how long do cats shed toxoplasma? i see people saying "don't kiss your cat's face, be careful cleaning the litterbox, you can Never Know". but my cat has been indoors in my apartment for over a year, she hasn't encountered live prey larger than a housefly in that time. if she had ever contracted it during her life before adoption, would it still be in her system by now?
gettingvetted here.
When cats are infected with Toxoplasmosis, they experience either no symptoms or flu-like symptoms for about two weeks, and shed the parasite for this period of time too. After that, they have antibodies to the parasite and do not shed anymore. You can absolutely get a toxoplasma titer test for your cat from the vet which will tell you if your cat currently has it (unlikely based on your description) and if they have ever had it (certainly possible). But regardless, you will not get it just from interacting with your cat - you are actually far more likely to get it from eating undercooked pork or gardening. If you are very worried and don’t want to do the titer, just make sure you clean the litterbox once daily and wash your hands afterward, since the cysts take 24 hours to activate in the poop.
DrFerox has made a Toxoplasmosis video here.
