 Hi, this is John Patch, national host of Talkin' Pets, with your Pet Minute. Toxoplasmosis. Now, it affects cats that either ingest raw meat or prey that contains the microscopic parasite, or that ingest material contaminated with the stool of an infected cat. Kittens can become infected in the womb and die before birth. The stage of the parasite shed in the feces of infected cats is very hardy and can survive outdoors in soil for many months.