Has anyone been pregnant with cats in the household???Help!!?

Question

I have read about toxoplasmosis and how to stay away from the litter and etc...
I was just wondering does it hurt your chances of becoming pregnant and also what to do when you are pregnant besides stay away from the litter. My kitten is indoor all the time anyways...
Is it worth keeping your kitten while pregnant?
Also what do you do when the baby gets here besides keep the kitten away from "jumping in the crib" and other things my grandmothers warn me of.
Thanks much i know this sounds silly.
Just curious of how you all handled this....

Thanks everyone!!!!

Answer 1

make sure you say away from the litter box and wash your hands before touching ur baby
when I brought my children home 4 year and 5 weeks I made sure introduced them to my cat and let the cat have a little sniff after that they couldn't have cared less, i breastfeed and my cats have never been interested in the milk
to keep the cat out of the crib either keep the room door closed or if you cant you can get nets that will cover the top to protect your baby
i fee the most important thing is to not leave your cat alone with your baby ever but don't shun the cat

Answer 2

I have 3 kids and have had cats my entire life. Toxoplasmosis can be cotracted either by messing with the litterbox or getting scratched and the feces entering your blood from the cats claw, much harder to happen that way. Just do not clean the litterbox, have someone else do it. If possible, get some nail caps (Soft Paws) for your cats front paws during your pregnancy. This will prevent her from being able to scratch you. Other than that, you will be fine! I warn you though, cats are smart and usually sense a pregnancy. You could end up wearing a kitty as a belly decoration when sitting or laying. My male cat stayed by my side my entire pregnancy and would lay on my stomach until he got kicked. lol It's adorable!

Oh yeah and when the baby comes, just watch the cat. Chances are, she will be scared of the "new person" anyway for awhile. Don't be surprise if there's a hiss here and there but don't be alarmed. It's purely because it's something new and a smell she isn't used to yet. It will pass. But watch them closely once the cat gets used to the baby just to be sure of no scratches. I would suggest soft paws for a long time to come. Also, it's an old wive's tale about cats "stealing a baby's breath in the crib". Don't worry about that but I wouldn't allow the cat in the nursery at night just for the simple fact of scratches like I said and you don't really want the cat sleeping with the baby. Good luck!! Oh and no it doesn't lower your fertility.

Answer 3

I have cats and I work in a pet store, I'm an animal tech. I clean and keep all the animals. I'm 15 weeks pregnant and had to be tested for the toxins. I'm fine.

What it does is cause miscarriages and birth defects. There are two major risk factors here, one, your cat gets it outside or from another cat. Your cat could have had it from the parents and show no signs.

If you live by yourself and therefore can not have anyone clean the litters for you, wear gloves and don't breath deeply with your head shoved down in the box.

At work, other people now clean the cats and their cages. At home my boyfriend is in charge of kitty care.

You can also have your cat tested if you want to.

You can not be immune. If your cat has it, you've probably never gotten sick because you weren't a) pregnant b) an AIDS patient c) on chemotherapy d) recovering from a transplant or e) VERY old. Even when you are pregnant, it won't make you sick IF you get it, it will effect the fetus and not you.

I still might get hauled off my job by CSST (works comp/health and safety) just because I'm CLOSE to litters. My tests and ultrasounds passed with flying colours. This being said, not many people are high risk. If you have indoor cats which have always been indoor cats, your chances are LOW!

Answer 4

Forget anything that Grandma told you. No having a cat in the house will not hurt your chances of becoming pregnant. You will have to assign someone else the chore of cleaning the litter box. Unless your fussy about no animals on the bed, a kitten is not going to smother the baby and a cat hair will not turn into a worm. All things I was told. I kept my cat. It slept under the crib and later in the crib. When my daughter started walking, she'd carry the cat around with her. They were best buddies until the cat died at the ripe old age of 21. Pleas don't be afraid to keep your kitty.

Answer 5

I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just avoid the litter. If you do have to clean the box, wear gloves and a mask. I'm assuming that up until now, you have been cleaning the box, so you've probably already been exposed to toxoplasmosis and developed an immunity to it. There's absolutely no reason for getting rid of the kitten. Just use common sense. Talk with your vet about any concerns. Human doctors don't really know much about it and their answer will probably be to get rid of the cat (needlessly).

Answer 6

Well DO NOT have liter in or around you while pregnant. I miscarried several years ago and the doctors thought it was the liter that had caused it, b/c I had change the liter box and inhaled the fumes.
After you have the baby you should be fine and the baby. I know that ppl think of this as mean , but I would have the cat declawed that way when the baby gets a little bigger the cat doesn't claw its eyes out.
BTW its an old wives tale that a cat takes the babies breath if that is what you were meaning. If they get in their face at all its b/c of the milk on their breath.
I wish you the of luck in journey into parenthood.

Answer 7

Its not just staying away from the litterbox .. if you do decide to keep your kitten .. be sure to wash your hands after handling the cat as well. The feces carries lots of organisms. Washing your hands after any contact with the cat or litterbox is the most important thing you can do. Be sure to use an anitbacterial soap. I never had cats in my home. That was my personal preference though. There are many people out there who do and have children. I cant stress the importance of washing the hands enough. I hope this helped some.

Answer 8

Definately keep your cat. Just stay away from the litterbox and have someone else clean it. We have six cats and did not have any problems when my son was born(11 months old). The cats did sense when my wife became pregnant and were very clingy and needy. If you're worried about the cat jumping up into the crib(ours are very cuddly and we worried they might want to cuddle up to him), just put your cat in the other room when your child is asleep. Since our son was born we haven't had any problems with any of the cats. In fact they seem more torlerant of him than they are with us. Congratulations.

Answer 9

You can ask your doctor to test you for toxoplasmosis when they do your blood work. My midwife tested me and I have never had it, so I need to be cautious. But if you have had it then you dont need to worry because you are immune to it. The test will also tell you if you have ever had contact with it. Which i have not as well, which means that my cat currently doesn't have it. Our cat is an indoor outdoor cat, so my husband has to do the litter. If you know that you dont have it, and havent ever been in contact with it, and your cat is strictly and indoor cat, then you dont have to worry so much. Good Luck

Answer 10

if you have cats then your body is immune to toxo anyway, it dosnt make a difference, but maybe wear gloves when changing the litter just to be sure, of course keep the kitten, start training kitten now to not go into bubs room, ( ive 2 cats and they learnt quickly with a spray bottle) although let the kitten smell your bub so it knows what is going on, and try and give it as much attention as you can when bubs is there that way it associates the bub as a good thing