Ammonia exposure: As urine and feces build up in the litter box, they can start to release ammonia. This toxic gas can cause all sorts of unpleasant symptoms, including headaches, asthma attacks, and, if left unchecked, pneumonia. Ammonia can stress your immune system and be harmful to your health in general.
Litter boxes can cause overexposure to ammonia causing headaches or pneumonia. This one also isn't totally poop-related, but it is poop-adjacent. Litter boxes that aren't cleaned regularly enough can contain buildups of urine and feces, resulting in dangerous ammonia fumes.
If cat litter boxes are not regularly cleaned, the urine and feces accumulate and ammonia fumes build up. Ammonia is a toxic gas made from a combination of nitrogen and hydrogen. Living in an atmosphere filled with these ammonia fumes can cause a great deal of respiratory discomfort and problems.
Most cat owners are familiar with clay and clumping litter. Remember: it's recommended that you ALWAYS wear a mask when scooping litter. As it's likely that dust will float around in the air. That's not something you want to inhale.
Litter dust can cause sinus or respiratory flare-ups in both people and cats. While humans can wear masks while cleaning out litter boxes, cats can't.
Breathing in cat urine can actually make you sick. Cat pee is full of ammonia, a toxic gas that can cause headaches, trigger asthma attacks, and even result in serious respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia.
As the cat feces dry, the oocysts may become aerosolized. They can thus be inhaled by a person changing cat litter or just walking in an area where cats have defecated. An outbreak of toxoplasmosis among patrons of a riding stable was thought to have occurred in this manner.
In Conclusion
Although the risks are small, you could become ill if you contract Toxoplasmosis, worms or you're exposed to too much ammonia. More likely, the noise and smell of your cat doing their business in it will either wake you up or keep you awake when you should be sleeping.
Experts recommend cleaning the litter box monthly, but maybe more frequently depending on the number of kitties, the type of litter, your cat's output and health, and your preferences.
Litter boxes should be washed routinely to prevent odor and bacteria from building up on the surfaces. If you have the time, it's good to give a typical litter box a quick scrub-down every time you replace the litter, so once or twice a week for clumping clay litter boxes.
Multiple things can cause your house to smell like cat urine, even if you don't have a cat. Investigate if there is mold, leaking Freon, sewer gases, smelly plants, spoiled food, or even stains from previous pet owners.
Boxes should be cleaned on a regular basis, at least twice weekly, but sometimes daily changes are necessary. Unclean litter boxes can make cats more susceptible to developing urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Among the many health tips for expectant moms: Pregnant women shouldn't clean up the litter box. But why not? A common parasite called Toxoplasma gondii is to blame.
Dirty litter boxes can cause your cat health problems! Cats can develop painful kidney infections, bladder infections, bladder stones, and urinary tract infections if their litter boxes are not kept clean. Leaving a litter box too long before cleaning can also lead to stress in cats, which can exacerbate these issues.
The Toxoplasma parasite does not become infectious until 1 to 5 days after it is shed in a cat's feces. If you are pregnant or immunocompromised: Avoid changing cat litter if possible. If no one else can perform the task, wear disposable gloves and wash your hands with soap and water afterwards.
If possible, do not keep the litter box in a bedroom unless it's an extremely large room and the dirty cat litter box can be placed far from the bed and out of the way. Instead, put the box in a bathroom, closet or designated laundry room area.
For the most part, all experts agree…the litter box should be scooped 1-2 times each day. “Litter boxes should be scooped at least once or twice a day, and it's even better if you can get to it as soon as your cat has finished his business,” said By Dr. Stephanie Janeczko in this featured post on Petfinder. Dr.
Twice a week is a general guideline for replacing clay litter, but depending on your circumstances, you may need to replace it every other day or only once a week. If you clean the litter box daily, you might only need to change clumping litter every two to three weeks.
“Cats will sometimes jump into the litter boxes and often use them while, and right after, their people have scooped them,” says Marilyn Krieger, certified cat behavior consultant. “Cats love clean litter boxes, ones that are freshly scooped and don't smell of excrement.
Well-Lit and Ventilated. When you're considering where to keep a litter box, you should also choose a location that offers sufficient lighting and ventilation. Even though cats have very good night vision, they still may not feel comfortable using their litter box if it is in a dark area of the house.
The problem, however, is that the main ingredient in cat litter is Sodium Bentonite and some of which contain crystalline silica (this includes silica gel cat litter). Research has shown that prolonged exposure to crystalline silica dust may cause silicosis (a fatal lung disease) and bronchitis, and tuberculosis.
The prevalence of oocyst shedding in cats is very low (0-1%), even though at least 15-40% of cats have been infected with Toxoplasma at some point. This means very few cats at any one time are actually able to pass their infection on to people.