Potential Risks of Flushing Cat Poop Down Your Toilet - Tips for Safer Disposal
Potential Risks of Flushing Cat Poop Down Your Toilet - Tips for Safer Disposal
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Do you find yourself on the lookout for insight concerning Can You Flush Cat Poop Down The Toilet??
Introduction
As feline owners, it's necessary to be mindful of exactly how we throw away our feline friends' waste. While it may appear practical to purge pet cat poop down the commode, this technique can have damaging consequences for both the atmosphere and human health and wellness.
Alternatives to Flushing
The good news is, there are more secure and more accountable methods to deal with pet cat poop. Take into consideration the following options:
1. Scoop and Dispose in Trash
The most common method of dealing with pet cat poop is to scoop it into a biodegradable bag and throw it in the garbage. Make sure to make use of a devoted clutter scoop and take care of the waste quickly.
2. Usage Biodegradable Litter
Opt for naturally degradable pet cat litter made from materials such as corn or wheat. These trashes are eco-friendly and can be securely gotten rid of in the garbage.
3. Hide in the Yard
If you have a backyard, take into consideration burying cat waste in a designated area away from vegetable gardens and water sources. Be sure to dig deep enough to prevent contamination of groundwater.
4. Install a Pet Waste Disposal System
Invest in a pet waste disposal system particularly made for pet cat waste. These systems utilize enzymes to break down the waste, decreasing smell and ecological impact.
Wellness Risks
Along with environmental worries, purging feline waste can also position health risks to human beings. Feline feces might contain Toxoplasma gondii, a bloodsucker that can trigger toxoplasmosis-- a possibly severe ailment, especially for expectant females and people with weakened body immune systems.
Environmental Impact
Flushing pet cat poop introduces harmful microorganisms and parasites right into the supply of water, posturing a significant threat to water environments. These contaminants can negatively impact aquatic life and compromise water top quality.
Verdict
Accountable animal possession extends past providing food and shelter-- it additionally involves appropriate waste monitoring. By refraining from flushing pet cat poop down the toilet and selecting different disposal methods, we can lessen our ecological impact and protect 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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