Here's Why Kim Kardashian's Surrogate Can't Be Around Cat Litter

It was revealed Wednesday that Kim Kardashian's surrogate is three months pregnant, which is amazing news for a woman whose placenta accreta reportedly prevented her from carrying a third child herself. According to Us Weekly, the contract between Kardashian and the surrogate contains several stipulations about what the surrogate can and can't do, which is standard in gestational carrier agreements. But many people perusing the list of don'ts may wonder why Kim Kardashian's surrogate can't handle cat litter.

As anyone who is pregnant, has been pregnant, or has been close to a pregnant woman knows, carrying a child entails a lot of restrictions. Most doctors advise not drinking alcohol, limiting caffeine intake, watch your mercury consumption, avoiding cured meats and unpasteurized cheeses, not letting your heart rate get above 140 beats per minute. If you have complications, the restrictions can multiply. It's not for the faint of heart.

But no cat litter? On its face, the rule seems a little random, but there actually is a very good reason. Cats can carry a parasite called toxoplasa gondii that causes an infection called toxoplasmosis. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), cats get the parasite from soil, water, grass, or the contaminated poop of another cat. The infection only lasts a couple of weeks in the cat, but the parasite can live for months in the cat's poop, and people who come into contact with it can contract the infection.

If you're not pregnant and have a strong immune system, this is NBD. Most people don't even realize they have toxoplasmosis. If you're pregnant, though, it's a different story. The infection can make a fetus very sick. It can also cause problems later in life. According to Baby Center, a baby who contracts toxoplasmosis in utero can be born with no symptoms but develop vision loss, mental disabilities, and seizures later on. Scary stuff.

All of which is to say that the cat litter stipulation in Kardashian's surrogacy contract is not an arbitrary invention of Kanye West's mind. Cat litter really is dangerous for a fetus, and it really is reasonable for Kardashian to ask her surrogate to steer clear of it. Besides, of all of the pregnancy rules, this one's actually not burdensome. Who doesn't want to be freed from litter box cleaning duty for 10 months?