Can You Get Sick From Cat Box Smell?

Cat box odor is generally not harmful to your health, but pregnant women should avoid cat litter boxes and cat owners should keep cat boxes clean for the health of the cat.

Background

Indoor cats generally deposit feces and urine in cat boxes. Although most types of cat litter do a good job of absorbing the smell of cat waste, failure to clean the box regularly can cause odor to build up.

Cat Box Smells

Cat feces tends not to smell too strongly as long as fresh cat litter absorbs most of its moisture. Cat urine can smell strongly if allowed to build up in a box. The ammonia within cat urine can become overpowering.

Health Risks

Cat box smells are generally not harmful to most healthy humans. If ammonia is allowed to accumulate in the box, it can become an irritant to people and cats. The smell of cat feces is not harmful to healthy people.

Warning to Pregnant Women and Immune-Deficient People

The smell of cat feces and urine does pose a risk to pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems. Such people should not touch cat boxes and should be cautious not to get too close to a smelly cat box. Cat waste often contains the parasite toxoplasmosis.

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is a parasite that is mostly harmless to healthy people. It can briefly cause mild flu-like symptoms. Pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are more vulnerable to it. It can cause inflammation of the brain and damage to the heart, liver and eyes.

Keep Cat Boxes Clean

Although cat box odors are harmless to most people, cat owners should still keep cat boxes clean. Cats do not like to use a smelly box, and if a box has odors they might decide to deposit their waste elsewhere. The ammonia in cat urine can also be an irritant to cats, especially in an enclosed space.

References

• Worldwise.com
• Cat-urine.net
• Centers for Disease Control