Save Sea Otters — Don’t Flush Cat Poop

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A recent study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B has connected the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii commonly found in cat feces to fatal toxoplasmosis in wild southern sea otters.

The Toxoplasma agents spread to the ocean from cat feces on land. Toxoplasma oocysts (eggs) accrue in kelp beds, where they are eaten by snails. Otters then eat the snails. To help prevent Toxoplasma gondii from entering waterways, researchers recommend that cat feces be bagged and thrown away in the trash rather than flushed down the toilet because the oocysts can survive wastewater treatment and end up in the ocean.

Top photograph: Getty Images

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The post Save Sea Otters — Don’t Flush Cat Poop by Jackie Brown appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.