Whats your opinion on keeping a cat when pregnant!?

Question

Ive a cat and im 8 weeks pregant, she loves cuddles and likes to snuggle into me on a night in bed. Know ive to be careful when emptying the litter tray and to wash my hands regularly, anything else?

Answer 1

don,t worry cats can not catch anything of pregnant women,

Answer 2

Just have someone else change the litter if possible, otherwise use gloves & wash your hands thoroughly afterwards. You should also wash your hands after handling your cat. The risk of toxiplasmosis (sp?) is relatively low and can be aquired by doing other things too, such as gardening. Make sure you wash your veg, fruit and salads (even if the pack says it's prewashed). Otherwise there is no reason to get rid of your cat. Both my cats were taken in because their owners were going to put them to sleep because they were pregnant - how sad. I now have 2 kids (age 3 & 5) and they love the cats & the cats love them (the cats just ignored/hid from the kids when they were smaller).

A tip from a fellow cat owner who also 'bedshared' with her cat - make your bedroom a no go area for the cat...I did this from 6 months pregnant so the cat was used to not being in the bedroom before the baby arrived, rather than having to chuck the cat out when the baby arrived.

My opinion is that too many cats are put down needlessly when the owner gets pregnant.

Answer 3

Cats can be totally safe for you and baby. If possible get someone else to change the litter. We have a cat and there's no way we're getting rid of her. People with young families own cats all the time. Here are some suggestions we have heard for getting the cat ready for the baby:

1. Set up the crib and place tin foil under the sheet. This way, when kitty jumps into the crib he will hate the noise and learn not to jump into the crib.
2. Make sure his claws are trimmed.
3. Introduce him to the baby very slowly by keeping him in a separate room for a while, letting him smell the baby clothes, then introducing them in a well-supervised visit. Be sure to reprimand any behavior your kitty does that won't work around the baby, like scratching or climbing into baby furniture.
4. Make sure the nursery has a door so you can keep kitty out.

Cats are wonderful pets! You should not have any problems adding the baby to you and your cat's special relationship.

Best wishes!

Answer 4

My opinion- I wouldn't have a cat even if I wasn't pregnant. LOL but as long as you yourself do not empty the litter box you should be fine. Someone else should do that for you and if you MUST do it I would wear rubber gloves and a face mask and do it outdoors. When done, shed your clothing and shower. You said it all in washing your hands regularly... I would also make sure to vaccume often because kitty's paws come out of the litter box and onto your carpet and furniture... I don't know how much vaccuming would really help that but I'm sure it'll suck some of the germs up. :) After baby is born try to keep kitty out of baby's room, and get one of those tents for over the top of the crib. i found one for my friend at Burlington Coat Factory for $60.

Answer 5

Hi Jools
Ah your cat seems cool and your doing the right thing by washing your hands, but i think you have to make a bigger decision when your baby comes along. You cat will get very Jealous and want more attention. What i would do is start looking for a real good home for your cat before your baby is born. Its gonna be hard to give your cat up but your baby has to come 1st

Answer 6

Have your husband/significant other clean out the litter box!!!! It's not just the washing of the hands, its the dust from the litter, microscopic particles you could breathe!....the cat while pregnant isn't a problem as long as there are no fleas on it and I would still look further into it with your doctors advise...

Answer 7

I'm pregnant and have 2 VERY affectionate cats. I would NEVER think of getting rod of them just because Im having a baby!! They're my babies too! Just make sure you take them to the vet and all of their shots are updated. Wash your hands frequently while dealing with their litter box. Other than that enjoy your kitty and you're pregnancy!

Answer 8

If your cat is totally an inside cat have it checked for toxoplasmosis. If I remember right that is the organism that is the worry. If your cat gets outside you should let others do all the litter cleaning or have somebody else (another home) look after the cat.

Answer 9

just do as your doing wear gloves when empting tray would be best if you could get cat trained to use tray outside and as you say wash your hands well when you do this just be extra careful more so when your baby arrives i have always had a cat and my kids are now grown have kids of there own and also have cats

Answer 10

i've also kept a cat when i was pregnant with my eldest. the cat usually likes to go on top of my belly, maybe she knows about what's coming. she's quite timid whenevr she's with me, so it never really bothered me. one advise though...never ever change the cat litter!! cat poo & urine are dangerous for a pregnant woman to inhale! ask your husband or someone else to do that for you. it can cause abnormalities to the fetus growing inside you.

as long as the cat behaves, i see no point of getting rid of it. but if your cat is a wee bit naughty...better to be safe than sorry. she might claw the baby once she's born & never ever let the cat go up the baby's bed...the baby might inhale the fur & would cause asthma.

Answer 11

don't clean out the cat tray and be careful with any mess the cat makes. Also we wary of when the baby is born that the cat doesn't try to sleep in the cot with the baby as it could suffocate it.