Cat owners urged not to panic over parasite death

Cat owners are being advised not to panic about the risk of catching a potentially fatal parasite from their pets.

The advice follows an inquest yesterday into the death of a seven-year-old Co Donegal girl due to a parasite found in cat faeces.

Rona Young, from Letterkenny, is believed to have contracted the parasite after handling a cat.

However, doctors say the chances of getting seriously ill from the infection is very slim.

The parasite concerned is very common in the environment and around 20% of people come in contact with it at some stage in their lives.