The Dangers of Flushing Cat Poop Down Your Toilet - Tips for Safer Disposal
The Dangers of Flushing Cat Poop Down Your Toilet - Tips for Safer Disposal
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Introduction
As pet cat proprietors, it's essential to be mindful of how we throw away our feline buddies' waste. While it may seem hassle-free to flush pet cat poop down the commode, this practice can have detrimental consequences for both the setting and human health and wellness.
Ecological Impact
Purging pet cat poop presents hazardous pathogens and parasites into the water system, posturing a significant danger to aquatic ecological communities. These impurities can negatively affect marine life and concession water top quality.
Wellness Risks
Along with ecological concerns, flushing cat waste can additionally position wellness threats to humans. Feline feces might include Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that can cause toxoplasmosis-- a possibly extreme illness, especially for expectant females and people with damaged immune systems.
Alternatives to Flushing
Thankfully, there are safer and extra accountable ways to deal with feline poop. Consider the complying with choices:
1. Scoop and Dispose in Trash
The most typical technique of throwing away pet cat poop is to scoop it into a biodegradable bag and toss it in the garbage. Make sure to utilize a dedicated clutter scoop and deal with the waste quickly.
2. Use Biodegradable Litter
Choose naturally degradable feline litter made from products such as corn or wheat. These litters are environmentally friendly and can be securely taken care of in the trash.
3. Hide in the Yard
If you have a backyard, take into consideration hiding feline waste in a marked location far from veggie gardens and water resources. Be sure to dig deep enough to stop contamination of groundwater.
4. Install a Pet Waste Disposal System
Buy a pet waste disposal system especially designed for cat waste. These systems utilize enzymes to break down the waste, minimizing smell and ecological effect.
Final thought
Accountable animal ownership extends beyond offering food and sanctuary-- it additionally includes proper waste monitoring. By refraining from purging cat poop down the commode and choosing different disposal methods, we can lessen our environmental footprint and shield human health.
Why Can’t I Flush Cat Poop?
It Spreads a Parasite
Cats are frequently infected with a parasite called toxoplasma gondii. The parasite causes an infection called toxoplasmosis. It is usually harmless to cats. The parasite only uses cat poop as a host for its eggs. Otherwise, the cat’s immune system usually keeps the infection at low enough levels to maintain its own health. But it does not stop the develop of eggs. These eggs are tiny and surprisingly tough. They may survive for a year before they begin to grow. But that’s the problem.
Our wastewater system is not designed to deal with toxoplasmosis eggs. Instead, most eggs will flush from your toilet into sewers and wastewater management plants. After the sewage is treated for many other harmful things in it, it is typically released into local rivers, lakes, or oceans. Here, the toxoplasmosis eggs can find new hosts, including starfish, crabs, otters, and many other wildlife. For many, this is a significant risk to their health. Toxoplasmosis can also end up infecting water sources that are important for agriculture, which means our deer, pigs, and sheep can get infected too.
Is There Risk to Humans?
There can be a risk to human life from flushing cat poop down the toilet. If you do so, the parasites from your cat’s poop can end up in shellfish, game animals, or livestock. If this meat is then served raw or undercooked, the people who eat it can get sick.
In fact, according to the CDC, 40 million people in the United States are infected with toxoplasma gondii. They get it from exposure to infected seafood, or from some kind of cat poop contamination, like drinking from a stream that is contaminated or touching anything that has come into contact with cat poop. That includes just cleaning a cat litter box.
Most people who get infected with these parasites will not develop any symptoms. However, for pregnant women or for those with compromised immune systems, the parasite can cause severe health problems.
How to Handle Cat Poop
The best way to handle cat poop is actually to clean the box more often. The eggs that the parasite sheds will not become active until one to five days after the cat poops. That means that if you clean daily, you’re much less likely to come into direct contact with infectious eggs.
That said, always dispose of cat poop in the garbage and not down the toilet. Wash your hands before and after you clean the litter box, and bring the bag of poop right outside to your garbage bins.
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