Is it bad to have a cat around new born baby's?

Question

I've heard that cats can give a baby some type of infection? Is this true?

Answer 1

cats can give anyone an infection. the known infection i believe you are thinking of is "cat stratch fever". it occurs when a catch stratches you. of course it's something carried in their feces, and gets caught in their claws.

when i was pregnant we had 5 cats. we never got rid of any of them. even when i had my daughter. it's been almost 10 months. we are down to 3 cats, but thats bc the other 2 died.

you should be fine. just keep an eye on the cat and baby. my daughter has been scratched several times by the cats, and she is doing fine. it's a more serious problem if the cats are outdoor cats too.

i hope this helps some. i know i was just as concerned when i was pregnant. so i did all the research i could on it.

Answer 2

I've heard people say things like the cat will smell milk on the babies breath and suffocate the baby by laying on its head, etc, etc. We had a cat and just didnt let it in the babis room. Mostly because hate cat hair and didnt want it in the crib. We put a baby gate at the door and although the cat could jump over she never did. I have a lot of friends who have cats and babies...they all lived. I dont think its a big deal..as with anything you have to pay attention..just like with having a dog around a baby/child...or any animal. I was more concerned about what my kids did TO the cat when they got older. Poor thing! :)

Answer 3

Yes- The cat can smell milk on the baby and attack it and kill it is what i've always heard. I'd rather get rid of my cat then have something bad happen to my baby.

Answer 4

It can be dangerous to have a cat around a new born baby. Cats have been know to suffocate babies. The cat smells the milk on the baby and cleans its face and mouth and eventually tries to help "mother" the baby and will lay on its face--thus in part suffocating the baby. Keep your cat--just keep a close eye on the baby also.

Answer 5

You don't have to get rid of your cat, but you will have to observe it's behavior and make sure it does not approach your baby or try to cuddle with him/her (suffocation risk). A cat can have germs on it but in all likelihood it's germs are everywhere anyhow so it shouldn't really matter. Just make sure it is up to date on all it's vaccinations. We have a cat so when I brought home my newborn I was very nervous but my cat wanted nothing to do with my baby (17 months later she still stays away from the baby!).

Answer 6

You shouldn't get rid of your cat, but don't let it around the child especially after feedings. I've heard that cats can smell the milk on the baby's breath and may try to attack the child to get what's making that yummy milky scent.

Answer 7

Just keep them supervised. I never got rid of my cat when my babies were born, and they got along just fine. The only thing I had to do was train my cat Thistle not to lick the bottles or the milk of the baby.

Answer 8

cats can give expectant moms problems if they clean the litter box. only reason to keep your cat away is allergies, or mean or jealous cat. mine did great with the babies. it is a myth that cats "suck breath" from babies, or lay on them and smother them. cats do not have horrible infectious diseases unless you pick up a sick cat from the streeet. any cat with all it's shots is not infectious. no mom in her right mind would let baby play in the litter box anyway. toxoplasmosis affects pregnant women, not babies or kids.

Answer 9

Babies take priority over cats. Babies have no reserve so it is important to keep cats away because they are always in contact with their feces by using the litter box.

Answer 10

i have 4 cats and i am not getting rid of them just because i am having a baby. if you keep on eye on them, keep them out of the babies room and don't let the child play in the litterbox she will be fine.