Today we are refuting media headlines implying a deadly link between cat ownership and toxoplasmosis.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that cats are rarely the source of toxoplasmosis, an infection caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, and that people are unlikely to get sick from touching or owning a cat. People are more likely to contract toxoplasmosis from eating undercooked meat or gardeningnot from cleaning their cat’s litter box.
The news reports the organization is rebutting reference a published study (“Toxoplasma gondii Infection and Self-directed Violence in Mothers”) that examined a potential relationship between toxoplasmosis infection and suicide risk in 45,788 Danish women. The study itself did not examine cats or cat ownership; however, media reports greatly exaggerated the risk of contracting the disease from cats.
Cats brought to shelters as a result of these rumors are more than likely to be killed there.
Read the Press Release.
Learn more about cats and community health.