Cat healthrisk

I have read up on this smell and the health risks. It seems that generally ammonia irritation is relatively harmless and some of the articles go on to talk about severe reactions or prolonged exposure affects. What would constitute prolonged exposure? Would from every Friday to Sunday be considered prolonged exposure when there is also continuous coughing from at least Monday to Wednesday?

reply to post by Skewed


You think that's bad? Taxoplasmosis is no picnic

en.wikipedia.org...

reply to post by gatewaywithin


Yeah, considering the circumstances, that is a thought as well. Not entirely sure if that is my immediate concern at the moment, but certainly is on my radar.

Originally posted by Skewed
I have read up on this smell and the health risks. It seems that generally ammonia irritation is relatively harmless and some of the articles go on to talk about severe reactions or prolonged exposure affects. What would constitute prolonged exposure? Would from every Friday to Sunday be considered prolonged exposure when there is also continuous coughing from at least Monday to Wednesday?

Are you working at a veterinary office with lots of cats and changing litter daily? If so, I would wear a mask.
Continuous coughing could also be from dust particles.

Many, many people own multiple cats, with no health problems, but if you're exposed to the kitty litter dust on a continuous basis, that comes with problems of its own. Apparently, the clumping kind is the worst.

answers.google.com...

What makes it clump? It's a natural clay ingredient called sodium bentonite. In this case, "natural" is not always safe. Here's the problem: When this clay gets wet it expands and forms a hard mass. So when your cat or kitten digs in the litter box it's stirring up clay dust and breathing it in. Once it gets into their lungs, it expands from the moisture, and in time builds up, causing all sorts of lung problems

It sounds as though it would irritate people's lungs too, if around the dust too much.

reply to post by snowspirit


No, not working at a vet. At the moment, the kitty litter does not appear to be the case.

I've been a multiple cat owner for the past 15 years and have suffered no ill health effects. As far as toxicplasmosis, eh...as long as you are not handling poo with bare hands and wash your hands after cleaning the litter box it poses almost no risk, unless you are pregnant in which case you shouldn't even go near a litter box. Making sure your cats are healthy is another way to make sure you stay healthy. As for your coughing, I'm willing to bet you have an allergy to cat dander (dead skin) and benedryl or other antihistimine should knock it out with no problem.
Now unless you like to stand over litter boxes and inhale deeply for hours on end I wouldn't worry about ammonia either.