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what are dangers for young teen exposed to amonia fumes from a dirty littler box in his room over a2007-11-25 12:26:28

my grandson has the cat's litter box in his closet and it is not changed often and they use regular clay litter. When you come as well as when you come into the house you can smell it but it is usually quite strong in his bedroom. I'm concerned about health dangers long term from having to smell this offensive odor. His parents will not use the odor free clumping litter so he can change the box himself.

Answers:

First and foremost be concerned with the cat, as the cat has no choice but to use the litter box, the number one thing this will cause is upper respiratory distress, and infection. If the litter box smells as bad as you say it does believe me kitty in not using it, kitty has more than likely found another spot in the room or home to go. Hence the strong smell. If the son is not taking care of this cat then the parents have to assume responsibility for the cat. this is two of the main reasons cat come into shelter, the first being going outside the box, followed by, child lost interest in the pet. I have a guinea pg rescue and I see this all the time

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As disgusting as this situation is, unlikely any permanent danger or damage. By the way, a teen should have the capacity to change a litter box, regardless of what type of litter is being used. The danger of cat poop is a protozoal infection, toxoplasmosis, almost alway in cats less than a year old, and only dangerous to gestating women.

Do try and not be the interfering mother/mother in law. Buy him a bag of the clumping litter yourself, and provide him with a poop scooper. Easy solution. I doubt he will utilize it enough to suit the majority of people though, as he is probably used to the smell.

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I know cat urine contains a LOT of ammonia and I do not see how he can even stand sleeping in there with it. Just changing my litter box makes me gag and cough! According to my ped, expsoure to cat urine fumes over time can cause lung problems and allergies to develop. I know people with asthma should not be around cat urine or litter dust.

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In high concentrations ammonia can cause sever respiratory problems. In low to mild concentrations it can make him more prone to respiratory infections. Long term exposure to low to mild concentrations can have a cumulative effect on him. This could end up being as sever as short term exposure to high concentrations.

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thats just nasty! no one cares about how the CAT might feel? they should give the cat away if they dont even care enough to change his litter. sorry to vent, but that is just irresponsibility on the parents and the teens part. no one cares??

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if he's pregnant

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i dont think there is any danger when i was a kid my sister was in a room with the litter box and we had two cats so he should be fine

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Well, that's nasty! The parent of the house should let him know to clean the litter or no kitty! The fumes are like toxins floating around in the air. They could make him sick, and people exposed to this do have a lower immune system. If it gets to bad I would call the health department and the parents will be warned and fined!

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I dont beleive there are too many dangers to him but I certainly feel bad for the cat.