!!! 
 
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wolfmanwes

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Thank you for the information!  Do you know this question:

When does a cat shed the organism after contracting toxoplasmosis?  Does it shed the organism immediately or does it take weeks/months to shed?  Just curious.
 
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