Is cat litter safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about cat litter during pregnancy?

1. Cat feces are a main way Toxoplasma spreads, and pregnancy is considered a higher-risk time for exposure. 1
2. Toxoplasma parasites need 1 to 5 days after being shed in cat feces before they become infectious, so daily litter changes by someone else greatly cut your exposure. 2
3. If you have to clean the litter box yourself, wear disposable gloves, wash your hands well with soap and water afterward, and change the litter every day. 3
4. Most toxoplasmosis cases in pregnant women in the U.S. actually come from undercooked meat or contaminated soil and produce, not from the family cat. 2

Is cat litter safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. If infection happens in the first trimester, it's less likely to pass to the baby, but when it does, effects can be more serious. This is why it's best to have someone else handle the litter box now.
• Second trimester. The chance of passing an infection to the baby goes up as pregnancy progresses. Keep having someone else handle litter duty.
• Third trimester. By the third trimester, infection is more likely to pass to the baby, but effects tend to be milder. Keep delegating litter box duty just to be safe.