What is all the fuss about cats being a threat to newborns?

Question

A friend of mine told me he gave his cat away when they learned he and his wife were expecting a baby. He was shocked when I asked him why. The first reason he gave is that cats will sit on a baby and suffocate them, the second was the fumes from the cat box are harmful to developing lungs, and the third was because cats carry diseases that cause birth defects and even death in unborn babies.
I've researched Toxoplasmosis, and have found conclusive evidence that supports that cats are not a significant risk to unborn babies. There are many ways to avoid contamination from occurring from a cat, and contamination is much more likely to occur if the pregnant mother eats undercooked or raw meat or even getting the parasite from the soil.
So my question is not about the supposed risk of Toxoplasmosis, but about the other allegations he made. I've been trying to research it and have found nothing of the sort, although he claims that "every pregnancy book ever written" has this info.

This question is not about the supposed risk of toxoplasmosis, but about the other things my friend mentioned. I have already researched the toxoplasmosis thing.

Answer 1

I found some awesome info on this website:
http://www.cat-world.com.au/cat-worldbaby.htm

It proves that babies and cats can co-exist quite happily. Plus, to all those who say cats are unsanitary, cats are one of the cleanest animals in the world, even cleaner than some humans I know.
Unless your friend's wife handles the cat litter, then I can't see a problem. In the UK only 1 in 500 women are likely to develop the tox-thingy, and most of those have picked it up from raw or uncooked meat.
So get your friend to read the above website, it proves all the points you have been trying to put across. Good luck and have a great day :)

Answer 2

There is an old wives' tale that "a cat will take a baby's breath." What I think that means is that maybe cats will like the smell of the milk on the baby and will lay up next to them, maybe causing suffocation. I do not believe this. We have 2 indoor cats and all they ever did was sniff him. I got a bedside sleeper with a canopy so I knew the cats couldn't get in, not because I thought they'd lay on him so much as stomp all over him or scratch him.
I've never heard that about the fumes from the litter box. We keep ours in a room the baby doesn't go in, but I don't think it would hurt anything. I think the fumes are a problem while pregnant, which has to do with toxoplasmosis.
You are right about the toxoplasmosis. I asked my ob about it and he said as long as I didn't change the litter, it'd be fine and it was.
Apparantly he hasn't read What to Expect When You're Expecting. It talks about cats and pregnancy and it didn't say to get rid of the cat!

Answer 3

There supossedly documentation out there that a cat will sit on the babies face and smother it. It is unlikely, and I have never seen it.. The fumes from the cat box could be unhealthy, but the cat box should not be having fumes, it should be kept clean, and you will not be holding the babies face over it, anyway.
And you are right about the tox. As long as the mother washes her hands after the cleaning, and does not directly touch anything that has come in contact with the contents of the box, like the plastic bag or the scooper, it is fine for her to clean it. When in doubt, wear gloves, or make Dad clean it. And I have read a lot of books, and I have never seen one that talked about any dangers that a cat posed, except tox.
I would be more concerned that the cat would scratch or bite a newborn, but cats generally consider associating with a newborn to be beneath their dignity, so even that is a small chance.
May be they didn't want the cat anymore, and found an excuse to get rid of it. And yes, a newborn could become very sick if they contracted cat scratch fever.

Answer 4

You are right about toxoplasmosis. Unfortunately many doctors just tell people they get it from cats. By the way, cats cannot have it if they live indoors and don't eat mice or raw meat. If they had it, it only last 2 months until it's over, so generally you can't get it from your own indoor cat.
About suffocating or killing the baby, well, let's put it this way, I wouldn't trust my cat alone with my baby, because he has tried to kill kittens, dogs, birds, my dad, virtually anything that enters his territory. But I wouldn't send him away if i had a baby, I would be extra careful to keep them in another room and to teach the cat the baby is not his toy. After a while, the baby is not so helpless any more. My friend had a baby and a cat, and basically it was the cat that was in danger! (It depends on the cat too, that was a nice old kitty).
About fumes from litter, I don't buy it, but floating hair could be a problem. Still, I would just make sure the baby is separated from the kitten for the first months.

Answer 5

It is in most pregnancy books, at least to steer clear of litter boxes at all costs. And I believe that it is a touch of an Old wise tale about the suffocation of newborns. Now YES it has happened and my friends cat kept jumping into the crib with her newborn, but I think it is more out of curiosity. Her cat was peeing all over the new baby stuff while she was pregnant though. Now the cat is treated very poorly and well I think that is just mean. My sister has a cat and she just didn't clean the litter box while she was pregnant, her hubby did. And the cat never bothered my niece when she was little. I guess it is like a dog, you just need to watch them and see how they take to the new addition. And as far as the diseases, well cats are not clean animals, they are carriers of a lot of stuff. Many of my friends keep their cats during and after pregnancy. None have gotten rid of their cats, & none have had a problem, and I have 3 friends that have been pregnant and have cats. They just stayed away from the feces and watched the cats behavior. That is sad for your friends cat, I think they went a little over board.

Answer 6

Cats are not really a risk to babies/young children. Yes, it is true that litterbox cleaning is not recommended for expectant women, but the rest is baloney. The worst it gets is that the cat may wish to curl up with the baby in the crib, whcih will probably be no harm but which *could* be bad if the cat put too much weight on the baby. Therefore, just shut the cat out of baby's room when baby is sleeping, and bingo--no problem. Our family had a cat when I was born (my third word, after mommy and daddy was "kitty") and he was great wtih me, according to what my mom says. The cat never turned a whisker at all of my baby antics and was very tolerant of the "new invader" (me). Some people are reluctant to have pets alsongside small children for fear of the PET's welfare, but that is a different question all-together.

Answer 7

This is the only thing I've ever heard about cats and babies is the pregnant woman should not be cleaning the litter box because something in the pee is bad for the babies undeveloped lungs other than that my cousin has 6 kids 6 cats and all kids are alive and well no need to get rid of them when you have a new born that's a tad bit extreme if you ask me.

Answer 8

Well, your friend is wrong. No book I've ever seen (and I've seen lots) has anything about cats killing babies. It's an 'old wives tale' that cats will sit on the baby and suck it's breath. The basis of this, from what I can tell is that about a century ago or more, someone saw a cat lick the milk off a baby's face and went totally ballistic. It's just a dumb, silly tale told by cat haters. We'll hope he had the decency to at least find kitty a good home and not just turn her out to fend for herself. (Yet another old wives tale: that cats can survive in the wild. They can't. They starve. It's not pretty.)

Answer 9

Children who come into contact with cats as babies may be at greater risk of developing eczema, research suggests. A study of newborns and their exposure to cat hair showed that more than a quarter of babies in cat households developed eczema by the age of 1. That compared with one in six of children living without cats.
During your pregnancy there is valid concern about the risk of contracting toxoplasmosis from your cat, especially if it is your first exposure. Cats are the only species that pass the eggs of this parasite in their feces, so contagion is possible to humans through fecal contamination. If you are considering becoming pregnant, it is always advisable to have your cat tested for toxoplasmosis as well as yourself to see if you already have protective antibodies.

In any event, another member of the household should clean the litter box during this time. To reduce the risk even further, have them change the box daily and soak with boiling water since the parasite eggs are dangerous only after 24 hours in the outside.

Avoid feeding your cat raw meat and prevent them from hunting, as these are the means in which a cat that tested negative for toxoplasmosis yesterday will become positive tomorrow. If you have a cat that already tests positive, I recommend asking a friend to care for your pet during the course of the pregnancy.

It's safe to introduce your cat and baby only if your cat has had a complete physical conducted by your vet, including a fecal analysis. Introducing the two must be a supervised event. The cat's nails should be kept trim, and it is very important that a lot of time be devoted to the cat independent of the baby.

Answer 10

I think this is old thinking and there is now evidence to the contrary. When my sister was pregnant she asked her doctor if she had to get rid of her cats and the doctor said no. As long as she did not clean out the cat box (because of the risk of toxo-plasmosis) she could keep the cats and she would be fine. Well my neice is now a year old and my sister still has two cats. The baby is alive and well. People really should do more research on the subject before getting rid of their pets.