On sharing a water glass with the cat
How bad is it to drink from the same glass as a cat? I'm not saying I do this intentionally, but I'm kind of neurotic about having a glass of water on my nightstand when I go to sleep, and I recently caught my cat slurping from it during the wee hours. I threw that glassful away, but who knows how many times she's contaminated my nighttime drinking supply? Am I at risk for something serious or is the thought of drinking after her just a mildly icky possibility?
The image of you and your cat alternating sips from the same cup is kinda cute. However, cats are the source of a truly horrific parasite called Toxoplasma Gondii. This parasite is found in cat poop and environments where felines roam freely.
In your case, there’s a straightforward case for contracting the parasite: You are engrossed in an episode of Downton Abbey and your beloved cat, Wilson, is casually rimming himself on your nightstand. Then Wilson takes a sip of water. Then you take a sip of water. Congratulations, you are now infected with Toxoplasma Gondii!
You called?
Here’s another example of how you could contract the parasite: picture a farmyard with goats and chickens and a bossy barn cat who is liberal about where he shits. It’s not unfeasible that some of this excrement could get mixed up in the other animals’ food and water supply and infect the whole #barnsquad with the parasite.
Fast forward to your glitzy farm-to-table dinner where you are served a $250 plate of obscure root vegetables and locally-raised meats in a restored turn-of-the-century barn. You see me approach under the twinkling lights and you know I’m about to ruin your dinner with some trivial food safety bullshit. You’re right, I am.
Before I can say anything, you drain your wine glass and preemptively launch into a frantic tirade defending this farm’s back-to-the-earth agricultural practices. Yeah yeah, I believe you that the goats are living their best lives and that this farm is “closed loop”, whatever that means. Yep, no antibiotics, I heard you the first time. But I come bearing bad news: none of this matters because your thoughtfully-raised goat entree is just a tad undercooked, which means any T. Gondii in that goat might still be alive and keen to make you its latest host.
You lock eyes with me as the world around us falls still. You knife a choice bite of goat, swipe it across the chimichurri and defiantly chew it down, all without breaking eye contact. I raise my hands in defeat and slowly back away into the night. You are now infected with Toxoplasma Gondii. Can’t say I didn’t warn you.
It’s us against the world!
So, what happens next?
Uhhh, you’re not pregnant are you? Have you heard that pregnant women aren’t supposed to spend time around cats? It’s true. And it’s because Toxoplasmosis can lead to miscarriage or lifelong health problems in a child born with the disease (think eye lesions, seizures, mental disabilities). The silver lining is this: If a woman has already contracted Toxoplasma gondii long before pregnancy, then her body’s immune response will be passed along to the child. Crisis averted.
For everyone else, let’s start with the good news: 60 million Americans are infected with this parasite* and if you’re a healthy individual, then you’re probably gonna be asymptomatic. Even though you’ll have the parasite, your immune system will keep it in check. Worst comes to worst, you may exhibit something like the flu for a few weeks or months. Who knows, you might already have it.
Just to be safe, you might want to invest in a cat-proof sippy cup for your bedside water supply.
*For what it’s worth, the parasite is called Toxoplasmosis Gondii, and the disease is called Toxoplasmosis. If the doctors can’t stop laughing at you then it might be because you’re getting them mixed up.
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