cats and pregnant?

Question

i am pregnant i was told to get rid of my cat is this true

Answer 1

Hi there... there's no reason to have to find your kitty another home.

Here's an article about why by the Humane Society:
http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/pregnancy_and_toxoplasmosis.html

Pregnancy and Toxoplasmosis
If you're expecting a baby, you may have heard of toxoplasmosis because it can cause serious birth defects. A woman who acquires toxoplasmosis during pregnancy can transmit the infection to her unborn child. And a congenital toxoplasmosis infection in utero can lead to miscarriage or an array of malformations at birth. Because one of the ways to become infected is through contact with the infected feces of cats, many pregnant women try to lower their risk of acquiring toxoplasmosis by giving their cat away or putting the cat outside.

Thankfully, you can easily avoid contracting toxoplasmosis from cat feces without giving up your beloved feline "baby." Cats acquire toxoplasmosis from eating contaminated raw meat, birds, mice, or soil. While cats are the only species of animal to shed the infectious stage in their feces, other animals can disseminate toxoplasmosis if their infected meat is eaten without proper cooking.

Animal Care Professionals:

Fortunately, cat ownership does not necessarily increase the risk of acquiring toxoplasmosis. An understanding of the life cycle of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) and the role that cats play in disease transmission can allay fears of contracting congenital toxoplasmosis from your feline companion. Cats should continue to be sources of joy and companionship to their owners during pregnancy and following the birth of a child.
Disease Transmission

T. gondii is a protozoan organism that can infect all mammals, who serve as intermediate hosts. Once a cat has been infected with toxoplasmosis, he typically acquires immunity and can only rarely be reinfected. So, normally, it is only during a cat's first exposure to T. gondii that he will excrete potentially infectious oocysts (reproducing microorganisms). In addition, oocysts are not immediately infective, requiring an incubation period of one to five days.

Humans can acquire toxoplasmosis in one of three ways. Most commonly, people contract the disease from the consumption of undercooked meat, which contains T. gondii within tissue cysts. A less common method of acquisition is through direct ingestion of infective oocysts. Finally, transplacental transmission of the disease to an unborn child may occur when the mother acquires a primary infection while pregnant.

Likelihood of Contracting Toxoplasmosis

Because it's difficult for cats to transmit toxoplasmosis directly to their caregivers, a pregnant woman is generally unlikely to contract the disease from her pet cat. Several factors keep the chance of such transmission low.

First of all, only cats who ingest tissue cysts acquire infection. Within the feline population, this would be limited to outdoor cats who hunt and eat rodents, as well as cats who are fed raw meat by their owners. In addition, only after a cat is first exposed to T. gondii does he typically excrete oocysts, and he does so for only two weeks. An outdoor hunting cat is often exposed to the disease as a kitten and is, therefore, less likely to transmit the infection as he ages.

Secondly, because oocysts become infective only after one to five days, exposure to the disease is unlikely as long as the cat's litter box is changed daily.

Finally, since oocysts are transmitted by ingestion, in order to contract toxoplasmosis, a woman would have to make contact with contaminated feces in the litter box and then, without washing her hands, touch her mouth or otherwise transmit the contaminated fecal matter to her digestive system.

Reducing Your Risk of Toxoplasmosis

Even though it is unlikely that a woman will contract toxoplasmosis from her cat, it's a good idea to err on the side of caution. The following recommendations will help cat owners expecting a child to reduce their risk of contracting toxoplasmosis.

Avoid undercooked meat.
Wash all uncooked vegetables thoroughly.
Be certain to wash all cutting boards and utensils that may have come in contact with meat before using them to prepare other foods.
Wear gloves when working in soil. If gloves are not worn, hands need to be washed thoroughly following soil contact.
Ask a spouse, friend, or neighbor to help out with litter box duties while you're pregnant.
If you don't have help to keep the litter box clean, wear rubber gloves when changing the litter and thoroughly wash your hands afterwards.
Change your cat's litter on a daily basis.
Getting rid of your feline companion is NOT a necessary precaution. Cat ownership has many benefits that are immeasurable in terms of companionship and love. While it is possible for cats to transmit toxoplasmosis, the risk of your feline friend passing the disease to you is low, especially if you follow the recommendations above. So, your cat can safely remain as a loved member of the family as you await your new arrival.

More on Toxoplasmosis by Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine of Feline Health: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/toxo.html

Answer 2

Well yes and no. You don't need to get rid of our cats but you do need to have someone else change the litter box. I don't remember what the disease is that you can get but it gets passed on to the baby and can harm the baby. Make sure you let your Dr. know that you have cats so that later on the pregnancy they can test for it!!! So you don't need to get rid of them but DO NOT get near the litter box and make sure to tell your Dr. Only if you can not find someone to change the litter box you might want to try and find a temp home for them or maybe find them a new home!!! Hope that helps!

Toxoplasmosis is an infection that can threaten the health of an unborn child. It is caused by a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. The parasite multiplies in the intestine of cats and is shed in cat feces, mainly into litter boxes and garden soil. You can get the parasite by handling cat litter or soil where there is cat feces. You can also get the parasite from eating undercooked meat (such as rare beef) from animals infected with the parasite.

That's what it's called and a litte more info!

Answer 3

Don't get rid of the cats. This is now a wonderful opportunity to sit back and relax while your husband (or significant other) cleans out the litter box. That part you must avoid. Other than that, enjoy your kitties.
Once the baby is born you'll want to ensure that the kitties don't get comfortable laying in the baby's crib, but this is totally possible. A girlfriend of mine has four cats, and has had two kids with no troubles what so ever.

Answer 4

No there is no risk to the mom's life due to her brother being the father. Everything you need to know you can learn from your vet. As well, you could still get her spayed and then you wouldn't have to worry about a pregnant cat or kitten, but this is up to you. I'd get her to the vet for a check up and ask while you're there about taking care of her while she's pregnant and raising the kittens.

Answer 5

Absolutely not.

The concern with pregnant women being around cats is that cleaning the litter box exposes pregnant women to toxoplasmosis, which is mostly transferred through cats.

Most of the time, cats acquire the infection from eating raw meat and then shed the parasite in their stool. The way it most commonly gets transferred to humans is if you touch the stool then touch your mouth - a process called fecal-oral contamination.

Really, unless you touch cat's waste and then put your hands in your mouth without washing them, you're fairly safe. (That's just gross!)

If you are concerned, there are some precautions you can take.

- Make sure you keep your cat indoors so that it can't get exposed to the parasite through raw prey or another cat's infected stool.

- Don't feed your cat raw meat.

- Have someone else clean the cat's litter pan and pick up after dogs. If this isn't possible, either wear gloves or make sure to wash your hands using anti-bacterial soap immediately after cleaning the litter box.

- Cover children's sandboxes so cats can't use it as a litter box.

- Wear gloves when you garden then wash your hands afterwards (wash up even though you wore gloves, better safe than sorry)

- Don't handle or eat raw or undercooked meat while you're pregnant.(try using surgical gloves if you have to). Always wash your hands using anti-bacterial soap immediately afterwards, and wash any surfaces that come in contact with raw meat with an anti-bacterial cleanser (like Lysol).

Answer 6

It depends. The cat probably won't hurt you, but once the baby is born, watch it carefully. Some cats will try to snuggle up or play with the baby and can accidentally hurt him or her, or even smother them in her fur if they get into the bassinet. For now, just show her tons of love so she feels no need to compete with the baby once it arrives and be sure to avoid the litterbox, because it has bacteria that is bad for your baby!

Answer 7

No keep your cat, have someone else change the litter, but chances are you've already had exposure to Toxoplasmosis if you change your cats litter which will protect you from getting it while pregnant. It won't hurt the baby unless you get it while you are pregnant. You won't know you have it though. If you have to clean the litter just wear gloves and wash your hands and arms when you're done. Plus if you have indoor cat(s) your chances of exposure to it is greatly reduced!

Answer 8

Somewhat. You don't have to get rid of you cat. However, try to not to clean the litterbox. There's a risk to get an infection called toxoplasmosis, which you get when handling feline feces. It usually shows up more in outdoor cats. The infection is transmitted to them from the small animals they hunt. I included a website for you. Scroll down and it'll tell you about toxoplasmosis and pregnancy.

Answer 9

the old wifes tale is after the baby is born the cat will jump up in the crib and lick the milk off your babies mouth and while the cat is doing that it is also suffacating your child or so its called taking its breath.It is suppose to be an old wifes tale but I saw my sisters cat up in the crib. Thank God her baby wasnt in there but it made me wonder how many times does that cat get up in there. I am sure it wasnt its first time. All I can say is if you keep the cat be careful!!

Answer 10

no this is not true. i have heard of this before some people think that some how cats can mess up the magnetic feild and harm the baby inside of you. while my mom was pregnant with me my parents had 4 cats and my dad grew up around cats and my gmas 6 kids were born with cats in the home. i have never heard of something happening to babbies because of cats. trust me keep your beloved pet and welcome the baby into the family. those stories have never been proven true

Answer 11

No!!!
Check out kidsncats.lisaviolet.com/toxo.html. It is full of info about toxoplasmosis, a parasite found in some cat feces. Some, not all!!!
Also, introduce kitty to baby gradually and give kitty extra attention to quell any jealousy.
The old wives tale of cat "taking away babies breath" is entirely false.
God Bless you!!!