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You may already have a good idea of what stray cat feces looks like, or just cat feces in general. If you have a garden, a cat has probably done its business in there at least once, much to your annoyance.
Stray cat faces can be a couple of inches in length, and look very much like dog poop, but on a smaller scale. It is important that you remove it as soon as you see it, not only to eradicate any disease threats, and also because it looks unsightly, but because cats are more likely to return and do their business in the same place. If they can already sense or see their own poop there, that’s where they will want to return. They’re fickle creatures like that. That’s why they’re so good at training to use the litter tray in your home.
If you have spotted cat poop in your garden, which you might not as these creatures are known to dig and over their poop to get rid of the smell, you will want to grab some thick gloves, some garbage bags, and some disinfectant too. Cats pee smells really bad, particularly when it gets warm, and it also acts as a communication device. Pheromones are present in the urine which help the cat to communicate with other cats.
If you manage to actually spot the stray cat doing its business in your garden, head out there immediately and shoo it away. If you manage to do this enough times, the cat will eventually stop coming back and find somewhere else, somewhere where they CAN do their business in private. Cats are quite odd creatures, and they hate to be watched going to the bathroom. If you’ve ever accidentally found yourself watching a cat using the litter tray, you’ll understand what we mean when we say that.
Although seemingly insignificant, other than being quite messy, cat waste is actually very dangerous, particularly to pregnant or breastfeeding women. That's why it is not encouraged for pregnant women to change litter trays themselves, instead delegating the task out to someone else who could handle it safely. A parasite called Toxoplasma Gondii is present in the droppings of cats, and it is a disease that closely mimics the common cold or flu, making it very dangerous. When a doctor thinks you just have the common cold or flu, they won't treat you, or even test you, for something other than that, until much later when the symptoms have gotten worse, or haven't gone away at all.
Toxoplasma Gondii causes toxoplasmosis, and it is believed that over sixty million people in the USA alone could already be infected with the parasite without even realizing. For the most part, adult humans have a strong immune system and this will be able to suppress the parasite, stopping it from causing problems. In other cases, however, such as when the victim is already sick or suffering with a weakened immune system, or when they are pregnant / very old / very young, it can be a nasty and dangerous disease.