posted
Does anyone know the best way to protect ourselves while cleaning cat litter box out? What type of mask blocks this bacteria? And is there an herb we can give cats to make them no longer carriers of Bartonella?
thanks love my kitties but tierd of getting sick from cleaning out litter box
Daniella
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There are other issues besides Bartonella and litter boxes, (toxoplasmosis), which is why pregnant women are advised to either not clean them or use a mask and wash hands...
Posts: 131 | From PA | Registered: Aug 2007
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Leelee
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 19112
posted
You may do this already, but I use disposable gloves when I change my cats' boxes.
-------------------- The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King,Jr Posts: 1573 | From Maryland | Registered: Feb 2009
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posted
i got my cats 2 years ago. i wonder if i had lyme and it made my immune system weak enough to catch bartonella. how is it transmitted from cat to human?
Posts: 62 | From Perth Amboy NJ | Registered: Jun 2010
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posted
Well considering Bartonella is a poorly understood disease, and that there are more than one variant that can infect humans, who knows?
I asked my doc if it's possible to transmit Bartonella, he said we don't know. Given that there's some evidence it's possible with Lyme in mice, who knows?
My doc says he co-authored a paper which has been accepted for publication showing 7 human patients who have Bartonella Kholerae (sp?), a variant previously only known to be present in cats. It's a rapidly growing field of knowledge.
Given that my immune system is weak from Lyme/Bartonella, it's a no-brainer to try and avoid any possible pathogens. Toxoplasmosis in an immune compromised person is no joke, so I try to avoid it by wearing a mask when changing the litter box and wash my hands.
Posts: 131 | From PA | Registered: Aug 2007
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posted
ok, this is weird. I started getting really sick 1.5 years ago after watching my neighbor's cats, including scooping the litter. Great....
Posts: 618 | From NC | Registered: Oct 2009
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Hoosiers51
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 15759
posted
To anyone reading this that has a new cat....
...cats can be trained to go potty outside, like dogs. Just don't provide them with a litter box, and start out maybe feeding them outside. They will get the message and pee and poo outside too. I'm guessing even an older cat would be able to figure this out if you suddenly stopped providing the box, and fed them outside.
My family has always used that system with our cats. We don't feed them in the house, so they are used to standing by the door when they want to go out.
We even did this in northern Indiana, when it was 0 degrees out. The cat would run out, eat from her bowl, go potty in the snow, then stand by the door to come back in. When there was a blizzard or something, we'd kinda have to throw her out, but it was fine...she'd eat quickly, do her business, then scratch at the door to come back in. As my dad says, "they are wearing a fur coat!"
The only thing you'd need to worry about then is you don't want to be sunbathing or laying in the grass in the areas the cat uses. Or especially gardening veggies there, because germs can get on the food.
You don't need to watch them or put them on a leash....at least in all the places we lived. You just let them out....they'll come back when they are ready to come back inside! Our cats have learned to come (from the outdoors, in) when we call them too....they associate hearing our "call" with the door being open.
I think they actually have a better life this way...they like to go exploring, and always have that twinkle in their eye. It's kind of like a child...sometimes, you gotta kick 'em out of the house for their own good!
But if you lived in a tick infested area, it would make me re-think that, because you don't want them bringing ticks in. The current kitty is getting whatever that med is that supposedly keeps ticks off. We'll see how it works.
And if you let them out like that, you gotta get them fixed if they aren't already! You'd be surprised the adventures they have when you just think they're minding their kitty business.
Posts: 4590 | From Midwest | Registered: Jun 2008
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posted
I had my cat tested...he's negative, but the cats before him were never tested. One died of FIP, a fatal corona virus, so I often worry I caught that from him. He developed mange (from demodex mites) as his first symptom and lost fur around his lower jaw mostly, where 99% of my own symptoms are...my lower jaw. Wonder what they (demodex mites) carry?
Posts: 495 | From USA | Registered: Mar 2010
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posted
yes LeeLee(cute name I do too unless I've run out..
lotus2-sickpuppy-hcconn22- My question too!
"You can get bartonella from a cat's box?"
I've been told by MD that Bart is in cats urine, feces, and saliva. Airborne while cleaning cat box, in saliva while cat cleans themselves.
I know we love our pets so much. I could never part with mine...
I was wondering if anyone has given their animals an herb or abx to clear them of any bacteria they may be carrying that could be transmitted?
Anyone done this? I was thinking about giving mine doxy according to their weight so they will no longer be carriers. Any ideas about this?
Are there herbs to give? Can you give cats colloidal silver???
-------------------- ~Things may happen in my life time to change who I am but I refuse to let them reduce me...~ Posts: 968 | From private | Registered: Jan 2005
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WildCondor
Unregistered
posted
Are you sure you are not thinking about toxoplasmosis?
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I know I developed bart after getting new kitties and md said it could be from emptying their litter box. every time I was empying I got swollen neck glands and severe headache behind eyes. I thought it couldn't be from litter box cleaning but asked my md and he said if your immune system is low enough you can get bart from emptying litter box...
what are the sx's of toxo? that is a parasite? same sx's???
edited for sp.
-------------------- ~Things may happen in my life time to change who I am but I refuse to let them reduce me...~ Posts: 968 | From private | Registered: Jan 2005
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Haley
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 22008
posted
I don't know if it is airborne but I know that even if you itch your eye and have it on your hands it's likely that you will be infected.
Some people think that you need to be scratched or bitten but that is not the case.
Posts: 2232 | From USA | Registered: Aug 2009
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posted
I know we love our pets so much. I could never part with mine...
I was wondering if anyone has given their animals an herb or abx to clear them of any bacteria they may be carrying that could be transmitted?
Anyone done this? I was thinking about giving mine doxy according to their weight so they will no longer be carriers. Any ideas about this?
Are there herbs to give? Can you give cats colloidal silver???
-------------------- ~Things may happen in my life time to change who I am but I refuse to let them reduce me...~ Posts: 968 | From private | Registered: Jan 2005
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-------------------- ~Things may happen in my life time to change who I am but I refuse to let them reduce me...~ Posts: 968 | From private | Registered: Jan 2005
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sparkle7
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10397
posted
re: every time I was empying I got swollen neck glands and severe headache behind eyes
---
Maybe you are allergic to the cat litter...? May of them are very dusty & have toxic (to me, anyway) fragrances added.
I think it's best to keep cats in the house. If they don't have bart or other diseases - they can get them from going outside. They are more prone towards getting bitten by other animals who may be sick with a variety of things, getting hit by a car or picking up ticks & fleas.
You can wear disposable rubber gloves to clean the litter box & use a dust mask. I don't know about getting bart from cat litter... I've never heard of it. It is called cat "scratch" fever.
I'd watch out for fleas & make sure to use some flea killer if you spot any. I believe you can get it from fleas. There are some good flea killing products like Program - I think it's called. It works very well if you see any fleas.
Don't get the ones in the regular pet store. They don't work & they may be hazardous to your pet! I found that only Program works. You can get it on-line from 1800petmeds or some other place like that.
I've only heard that toxoplasmosis can be obtained from cat litter. They say a huge part of the population already has it.
Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. More than 60 million people in the U.S. have the parasite.
Most of them don't get sick. But the parasite causes serious problems for some people. These include people with weak immune systems and babies whose mothers become infected for the first time during pregnancy. Problems can include damage to the brain, eyes and other organs.
You can get toxoplasmosis from
Waste from an infected cat Eating contaminated meat that is raw or not well cooked Using utensils or cutting boards after they've had contact with raw meat Drinking infected water Receiving an infected organ transplant or blood transfusion
Most people with toxoplasmosis don't need treatment. There are drugs to treat it for pregnant women and people with weak immune systems.
Posts: 7772 | From Northeast, again... | Registered: Oct 2006
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I think though that if you have indoor cats they cannot give you toxo right? Only cats that have come in contact with toxo can give it to you,.. and then only for a few weeks while they are shedding the cysts..right?
my cats are strictly indoor and I have had them 1 year
Does anyone have any carification on this?
thanks
-------------------- ~Things may happen in my life time to change who I am but I refuse to let them reduce me...~ Posts: 968 | From private | Registered: Jan 2005
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- For various reasons, be sure train all pets to NOT kiss any people the mouth - and to not lick drips from a water faucet that had a slow drip enticing them. I've seen more than one cat do that. -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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CD57
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11749
posted
I think that is toxo. Bartonella you can get from cat scratches, as the cats feces may touch their claws and then they scratch and get it on you.
Posts: 3528 | From US | Registered: Apr 2007
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