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Chores, cleaning and home care

Litter box cleaning

Scooping and changing a cat's litter on a routine. CDC advises changing it daily, before any toxoplasmosis parasite in the waste can become infectious.

What It Means

Litter box cleaning is the routine of removing a cat's waste from its litter, adding fresh litter, and now and then emptying and washing the box. How often it happens matters for health as well as smell: the CDC advises changing the litter daily, because a parasite that can be in cat feces, Toxoplasma gondii, needs 1 to 5 days after it's shed before it can infect anyone.

Try It: Who Should Clean the Litter Box Today?

Tick what's true in your home. The answer follows CDC's toxoplasmosis advice.

Who and how

Anyone at home can do it. Change the litter every day.

Daily matters: the parasite needs 1 to 5 days after it's shed to become infectious.

How It Sounds at Home

  • "Whose turn is it to scoop?"
  • "I can't do the litter while I'm pregnant."
  • "The box needs a full change this weekend."

The Breakdown

How often

JobHow oftenSource
Change the litter (scoop out waste)Every dayCDC
Someone at home is pregnant or has a weakened immune systemAnother household member does the daily jobCDC
No one else can do itDisposable gloves, then soap and water on your hands, every timeCDC
Empty all the litter and wash the boxAs the litter maker's label saysBuhata's suggestion

Steps for the daily clean

  1. Scoop out the waste and clumps into a bag.
  2. Top up with fresh litter to the depth the litter's label suggests.
  3. Tie the bag and put it in an outdoor trash can (Buhata's suggestion).
  4. Wash your hands with soap and water.

Try it today. Put a scoop, bags and a box of disposable gloves right beside the litter box, so the daily job takes two minutes.

Make it last. Buhata's suggestion is to keep the box in a spot the cat can reach easily and you pass daily, so the job isn't skipped. If the cat goes outside the box, treat the spot with an enzymatic cleanerEnzyme cleanerA cleaner or detergent that uses enzymes to break down stains: protease for protein, amylase for starch and lipase for fats and oils. See more, as Buhata's pet odorPet odorLingering smells from a pet's urine, feces, bedding or coat, usually tackled by cleaning soiled spots with an enzymatic cleaner. See more page explains.

Good to Know

The CDC names pregnant people and people with a severely weakened immune system as the ones at most risk of serious complications from toxoplasmosis. A person newly infected during pregnancy can pass it to the baby, and while the parent may feel fine, the infant can have serious problems at birth or later. So the CDC's advice is that someone else cleans the litter box; if nobody else can, wear disposable gloves and wash your hands with soap and water afterward. The parasite also spreads through contaminated food or water, and the CDC suggests keeping cats indoors so they don't pick it up hunting. If you're pregnant and have questions, ask your doctor or midwife.

FAQ

How often should you clean a litter box?

The CDC advises changing the litter daily. The parasite behind toxoplasmosis doesn't become infectious until 1 to 5 days after it's shed in cat feces, so daily cleaning removes it first.

Can I clean the litter box while pregnant?

The CDC says to avoid it if possible and have someone else do it. If nobody else can, wear disposable gloves and wash your hands with soap and water afterward.

How do cats get toxoplasmosis?

Cats can pick it up by hunting other animals, which is why the CDC suggests keeping them indoors. People can pick up the parasite from cat feces and also from contaminated food or water.

Do It in Buhata

Duty Rotation, Tasks with a repeat

Put "Scoop the litter" in Duty Rotation (Premium) in your Household Space so it's clear whose day it is, and leave anyone pregnant off the rotation.

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Related Terms and Categories

  • Pet odor

    Lingering smells from a pet's urine, feces, bedding or coat, usually tackled by cleaning soiled spots with an enzymatic cleaner.

  • Pet hair removal

    Getting shed dog or cat hair off floors, furniture and clothes, and cutting how much gets there by brushing the pet regularly.

  • Enzyme cleaner

    A cleaner or detergent that uses enzymes to break down stains: protease for protein, amylase for starch and lipase for fats and oils.

Chores, cleaning and home care

Sources

CDC, "About Toxoplasmosis"; CDC, "People at Increased Risk for Toxoplasmosis"; CDC, "Toxoplasmosis: Causes and How It Spreads"

Last updated .