I amnot pregnant but i am afraid of getting cat that will cause this miscarriage...I want to get a cat or a hamster...but i perfer cat...so i want to ask if there is any medication that will pervent this miscarriage in the futur when i by god willing get pregnant??
2006-11-09 09:34:29 · 7 answers · asked by sarah5 3 in Health ➔ Women's Health
I suspect you're talking about toxoplasmosis, which is a parasite (not a virus) that cats can have in their feces. Pregnant women who contract toxoplasmosis are treated with spiramycin, which is an antibiotic and antiprotozoal. This has been shown to help keep the baby from getting infected. If you have already had toxoplasmosis (which your doctor can test for) more than six months prior to becoming pregnant, you are probably safe, as your body will usually have the antibodies to prevent you getting reinfected. Ask your doctor. If you've never been infected, the best thing is prevention.
1. Keep the cat indoors. Cats get toxoplasmosis from eating contaminated things, particularly rodents.
2. Don't feed the cat raw meat.
3. Someone who is not pregnant should change the litter box daily, and wash their hands afterwards every time.
4. Don't eat undercooked meat, always wash raw vegetables thoroughly, and wear gloves if you are going to work in the dirt (not technically cat things, but you can get toxoplasmosis in other ways... raw meat is actually much more common as a means of transmission than via cat).
5. Keep your hands clean and out of your mouth.
2006-11-09 10:27:05 · answer #1 · answered by MissA 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This is a myth. The cat itself will not get you sick (unless it has rabies). The problem is the used cat litter. It may contain toxioplamosis (spelling is probably off), which can be dangerous to pregnant women and anyone with a suppressed immune system (people with AIDS, on some cancer drugs, etc).
It doesn't mean that the second a pregnant woman touches the cat litter, she'll miscarry... but she should be very careful. The best solution is to have someone else clean up and throw out the cat litter.
I don't think there is any medication or vaccination to prevent this; you could ask your doctor about medications to enhance your immune system while pregnant, but probably the best and safest route is just to have someone else clean the litter box.
2006-11-09 18:00:35 · answer #2 · answered by teresathegreat 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's not the cats themselves. You just cannot change the cat litter unless you wear gloves while you're pregnant because the virus is supposedly in the poop.
Ask a vet for more information about medications. I have never been pregnant so I don't know if there is any medication you can take to prevent it.
2006-11-09 17:41:06 · answer #3 · answered by Tara662 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Toxoplasmosis is the disease you are talking about. Infection from cat to human is very small. Cats get it from hunting birds and mice so an indoor cat has a much smaller chance of carrying the disease.
For a person to get infected from the act is ingestion of the cat feces. The most common way of infection is a pregnant woman scooping the litterbox and breathing in the dust. Have someone else scoop the litterbox so the feces residue in the dust is not breathed in. If you are the only one available to scoop, wear a cloth over your mouth while you're doing it.
There's no prevention medicine that I know of. Just get yourself a healthy cat, keep it inside, and take care with the litterbox.
2006-11-09 17:47:15 · answer #4 · answered by thezaylady 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
oh honey who told you cats cause miscarriages. i don't know of any viruses that cat pass on to humans. some cats have an aids virus and not even that can be passed to a humane. just think about all the women who have been, are now and will be in the future pregnant and have ,love and handle there cats every day.i have 6 kids and nine grand kids and i have always owned cats as do my children. rodents like hamsters carry diseases that can be passed to humans then cats do......................
2006-11-09 17:49:25 · answer #5 · answered by BLOODHOUND 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is somewhat of a myth. It's actually cat litter. There is something in it that causes pregnant women to miscarry, have birth defects, ect. If you can find someone else to change the litter, it's the "dust" from pouring a new litter in the box, you'll be fine. Good luck!
2006-11-09 17:40:25 · answer #6 · answered by 26433_ED 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have never heard of this. OMG that freaking scares me so much because I am pregnant with my sixth kid and we have two cats!!!!!!
I hope this is either not true or there is a way of preventing it. I have 1 month to go before baby number six!!!!!!!
Thank you, I will definently look into this!!!!!!!!!!
2006-11-09 17:40:25 · answer #7 · answered by baby oh's 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋