Minimize contact with your pet's saliva, urine, blood, feces, and vaginal discharges. Pets spread these fluids when they scratch, lick, and groom themselves, so wash your hands after handling your pet and before eating or rubbing your eyes, and don't let your pet lick your face. Keep your pet clean and well-groomed, with toenails cut short and blunt. All pet scratches or bites should be washed immediately with soap and water and flushed with hydrogen peroxide. If you have a cat, use a litter box liner and change it daily.
Cats are a potential source of toxoplasmosis, the most common parasitic infection worldwide.
Toxoplasmosis can be found in any cell of any warm-blooded animal, including a large percentage of people. Most people are exposed by eating undercooked meat. Cats are a concern because they may shed the Toxoplasma eggs in their feces. Since the Toxoplasma eggs need three days to mature in the environment before they are infective, daily removal of feces will remove the eggs while they are harmless. Since cats often defecate in gardens, it is a good idea to wear gloves when working with soil and to wash hands afterwards.