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From: heffelfinger@raven1.DEC
Newsgroups: net.pets
Subject: Toxoplasmosis
Message-ID: <452@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 16-Sep-85 16:36:50 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.452
Posted: Mon Sep 16 16:36:50 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 20-Sep-85 05:42:36 EDT
Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 19


   The disease that you are all talking about in conjunction with the 
litter box and pregnant women is toxoplasmosis.  It is carried by the litter
but according to my sources is not a danger until the feces has been stting
around for over 24 hours thus "scooping" the box every day makes the chances
of infection very slim.  Not only that, but not all cat feces carries this
disease.  It is transmitted to cats through raw meat.  SO if your cat is an
indoor cat who cannot catch birda and mice and so on and you don't feed it
raw meat, I wouldn't worry about it.  (Although, if I ever get pregnant, you
can sure bet that I'll use it as an excuse not to do the litter boxes!)
   AS far as the compost is concerned, diseases aside, I don't think the cat 
poop will do anything but bad.  As I understand it, herbivore manure, 
particularly cow and horse are good but carnivores are no good and omnivores are 
almost as bad.

Tracey Heffelfinger
aka "Mom" to Merry, Pippin, Sam, Cinnamon, Gandalf, and Nazzie.
Digital Equipment Corp.
Greenvilles, S.C.


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