Are cats to have around?

Question

Are cats okay to have around babies?? I am 3 months pregnant and everyone keeps telling me I need to get rid of my cats before the baby is born because they say "cats are not good around babies" I hate to give my babies up, but I want the best for my child...any suggestions??

Answer 1

I'm confussed here. You are debating between giving your babies away or your cats? Well all I can say cats won't wake you up in the middle of the night. Best wishes.

Answer 2

Well, I think everyone has a different opinion about this one. I've always heard that cats are terrible around babies and pregnant women because their poop can give you some kind of serious disease and cause a miscarriage/sids. BUT both my brother and my brother-in-law have had babies recently, and they have cats in the house. Their doctors never said anything, except "make sure the mommy isn't changing the litter-box while pregnant" to avoid contact with the feces.
They sell special crib gaurds at Babies R Us (expensive though) to put up on the crib so the cats can't get in. My brother put his up right when the crib went up, so the cats never ever went in there. Also, he keeps the baby's room closed at ALL times, so the cat isn't in the room anyway.
As far as being allergic, you'll just have to see. Neither of my nieces have allergies to the cats.
Well, hope that helps. Good luck! :)

Answer 3

That's ridiculous. Unless you have an especially mean cat, he'll adjust to the baby. Cats don't "cause" allergies either, although it may turn out that your baby is in fact allergic. I wouldn't worry about it though since you don't have a cat allergy. The things to bear in mind with cats is don't change the little while you're pregnant. Get a good vacuumm to pick up the pet hair. If your cat isn't declawed, I would consider getting it done. Even the nicest cats will take a swipe at a baby who pulls on his tail. You may want to make sure to set the crib up early, so to teach the cat that he doesn't belong in it before the baby comes, and of course there are nets you can get to keep the cat out of it too.

Don't listen to these cruel people telling you to "get rid" of it. It is a living creature, not some ugly old knick knacks.

Answer 4

It's an old wives tale about taking the baby's breath away. Don't listen to them. The one thing they are right about is NEVER clean the litter box or get down close to it . That's a big no no. Other than that as long as your cats dont get jealous of the baby and try to scratch the baby then you should be ok. I have 2 children 5 and 16 months and I've had cats all thru the years and have only had 1 cat that I had to give away because when my 5 yr old started to crawl she would get in his face on the floor and he would scratch her. Cats are pretty docile and adapt well to new surroundings and people in their lives and should be ok with a new baby.

Answer 5

The most serious problem during pregnancy that involves cats is an infection with toxoplasmosis during pregnancy acquired by contact with the stool from an infected cat. The risk to the baby increases the later in the pregnancy the new infection is acquired. Since cats are normally infected when they hunt and catch small rodents, it is less likely that one would be infected if it is an inside cat. In addition, the most common site for humans to come into contact with the cat's stools outside is probably in the garden -- cats like to bury their bowel movements in the soft soil in the garden. So keeping the cats in reduces the chance of accidentally coming in contact with cat feces. So I vote for keeping the cats indoors and having your husband do the litterpan cleaning until after the baby is born. Wear gloves while gardening.

There are conditions cats can have which are transmissible to infants or even older humans under some circumstances. Ringworm, a fungal infection, is one example of a zoonotic (transmissible to people) disease that affects cats. Toxocara infestation (roundworm infection) is another. The best way to avoid this is to have your vet check your cat's stool for roundworms and treat if they are present. In some cases it is just easier to go ahead and treat for these worms -- such as very young cats. Allergies to cats can occur but it seems more reasonable to wait and see if that is a problem than to get rid of the cats on the off chance that might occur. There is no evidence to support old wive's tales about cats "sucking the breath" from infants but it is a good idea to keep cats from sleeping with an infant. They will sometimes choose to sleep on the infant and that may lead to problems. In addition, children should never be left alone with a cat because either one could be hurt if the child grabs the cat too hard or engages in some activity the cat finds threatening and chooses to retaliate against. Finally, keep your cat's rabies vaccination up to date. This is an unlikely problem in an indoor cat but it is a terrible disease and it is best to be cautious -- and it is also the law in most places now.

Answer 6

I have a 6 month old and 2 cats and a jack russel that is just full of energy!! The cats try to avoid my lil layla as much as possible they are afraid to get close to her, but I do keep them locked out of the room when she is asleep so they dont get the urge to want to start getting in her bed and getting her covers covered with fur....but no that is just a tall tale...It really depends on the parents keeping a close eye on the baby's surrounds and what most attracts his/her eye...if the cats do then you know the cats will try to stay away as much as possible!!!! lol
Dont get rid of kitty's unless they hiss at the baby!! lol

Answer 7

I love my pets! I would be much more worried about having a dog. I would never give up my cat for such a silly reason. Most of what you might hear is old wives' tales. As long as you don't use a cat as a babysitter, or neglect the kid like Brittany Spears, then you don't have a problem. I have never heard of a cat killing or even hurting a baby. Possibly the only thing I have ever heard of is a toddler or young kid getting scratched if he pulls the tail and the cat has claws.

Answer 8

You can have best of both worlds, just be smart. Like when your child starts crawling make sure she or he cant reach the liter box and food, and if you can afford it try to get the cat declawed.
cats are generally behave well around babies, they pretty much will stay away though until they get used to the "new" little one. i a have a 2 year old siamese along with a 7 month old and an 22 month old and all live in harmony together. oh and since you are pregnant try not to clean the litter box there is a disease that can be harmful to you and your fetus, good luck

Answer 9

I had the same worries when I was pregnant. I asked my OB/GYN and he said that they were fine, I just had to stay away from their litter boxes.
I will still worried after the baby was born. My pediatrician asks at every well-exam if we still have the same household pets. He knows that we have 3 cats and a dog. I asked him if there was any problem with having cats around a newborn baby, and he said not at all.
Of course, I make sure to watch the animals around the baby, and the baby around the animals to make sure no one gets hurt!

Answer 10

First of all CONGRATS!! i heard the same thing. i had two babies aroud 2 cats and mine were fine.
just remember to not allow the cat access to the bassinett or crib. always watch animals around children,that of coarse goes w/o saying. but be sure to keep the cats access to the crib or bassinett closed off
and as far as the litter box when the baby gets mobile
what i did was i took out a drawer under the sink and put a baby proof lock on the sink door and the babies couldnt get to it

Answer 11

it depends on the cats. if they are aggressive or territorial, then they would certainly need very close monitoring until you're sure they're not plotting against the little one, and you wouldn't want the cats jumping in the crib or bassinet, but most of the horror stories about cats and babies are just old wives tales. we had indoor cats (and dogs and fish and hamsters and rabbits... but that's another story!) when the kids were little, and all not only lived to tell about it, but had a great time playing with them.
good luck, and congratulations!