Around cats in pregnancy?

Question

Is it ok to be around cats when your pregnant? I'm at work and we just found a abandoned kitten and I have decided to keep her but am worried. I am 4.5 months pregnant

Answer 1

CATS ARE FINE there is no problem!!! Even if it scratches you. Dont listen to some of these people! GEEEE

The only thing you should NOT do while pregnant is come into contact with the cat poop because sometimes cat feces can contain an infection called Toxoplasmosis that could be harmful to your fetus. Once your baby is born the risk is over...you can change the litter again...darn eh!!!

Yes you will be fine. I have had cats alsmost all throughout my life. And my cat often sleep in my room or in my children's rooms. IM 38 weeks pregnant and OF COURSE my kitty is here in my life! Please ignore the weird comment in the above post about someone being unable to have children due to being close with a cat...must be a 'dog person' eeech...anyway, cats make great clean low maintenace pets!

Good luck with your kitty and your baby

Answer 2

It is not the cat itself. Cats clean themselves regularly. It is the litter box that is a problem. So you should never change the litter box, someone else should, and it should be cleaned much more often and outside of the house if possible to prevent things from flying through the air. And if the litter box is not changed enough and the cat is dirty for some reason, I would be a little more concerned. Just to be safe, I use hand sanitizer after handling any pets when I am pregnant

Answer 3

I was around cats for both of my pregnancies. The main worry is toxoplasmosis which is transmitted in their poop, and is also found on farms. My doctor said I had to stay off of farms because the stuff can be transmitted in the air, but I think he was a kwak. Just wash your hands and stay away from the litterbox and you'll be fine.

Answer 4

of course i was pregnant and had 2 cats baby is perfect just dont change the litter it has certain chemicals that can be harmful

Answer 5

if possible avoid cats.......... if not possible don;t let them scrath you or clean the litter box........ have the litter box ina room you don;t use ...... also be careful working in dirt such as flower beds etc.... where it is possible a cat could have used the bathroom

Answer 6

yes just dont change the litter, it can get you very sick. look it up, i forget what it is called. other than that you are ok=)

Answer 7

Yes that is fine!! dont let the cat scratch you.


.

Answer 8

ur ok don't change the litter and don't let it scratch or bite you

Answer 9

I THINK YOU SHOULD BE THE JUDGE OF THAT, READ THE ENCLOSED ARTICLE.

ALSO I KNOW OF A CASE WHERE THE GIRL COULD NOT HAVE CHILDREN WHEN SHE GREW UP, BECAUSE THE CAT LIVED WITH HER ALL HER LIFE, AND WAS SO CLOSE TO HER, IT USED SLEEP IN HER ROOM.





KidsHealth > Parents > Infections > Parasitic Infections (Worms, Lice, etc.) > Toxoplasmosis

You've probably heard about the infection toxoplasmosis in relation to avoiding it during pregnancy by taking precautions with certain foods and the cat's litter box. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventing (CDC), some 60 million people in the United States could have toxoplasmosis. Many of them may not even know it because it can cause an infection that either has no symptoms or symptoms that are common to other illnesses.

So what is toxoplasmosis, exactly? It's an infection caused by a microscopic parasite that can live inside the cells of humans and animals, especially cats and farm animals.

How It Spreads
People can catch toxoplasmosis from:

touching or coming into contact with infected cat feces (cats get the infection from eating infected rodents, birds, or other small animals)
eating raw or undercooked meat that's infected
eating uncooked, unwashed fruits or vegetables that have been contaminated by manure
being born with it (a woman who gets a toxoplasmosis infection while pregnant may pass the parasite on to her unborn child through the bloodstream)
Although the infection doesn't normally spread from person to person (with the exception of pregnant women, who can pass it on to their fetuses), in rare instances toxoplasmosis can contaminate blood transfusions and organs donated for transplantation.

Signs and Symptoms
Toxoplasmosis passes from animals to humans, sometimes without causing any symptoms. When kids do have symptoms, they vary depending on the child's age and the immune system's response to the infection. (As with humans, infected cats often don't show any signs of a toxoplasmosis infection.)

Toxoplasmosis infections in people fall into three basic patterns:

congenital toxoplasmosis, in which the child becomes infected before birth
toxoplasmosis in an otherwise healthy child (these are the same symptoms a pregnant woman may experience)
toxoplasmosis in a child with a weakened immune system
Congenital toxoplasmosis
When a pregnant woman (even one who has no symptoms) catches toxoplasmosis during pregnancy and remains untreated, there's a chance that she could pass the infection on to her developing fetus. Babies who become infected during their mother's first trimester tend to have the most severe symptoms.

However, it's rare that a woman who got toxoplasmosis before getting pregnant will pass the infection on to her unborn baby because she (and, therefore, her baby) will have built up immunity to the infection. It can occur, though, if a pregnant woman who's had a previous infection becomes immunocompromised and her infection is reactivated. Generally, it's probably a good idea to wait to try to get pregnant until at least 6 months after a toxoplasmosis infection.

Up to 90% of children born with congenital toxoplasmosis have no symptoms early in infancy, but a large percentage will show signs of infection months to years later. Others show clear signs of infection either at birth or within the first month of life. Some are born prematurely or are unusually small at birth. Other signs and symptoms, if there are any at all, may include:

fever
swollen glands (lymph nodes)
jaundice (yellowed skin and eyes caused by abnormal levels of a liver chemical called bilirubin)
an unusually large or small head
rash
bruises or bleeding under the skin
anemia
enlarged liver or spleen
Some babies with congenital toxoplasmosis have brain and nervous system abnormalities that cause:

seizures
limp muscle tone
feeding difficulties
hearing loss
mental retardation
They're also at high risk for eye damage involving the retina (the light-sensitive lining at the back of the eye responsible for sight), resulting in severe vision problems.

If a child is born with congenital toxoplasmosis and remains untreated during infancy, there's almost always some sign of the infection (often eye damage) by early childhood to adolescence.

Toxoplasmosis in an otherwise healthy child
A healthy child who becomes infected with toxoplasmosis may have no symptoms of infection or only a few swollen glands that:

usually appear in the child's neck
are sometimes tender to the touch
may become larger and smaller over several months
A child typically will not experience any long-term problems if he or she goes undiagnosed and untreated.

Toxoplasmosis in a child with a weakened immune system
Kids whose immune systems are weakened (for example, by AIDS, cancer, or medications taken after organ transplants) are at special risk for severe toxoplasmosis infections. Especially in children with AIDS, toxoplasmosis can attack the brain and nervous system, causing toxoplasmic encephalitis (an inflammation of the brain) with symptoms including:

fever
seizures
headache
psychosis (a type of severe mental illness)
problems with vision, speech, movement, or thinking
Duration
Although toxoplasmosis parasites may grow and multiply within 1 week after entering a person's body, it may be weeks or months before symptoms of infection appear (if they appear at all).

Once a person has become infected with toxoplasmosis, the infection remains in the body for life, usually in a latent (inactive) form that won't cause the person any side effects or harm. The infection can be reactivated, however, if the immune system becomes compromised by an HIV infection or cancer therapy.

In a child with a healthy immune system, mild symptoms of toxoplasmosis (such as swollen glands) usually pass within a few months, even without medical treatment. But kids born with severe congenital toxoplasmosis may have permanent vision problems or mental retardation. And in a child with a weakened immune system, toxoplasmosis can be fatal.

Diagnosis
Doctors can but rarely do diagnose toxoplasmosis through laboratory tests that check for microscopic parasites in the blood, spinal fluid, amniotic fluid, placenta, lymph nodes, bone marrow, or other body tissues.

Doctors more frequently order blood tests to measure the level of antibodies (substances that are part of the body's defensive immune reaction) produced to fight the parasites. Sophisticated new genetic tests also can be used to identify the DNA-containing genes of toxoplasmosis parasites once they've invaded the body. These kinds of tests are especially useful for checking the amniotic fluid for evidence of congenital toxoplasmosis in a fetus. Obstetricians may use ultrasound exams to help diagnose congenital toxoplasmosis. None of these forms of testing are 100% accurate and can lead to false positive results.

Treatment
Unless someone has a weakened immune system or is pregnant, there's often no need to treat a toxoplasmosis infection - symptoms (such as swollen glands) usually go away on their own in a few weeks or months. However, kids should always be checked by a doctor because swollen glands can be a sign of other illnesses besides toxoplasmosis.

If a pregnant woman develops a toxoplasmosis infection, a treatment plan should be developed in consultation with her doctor and an infectious disease specialist. Research has shown that treating the mother can help decrease the severity of the disease in the infant but does not necessarily decrease the transmission of the infection from mother to child.

Children born with congenital toxoplasmosis are treated with different combinations of anti-toxoplasmosis medications, usually for 1 year after birth. A specialist typically will determine which medications to use and for how long.

In healthy older children who develop serious toxoplasmosis infections, treatment usually lasts for 4 to 6 weeks (or at least 2 weeks after symptoms are gone). Kids with weakened immune systems often need to be hospitalized when they develop toxoplasmosis, and those with AIDS may need to take anti-toxoplasmosis medication for life.

When to Call Your Child's Doctor
Call your child's doctor immediately if your child develops symptoms of toxoplasmosis and:

is already being treated for AIDS or cancer
has a condition that affects the immune system
has been taking medications that weaken the immune system
Also call your child's doctor if your otherwise healthy child develops any of the symptoms of toxoplasmosis.

If you're pregnant, call your doctor immediately if you notice even one swollen gland, especially if you've been exposed to cats or have eaten raw or undercooked meat.

Prevention
If your cat is kept indoors and never fed raw or undercooked meat, then your family's feline probably has a low risk of catching or spreading toxoplasmosis. Still, you can also catch it from eating raw meats or uncooked produce that's contaminated.

To help prevent toxoplasmosis in your family:

Food Tips

Cook meats thoroughly.
Wash your hands with soap and water after handling raw meat or unwashed vegetables.
Wash all fruits and vegetables before serving. You may also want to peel them.
Freeze meat for a few days before cooking it, which helps to reduce the likelihood of toxoplasmosis infection, says the CDC.
Thoroughly wash all cutting boards, utensils, and kitchen surfaces (especially those that come into contact with raw meat) with hot soapy water after each use.
Cook all meats completely (the juices should be clear and there should be no pink areas).
Cat Tips

If you're pregnant, have someone else change your cat's litter box. And ask that he or she use detergent and hot water to clean it, then wash his or her hands after changing the litter. If you are unable to have someone else change the litter box, wear gloves when you do it and wash hands thoroughly afterward.
Keep your cat inside at all times to keep your pet from getting toxoplasmosis from the soil and/or small infected animals it tries to catch or eat.
Keep your child's outdoor sandbox covered, especially overnight, to prevent wandering cats from using it as a litter box.
Don't feed your cat raw meat.
Steer clear of stray cats.
Don't take in a new cat if you're pregnant.
General and Household Tips

Wear gloves when gardening and wash your hands afterward.
Use window screens to try to keep your home bug-free (cat feces are a favorite haunt of flies and cockroaches and the bugs can spread the feces, and the toxoplasmosis, onto food).
Don't drink untreated water, especially if you're traveling in underdeveloped countries.
Reviewed by: Barbara P. Homeier, MD
Date reviewed: July 2005
Originally reviewed by: Joel Klein, MD





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