Toxoplasmosis in Pregnancy - Should You Be Worried About Your Cat?
This post walks you through the full, unfiltered truth about toxoplasmosis during pregnancy. We're talking science, scare tactics and actual solid facts, minus the fluff and fearmongering.
Whether you’re a first-time mom-to-be, a seasoned cat cuddler, a curious pet parent or just someone who’s heard one too many horror stories - The Vet Vortex has got your back.
It’s time to clear the air with facts, not fear.
Welcome to today’s Feature Friday - where science meets sanity, one pet myth at a time.
Meet Nneka: Pregnancy, Pickles… and Panic?
Nneka, 32 and eight months pregnant, was glowing - craving pickles, waddling gracefully and never far from Miso, her 3-year-old tabby cat who treated her baby bump like a heated throne.
Life was good. Until her aunty arrived one breezy Sunday afternoon, banana bread in one hand and unsolicited panic in the other:
Suddenly, the room shifted from giggles to Google searches.
Toxoplasmosis. The word alone was enough to unravel her calm. Within minutes, Nneka had spiraled into an internet rabbit hole filled with terrifying phrases - miscarriage, blindness, brain damage. That evening, she called her vet.
Real Stories: Myths, Media and Misinformation
Let’s start with a heartbreak that didn’t have to happen.
Sarah’s Story: The Cat She Let Go (Too Soon)
The Anxious Caller:
A teratology expert from MotherToBaby.org recounted a case where a new mom panicked over owning a cat, fearing she'd harmed her baby. After a quick history, she was reassured - there was no risk at all.
Emma’s Encounter: No Cat, No Problem?
These stories share a theme: Fear without facts can cause heartbreak. And knowledge, not avoidance, is the real protection.
Where’s the Real Risk?
Flashy headlines don’t always get the science right. Some media outlets (looking at you, 2012 Atlantic article) still peddle the myth that cats can “make you crazy.”
But here’s what real experts say:
- Dr. Jeffrey Kravetz (Yale): Pregnant women are far more likely to get toxoplasmosis from undercooked meat or gardening than from their cats.
- UCLA Health: Explained that the risk of toxoplasmosis from your house cat is very low
- CDC: Most people get infected through contaminated food, water or soil - not from cuddling their cat.
So, What Is Toxoplasmosis?
Toxoplasmosis is caused by a tiny, stealthy parasite called Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). It’s microscopic, sneaky and believe it or not very common.
Here’s the simplified science:
The Role of Cats
- Cats are the only animals that can shed the parasite’s infectious form (called oocysts) in their poop.
- But they only shed once (usually) when first infected.
- Oocysts don’t become infectious until they’ve sat in the environment for 1-5 days.
- So fresh poop? Gross - yes. Infectious? Not yet.
How Humans Get Infected
- Undercooked meat (especially pork, lamb, wild game)
- Unwashed veggies from contaminated soil
- Gardening without gloves
- Drinking contaminated water
- Cleaning litter boxes without washing hands properly
The Parasite’s Playbook: Step-by-Step
Toxoplasma gondii is sneaky. It’s a microscopic parasite with a life strategy that’s part ninja, part hitchhiker and part sleeper agent. Once it gets into your body, it sets off a chain of events that can be silent or in certain cases, seriously dangerous. Let’s break it down step by step.
Step 1: The Parasite Enters the Scene (Entry Point)
You might accidentally swallow T. gondii in three common ways:
- By eating undercooked or raw meat (especially pork, lamb or wild game).
- By handling contaminated soil or unwashed veggies.
- By coming into contact with cat feces (especially if you’re cleaning a litter box or gardening where cats roam).
Once inside, the parasite sheds its travel coat and becomes a tachyzoite - its fast-replicating, infectious form. These tachyzoites don’t waste time. They start multiplying in your gut and then pierce through the intestinal wall like invaders storming a castle.
Step 2: The Great Body Tour (Systemic Spread)
After breaching your gut wall, the tachyzoites enter your bloodstream and get carried off to various tissues, especially your muscles, eyes and brain.
Think of them as microscopic stowaways catching a ride to places where they can settle in, replicate and hide from the immune system.
Step 3: Immune System Showdown (The Siege Begins)
If you’re healthy and have a normal immune system, your body fights back hard. It doesn’t wipe the parasites out completely, but it forces them into hiding.
The tachyzoites morph into bradyzoites, which curl up into cysts - tiny, walled-off sacs inside your tissues. These cysts can stay dormant for years or even decades, mostly causing no symptoms at all.
In fact, 20-30% of people globally have these “silent cysts” and don’t even know it. They’re often discovered by accident on a blood test. The upside? Once infected, your immune system remembers, giving you lifetime immunity against reinfection.
Step 4: Dormancy or Danger (Depends on Your Immunity)
In most healthy folks, the cysts just sit tight. No drama.
But if your immune system is compromised, say due to: HIV/AIDS, chemotherapy or organ transplant medications (immune suppresants), those quiet bradyzoites can “wake up.” Reactivation can lead to:
- Toxoplasmic encephalitis (inflammation of the brain)
- Chorioretinitis (damage to the retina of the eye)
These complications can be severe or even fatal without prompt treatment. That’s why toxoplasmosis is especially dangerous in immunocompromised patients.
Step 5: The Pregnancy Twist (Crossing the Placenta)
Here’s where it gets critical: if a pregnant woman gets newly infected, the fast-moving tachyzoites can cross the placenta and infect the developing fetus.
Once inside the baby’s body, the parasites set up shop in the brain, eyes, liver and other organs, just like in adults but with more devastating results due to it's weak or non-existant immune system.
Depending on the timing and severity, this can lead to:
- Miscarriage or stillbirth
- Vision loss
- Seizures
- Hearing problems
- Intellectual disability
Sometimes, the baby may look healthy at birth, but symptoms (like eye damage or learning difficulties) emerge later.
Why All the Fuss in Pregnancy?
Great question. In most healthy adults, toxoplasmosis barely stirs the pot, some people don’t even know they’ve had it. Maybe a little fever, some fatigue, a few swollen lymph nodes. Nothing dramatic.
But during pregnancy? That’s when the stakes get higher. Due to it's ability to cross the placenta.
- Early infection = higher risk of miscarriage or severe birth defects
- Later infection = greater chance the baby gets infected but symptoms might be milder or delayed
That’s why many countries recommend testing pregnant women early - a simple antibody blood test shows whether you’ve been exposed before.
- If you already have immunity, your baby is safe. No new infection means no risk.
- If you’re not immune and test positive later in pregnancy, doctors can intervene early to reduce complications.
Back to Nneka
After her aunty’s freak-out, Nneka did what any millennial would:
- Googled it.
- Got a Toxoplasma IgG/IgM blood test.
- Called her OB-GYN and
- Took Miso to the vet for peace of mind.
Good news: Nneka tested negative for recent infection and positive for past exposure, which meant she was likely immune.
And Miso? Her vet confirmed she was an indoor cat, fed on commercial kibble and had never hunted a thing in her life, unless you count chasing dust particles.
But just to be safe, Nneka's partner took over litter box duties. (And let’s be honest, he should be helping anyway.)
What Can Pet Parents Do?
If you’re expecting, here’s how to stay safe without rehoming your cat:
1. Litter Box Hygiene
- Let someone else clean it if possible.
- If not, wear gloves and wash hands thoroughly.
- Scoop daily (before oocysts become infectious).
2. Indoor Lifestyle for Cats
- Keep your cat indoors to prevent hunting.
- Avoid feeding raw or undercooked meat.
- Stick to commercial diets.
3. Food and Personal Hygiene
- Wash fruits, vegetables and hands thoroughly.
- Cook all meat to safe internal temperatures.
- Wear gloves when gardening or working with soil.
4. Prenatal Screening
- Ask your doctor to test you for Toxoplasma antibodies.
- If you're not immune, take extra precautions throughout pregnancy.
What Can the Vet Do?
Veterinarians play a key role in helping pregnant pet parents stay calm and informed. They can:
- Assess your cat’s risk based on lifestyle and diet.
- Test your cat for T. gondii antibodies if needed.
- Advise you on best hygiene practices to minimize risk..
- Calm worried pet parents (and their village aunties).
But note: Cats don’t usually show symptoms and routine testing isn’t always needed unless there’s a specific concern.
Vets will NOT recommend rehoming your cat unless your home hygiene is dangerously poor - which, let’s be honest, isn’t the case for 99% of loving pet owners.
Treatment (For Humans)
If a pregnant person is infected during pregnancy:
- Spiramycin may be prescribed in early infection to reduce transmission to the fetus.
- Pyrimethamine-sulfadiazine with folinic acid may be used if fetal infection is confirmed.
- Babies may also receive treatment for up to a year after birth if infected.
Treatment depends on:
- Time of infection during pregnancy.
- Fetal ultrasound findings.
- Lab confirmation from amniotic fluid or baby’s blood after birth.
Prevention
It bears repeating:
- Cook meat thoroughly
- Wash fruits and veggies
- Use gloves for gardening or litter duty
- Wash hands after contact with raw food, soil or litter
- Keep your cat indoors
Note: You’re statistically more likely to get toxoplasmosis from handling raw beef than from your healthy house cat.
Prognosis
- In non-pregnant adults, toxoplasmosis is usually mild or asymptomatic.
- In pregnancy, the outcome depends on the trimester of infection.
- Early pregnancy: Higher risk of miscarriage or severe fetal damage.
- Later pregnancy: Increased risk of baby being infected but symptoms may be milder or show up later in life.
- Treated early, congenital toxoplasmosis has a much better outlook.
Zoonotic Implications
Yes, this is a zoonotic disease.
It can jump from animals to humans. But ironically, most infections don’t even come from cats.
That’s right. Studies show undercooked meat and unwashed produce are far more common sources of Toxoplasma infection than your snuggly furball.
Final Thoughts: Myth Busted, Bond Intact
Just like Nneka.
Let’s Talk!
Share this post with every aunty, mama and new mama-to-be. Let’s protect our babies and our cats - with science, not fear.
Stay safe. Stay vortexy. Stay compassionate.
Dr. Irtwange N.B
Check out previous post - The History of Veterinary Vaccines: Cowpox, Milkmaids & a Bold Scientist!