Is it bad to have a cat while pregnant?

Question

i heard that you shouldnt, but i couldnt give up my cat he has been what my husband and i raised together

Answer 1

You can have as many cats as you want while your pregnant, Cat's will not harm you while you are pregnant but DO NOT clean their litter box...That's a BIG NO NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

here's WHY


Expecting a Baby?
You do NOT have to get rid of your cat!
Now that I have your attention:
Pregnancy when you have a cat presents some challenges, but don't worry, none of them are even remotely insurmountable. You just need a little planning and know-how. Cats and babies have coexisted peacefully for thousands of years. This article deals with preparing for a new baby; the second part of this series discusses what to do once baby arrives.

First, some common questions and myths. No, cats do not suck the air out of a baby; that is an old wives tale. Yes, it is theoretically possible for a cat to inadvertently suffocate a baby, although there are no reliable reports of that ever occurring, and it's easy enough to block kitty's access to the crib (more details below).

The Facts About Pregnancy and Cat Litter

Next, toxoplasmosis. Because toxoplasmosis can cause birth defects in children, pregnant women sometimes assume that they must get rid of their cat. This is entirely unnecessary, as a few simple measures will thoroughly safeguard against catching the disease, especially from your cat. Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by a parasite that can infect your cat if she eats prey already harboring the parasite or comes into contact with contaminated soil. Toxoplasmosis is rare among indoor-only cats.

Note that cats who contract toxoplasmosis do not always show symptoms. To prevent getting infected with the disease, whenever you scoop or clean the litter box, wear disposable gloves and wash your hands immediately afterward. Even better, get a friend or adult member of the family to take over litter box maintenance while Mom is pregnant.

Eating raw or undercooked meat is the most common way that humans contract toxoplasmosis. If you eat meat, wash off all surfaces and utensils that touched raw meat, and don't prepare meat and raw foods like salads on the same cutting board. Wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw meat.

If you garden, wear gloves when working in the soil. The toxoplasmosis parasite lives in the dirt, so also wash your hands well after gardening. Many people naturally acquire an immunity to toxoplasmosis, and will not pass it on to their unborn child. Your doctor can test to see if you are in this group.

Don't get rid of the kitty!
Ever heard someone say that pregnant women shouldn't change the kitty litter? Did you think is was an old wives tale? It's not.
Toxoplasmosis is the reason women should avoid cat boxes (and rare or uncooked meat) during pregnancy.

It is caused by a parasite.

Everyone can be affected by this however, it is usually not a problem for an adult to have toxoplasmosis. Usually an adult will think they have a mild flu. However in the immunosuppressed patient, or a newborn, you can have serious illness, prematurity, miscarriage or death occur.

We used to tell pregnant women to get rid of their cat. However, this is not necessary. Many people who have owned cats, have already been exposed to toxoplasmosis. There are screenings available to see if you have been exposed and therefore have life long immunity.




Planning Ahead for the Introduction

Let's look now at how we can get your cat to accept your new baby with open paws. From your cat's point of view, a baby who shows up with no advance warning is a loud, threatening, and attention-stealing invader. It doesn't have to be this way. Babies and cats can be buddies. The key to getting a cat to accept a major jolt to her routine is soften the blow and introduce the change gradually. In the case of a new baby, you want your cat to be as used to baby stuff as she can possibly be beforehand, so that when your baby comes home, kitty is not totally shocked by this very interesting human life form.

Get kitty used to baby sounds and smells. Long before the big day, wear the baby lotions and powders that you will be using. Let kitty sniff you, and help her develop positive assocations with the new scents by praising her and giving her a treat.
Get a recording of a baby crying - possibly from a neighbor or relative who has a baby. You can also tape babies crying in a pediatrician's waiting room. Play the tape for kitty, starting with low volume and short length, and working up to full volume and duration. Again use positive attention and treat rewards.
If at all possible, invite a friend or family member with a baby to come over, with their baby, for a short visit, followed by a longer visit. Or two or three. During the visits, let kitty walk around, but it's best to have baby sitting on a lap.
A baby seat or playpen might work well, also. Play with your cat as long as you don't bother or scare the baby.
If you're building or preparing a nursery, give kitty a chance to become used to the new setup one step at a time. Let her get her curiosity throughly out of the way. Remember to keep up your daily interactive play sessions. Make kitty feel like she's a part of all this, not an outsider.
Set up the crib long in advance of baby's homecoming. Make the crib uninviting (to a cat). Fill several soda cans with pennies and tape the openings of each can. Fill the crib with these soda cans. If this doesn't deter kitty, you can buy netting that fits over the crib.
You can also block access to baby's room by installing an interior screen door - this is actually quite effective.
Give kitty plenty of exposure to toys, mobiles, and other baby accoutrements. You want all these things to have lost their novelty for her weeks before baby comes home.

Avoid Too Many Changes
Keep your cat's routine the same as much as possible. This won't always be easy between the hubub of visitors and houseguests and preparing for a new baby, but the effort is well worth it. A predictable routine reduces cats' stress and prevents a host of problems. Ask others to help make sure that your cat gets fed, brushed, and played with in the usual manner.

Don't go overboard and give your cat extra, compensating attention prior to the baby's arrival because it will be impossible to keep that up once you have a baby at home to take care of. But do enlist family members to help kitty feel like a valued member of the family. Let all the adults and kids in your household know how they can help keep both kitty and baby safe, happy, and on peaceful terms.


Here's what you can do to prevent toxoplasmosis in pregnancy:


Avoid the cat litter
Always eat your meats fully cooked
Wear gloves when handling soil
Wash all produce very well to avoid exposure
So, don't panic, and don't get rid of your pet. Remember you can always talk to your vet for more information as well as your health care practitioner. Very few babies, 15 out of 800,000 in the US, UK every year, ever have this disease, but it's nice to know that we can help prevent it.


((( Hope this helped you!!! ))))

Answer 2

No.

As others have said here, the only concern is the litterbox. There is the chance that if a cat had "toxoplasmosis" that could be passed to you if you were careless in handling the litterbox. First, the cat would have to have it. Next, you'd have to pick it up by being careless in handling the box. Toxoplasmosis has been linked to birth defects.

I have done some work related to this but it was a long time ago. If I remember corrrectly (and you could look this up) the exposure may have to be early in the pregnancy.

Anyway, the advice given to women is to ask someone else to handle the litterbox. You can feed the cat. If a cat were infected it is the stool that would be the worry.

Answer 3

Having a cat is okay while you are pregnant. But there is a disease you can get from them called toxoplasmosis (also known as cat scratch fever).You can also see if your doctor will check if you are immune to it. This disease is caused by a cat scratching you with feces under its nails, it can also be caused by changing the litter box. So it is best to have someone else do it. If you must do it make sure you remember to wash your hand immediately afterwards and that should keep you from becoming infected. Hope this helps. Oh another thing about cats is after the baby is born you need to keep it away from him/her because the cats are attracted to the milk smell and can get into the crib or bassinet with the baby and suffocate them. Dont freak out! My cat was more afraid of the baby when he was young than anything, he never once got into his crib or bassinet while he was in it.

Answer 4

When you are pregnant you have a suppressed immune system. You are more vulnerable to diseases that normally would not impact a healthy person. Did you ever see the movie TRAINSPOTTING? Tommy got a disease from a kitten when he had AIDS. But what he did wrong was not keep a clean house. Most of the diseases are transferred through the feces. If you make your husband deal with the kitty litter box while you are pregnant and later while breast feeding, you should be OK.

Answer 5

It's good to have a cat while pregnant.

Scientists have proven that petting a cat actually calms people down.Keeps your stress levels at a good place and a loved pet can do wonders for your mood. With all the hormones from pregnancy, getting rid of a pet that you've had awhile could be hell on your psyche. You are supposed to avoid stress while pregnant, not encourage it. Keep your kitty and give him/her lots of love.

Like others have said, just avoid touching the litter.

Answer 6

There is nothing wrong with you having a cat, but your husband needs to ALWAYS be the one to clean out the litter box daily, and to do the washing of the box when it needs new litter. There is a disease that pregnant women can get from contact with cat feces.

Answer 7

cats can be carriers of a disease called toxoplasmosis. this can harm your unborn child but you need not give up your cat. you can be tested to see if you have been previously exposed and therefore have immunity. It is important not to come in contact with the content of their litter tray. We have four cats, and have had three children with no problems. I was a pet groomer before kids and was surprised that I had not been exposed. When the baby comes home let the cat meet him/her. Just don't let them in the crib or pram even when empty. make it a no go zone.

Answer 8

I lost my first baby because we had a puppy at the same time and I was always cleaning up his messes. I didn't know I was pregnant when I was doing it, and I had a misscarriage the third month from an infection from being around the puppy's fecies. I'm 5 months pregnant now, my second pregnancy, and we still have our dog. I just wouldn't dare touch or be around his waste, and I always wash my hands after petting him! Just be careful! think about how many people have pets before they get pregnant and never have a problem.

Answer 9

It's not the cat that is the problem but the cat litter. Cat feces contains a toxic chemical that can be harmful to an unborn fetus. So it's either give up the cat or give up the pregnancy.

Answer 10

they say that cat poo can cause trouble, you cant obviously give up a pet that you love so much, but go easy on the petting, keep a dust buster for the shedding fur and dont do any gardening as the cat may have poo'd there. smaller sacrifice would be to avoid your pet than to altogether give it up. all the best

Answer 11

My sister kept her cat but had nothing to do with the cleaning of the kitty litter and kept away from the box.