Toxoplasma gondii is spread through cat feces and affects human health and wildlife welfare. Understanding the risks helps owners make informed decisions about cat management.
Toxoplasmosis in marine mammals causes fatal neurological disease, representing a wildlife welfare harm linked to cat management practices on land. Sea otters and seals that ingest oocysts from contaminated shellfish or water sources develop disseminated toxoplasmosis with poor survival. This is a documented wildlife welfare problem that free-roaming cat management can address. The welfare tradeoffs of indoor confinement versus outdoor access for cats must include the welfare costs imposed on wildlife, not only the risk reduction for individual cats. Responsible outdoor cat management including TNR programs should address parasite transmission pathways.