Potential Risks of Flushing Cat Poop Down Your Toilet - Tips for Safer Handling
Potential Risks of Flushing Cat Poop Down Your Toilet - Tips for Safer Handling
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Just about everyone has got their own individual conception when it comes to Can You Flush Cat Poo or Litter Down the Toilet?.
Introduction
As feline owners, it's vital to be mindful of exactly how we get rid of our feline close friends' waste. While it may appear convenient to flush pet cat poop down the commode, this technique can have destructive consequences for both the environment and human health and wellness.
Ecological Impact
Flushing pet cat poop introduces hazardous pathogens and parasites right into the water supply, posturing a substantial danger to aquatic communities. These contaminants can negatively influence aquatic life and concession water high quality.
Health Risks
In addition to environmental concerns, flushing cat waste can additionally present wellness dangers to people. Cat feces may consist of Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that can cause toxoplasmosis-- a possibly severe disease, especially for pregnant females and individuals with damaged immune systems.
Alternatives to Flushing
The good news is, there are safer and extra liable methods to take care of feline poop. Think about the following choices:
1. Scoop and Dispose in Trash
One of the most common technique of disposing of pet cat poop is to scoop it right into a naturally degradable bag and throw it in the garbage. Make sure to utilize a committed trash inside story and take care of the waste quickly.
2. Usage Biodegradable Litter
Select biodegradable feline litter made from products such as corn or wheat. These trashes are environmentally friendly and can be securely taken care of in the trash.
3. Hide in the Yard
If you have a lawn, consider hiding feline waste in a designated location away from veggie yards and water sources. Make certain to dig deep sufficient to avoid contamination of groundwater.
4. Install a Pet Waste Disposal System
Purchase a pet dog waste disposal system specifically designed for pet cat waste. These systems utilize enzymes to break down the waste, reducing odor and ecological effect.
Verdict
Accountable pet possession expands beyond giving food and shelter-- it additionally involves proper waste administration. By avoiding flushing pet cat poop down the toilet and selecting alternative disposal techniques, we can decrease our environmental footprint and secure 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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