I know a few people who have trained their cats to poop directly into the toilet, or who throw their cat’s poo from the litterbox into the toilet. Sounds like good ideas for those with cats who have stank-ass poop. But I discourage people who live in California from doing both of these things for one cute, fuzzy reason: sea otters.
Remember that post I wrote about Toxoplasma gondii, that nasty little parasite that can cause health problems in pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems? Well, it also been linked to the death of the already dwindling population of California sea otters.

Researchers from UC Davis found that 76% of otters that lived near freshwater outflows (storm drains and river mouths) tested positive for Toxoplasma gondii. They aren’t exactly positive about how the otters are getting infected, or how it got into the ocean, in the first place, but the main culprits probably are sewage treatment plants and storm drain runoff.

Sewage that is treated is pumped back into a freshwater source, which eventually makes its way to the ocean (those outflows I mentioned above). But present sewage treatment may not kill T. gondii eggs, or oocysts, which are protected by a tough outer shell. Sea otters may be directly ingesting the eggs from the water, or from ingesting shellfish that live in those outflow areas can be infected with T. gondii. Although the study hasn’t proven that this is the main cause of sea otters getting sick with the parasite, researchers aren’t ruling it out.

Storm drain runoff is likely a cause for oocysts are getting into the ocean. Rain, water you use to water your lawn, wash your car, or anything that gets into storm drains eventually runs off into creeks and rivers, which again, flows directly into the ocean, this time, without any type of treatment. Unfortuantely, this means that if you let your cat outside, its poop is probably flowing into the ocean in that way.

So what can you do to help prevent more sea otters from getting infected by Toxoplasma gondii?:
1. Don’t flush cat litter down the toilet.
2. Put cat poo in plastic bags, then toss into your garbage.
3. Keep your cats indoors.
Check out KQED’s fascinating show “What’s Killing the Sea Otters?” for more about California’s sea otter declining population.
Read more about the link between cat poo and sea otters here, here, and here.

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