OH Won't Clean the Cat Box

brooklinn

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I have been advised by my doctor multiple times not to clean/go near our cats' litter box, however, my OH will not clean it. It literally takes me two weeks of nagging him to scoop or change it. Right now it is so dirty that my cats have begun going all over the hallway floor and he STILL isn't cleaning up after them. It's driving me insane.
 
My husband was away for weeks at a time with my first.. I just cleaned the cat box right before I went to take a shower.. I covered my nose under my shirt, tossed the litter and immediately tossed my clothes in the hamper and went to shower.. Annoying but it had to get done.

I'm with you on the hubby not helping though =/ my husband is like that with sooo much stuff.. I mean he even makes me bag up the trash before he will take it out! and I have to put the liner back in the can too.. the ONE thing I ask him to do regularly and he can't even do the full job.. unfortunately the worst of it, is not helping out with the kids.

Good luck! hopefully you get through to him. Any idea why he won't do it? or is it just because he doesn't want to?
 
I'm sorry your having a tough time with OH not cleaning up after the cats. My OH hates doing it but he does...My suggestion would be to get him to go to the doctors with you on your next appointment and get your doctor to explain the reasons why you can not clean the box. Or you could look up information on the internet and show it to him. I really hope he starts cleaning it regularly, I feel so awful for you to have to smell the litter all day everyday. It's so important that he does it!!!! Good luck :hugs:

If I was in your position and my OH would not clean the box, I guess I would go out and buy gloves and a face mask and then wash up very well afterwards, or even just buy disposable boxes so that I wouldn't have to touch the litter. It would be more expensive though. I hope you don't have to go to those measures. :hugs:
 
Oh that is horrible. My husband HATES the cat box and cat poop, but he willingly cleans it when I am pregnant.
 
Thanks for the support. I have disposable gloves, so I may just start doing it myself. He just doesn't want to do it. I try to tell him it's not as gross if he scoops it everyday, but he lets it get out of control.
 
My OH started cleaning the cat box after seeing a documentary of a woman who lost her baby from cleaning her cats tray.
He also bought me disposable gloves and disposable breathing masks for when he was away every other week for work.
Take him to the doctors with you next time or show him info on the net. That should make him think twice :flower:
 
Just wear gloves and do it, no big deal. The risk of toxoplasmosis comes from touching infected cat faeces, so your cat might not have it to start with, if you own cats you might already be immune to it, but the main thing is just don't touch it, that's it. It can't "get" on your clothes and there's no need for breathing masks etc unless you routinely smear yourself in cat shit when emptying their tray.
 
I've read that the risk of taxoplasmosis (which your cats may not even have) is not just from touching the poop but if it's been sitting there for 24-48 hrs. If you clean the litter box daily, wear gloves & a mask it should be safe. Also, if your cats are strictly indoor cats they probably wouldn't have caught it.

It would be great if your OH cleans the litterbox, but since he wouldn't it is better that you do it so the poop doesn't just sit there, just in case. I'm sorry that he's not cooperating :( maybe he'll change his mind if he goes to the doctor's with you?
 
i contracted toxoplasmosis just before my last pregnancy and I did NOT get it from my cats. There are other ways you can contract it as well. I really get tired of all of the rude/ignorant comments such as this one "unless you routinely smear yourself in cat shit when emptying their tray." So you're saying I routinely smeared myself in cat shit, Lithodora?
 
Just wear gloves and do it, no big deal. The risk of toxoplasmosis comes from touching infected cat faeces, so your cat might not have it to start with, if you own cats you might already be immune to it, but the main thing is just don't touch it, that's it. It can't "get" on your clothes and there's no need for breathing masks etc unless you routinely smear yourself in cat shit when emptying their tray.

Yeah, unless the poop touches litter, which is inherently dusty, which CAN get on your clothes and you can breathe it. When it comes to something that could hurt my unborn child, I'd err on the side of caution and wear a dust mask and change shirts.
 
My DH hates it as well but he does it. First time he's done it since we've been together for over 4 years, but he doesn't do it regularly and one of my cats is peeing all over the hallway! I refuse to do it because he needs to do it, it's one small sacrifice for him. But if you have to do it, use the gloves and mask and wash your hands well afterwards. Yes if they are indoor cats it's unlikely they even get it but still..

Good luck hon.
 
i contracted toxoplasmosis just before my last pregnancy and I did NOT get it from my cats. There are other ways you can contract it as well. I really get tired of all of the rude/ignorant comments such as this one "unless you routinely smear yourself in cat shit when emptying their tray." So you're saying I routinely smeared myself in cat shit, Lithodora?

Oh yes, it was directed completely at you, a stranger I don't even know on the internet. And if you didn't contract it from cats then your argument is void because I couldn't have been talking about you as I am talking about getting it from cats.

This website has the most dramatic overreactions to everything to do with pregnancy, it's ridiculous.
 
i contracted toxoplasmosis just before my last pregnancy and I did NOT get it from my cats. There are other ways you can contract it as well. I really get tired of all of the rude/ignorant comments such as this one "unless you routinely smear yourself in cat shit when emptying their tray." So you're saying I routinely smeared myself in cat shit, Lithodora?

Oh yes, it was directed completely at you, a stranger I don't even know on the internet. And if you didn't contract it from cats then your argument is void because I couldn't have been talking about you as I am talking about getting it from cats.

This website has the most dramatic overreactions to everything to do with pregnancy, it's ridiculous.


It is not a dramatic overreaction.. If my baby would have contracted it during my pregnancy she wouldn't be here with me now. When people make idiotic comments like that, it just rubs me the wrong way.

Edited to add, I said I did not contract the toxoplasmosis from MY cats.. (I had them tested, so I know this for a fact) I was around other cats during my pregnancy, and NO I did not rub cat shit all over myself like you stated. I guess I'll never know for sure how I got it. You need to know all of the facts before you open your nasty mouth.
 
My doctor said during my last pregnancy if you've had cats for a long time you've likely already had it. And to just wear gloves and a mask
 
I clean our litter box, just wash hands and stuff after. I'm the only one that has ever done it as oh doesn't even like cats bit I had them before we got together.

I would prefer to have someone else do it for sure. But it's down to me in the end.
 
I work and volunteer with cats as well as having my own at home. DH does the box at home and at work I have been told by multiple doctors that if I have to do it to wear a mask, gloves and have good sanitation practices (I use sanitizer and then run to the bathroom to wash). I have been tested for taxoplasmosis in all of my pregnancies and every time it has come back negative. I work with stray's so I never know what they have come in contact with.

Cat's bury their feces with their paws and have some of the dirties mouths and feet. It is very, very possible to contract any disease they carry from just touching them. It has nothing to do with actually touching their poo. If your cats have it, you probably already have it and are now immune.
 
I work and volunteer with cats as well as having my own at home. DH does the box at home and at work I have been told by multiple doctors that if I have to do it to wear a mask, gloves and have good sanitation practices (I use sanitizer and then run to the bathroom to wash). I have been tested for taxoplasmosis in all of my pregnancies and every time it has come back negative. I work with stray's so I never know what they have come in contact with.

Cat's bury their feces with their paws and have some of the dirties mouths and feet. It is very, very possible to contract any disease they carry from just touching them. It has nothing to do with actually touching their poo. If your cats have it, you probably already have it and are now immune.

This is really good explanation. I never considered the paws and how that play in.
 
I work and volunteer with cats as well as having my own at home. DH does the box at home and at work I have been told by multiple doctors that if I have to do it to wear a mask, gloves and have good sanitation practices (I use sanitizer and then run to the bathroom to wash). I have been tested for taxoplasmosis in all of my pregnancies and every time it has come back negative. I work with stray's so I never know what they have come in contact with.

Cat's bury their feces with their paws and have some of the dirties mouths and feet. It is very, very possible to contract any disease they carry from just touching them. It has nothing to do with actually touching their poo. If your cats have it, you probably already have it and are now immune.

This makes a lot of sense. I'm guessing little particles of litter can also be hidden in their paws and fur. Thanks for the explanation! I have cats but am actually allergic to litter!
 
I have a similar issue, as does my sister who's hubby is deployed. My dr said it is better for you to clean it then to be smelling that and letting it get our of hand which can lead to other infections /issues. She told me gloves/wash my hands after . If you truly don't feel comfortable doing it maybe you have a friend, family member, or neighbor you could ask to do it? Maybe offer to pay a neighborhood teen?
 
Oh yuck! I hated the cat box so much when I was pregnant with my son that we got rid of it and made them ask to go out for the toilet!
 

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