For the Women Out There..Owning a Cat and being Pregnant..

[yumyum6970]

My husband and I are going to start trying to have a baby next month. As you know we have two cats. Yum Yum and Duchess. Well, my family tells me that we should get rid of the kitties when I get pregnant because the cats would be harmful to the baby. I have read that I should not change the litter box and things like that..is there any other information that I should know on this subject? Believe me I could never get rid of my furbabies...so they will have to learn to be around children. Thanks for your information!!

[KittyKats10]

i think ya should do something like this put them in a extra room for awhile so they cant harm the baby or let a family member hold on to them for awhile hope this helps

[Piglet]

If you do a google search on 'pregnancy cats' there's lots of websites with information, here's one that may be useful to you:

kidsncats

I have no personal experience with cats and pregnancy, but have never heard of anything going wrong, just that you have to keep a really good eye on the baby when the cats are around to see how they react.

Best of luck with getting pregnant!!

[Edwina's Secretary]

There are "old wives tales" around about cats and babies but those are B----S----!! You should not change the litter when you are pregnant. This was discussed just the last week or so on here. Cats do not get in the crib and suck the air out of babies, or smother them, nor attracted by the smell of milk on the baby!

Sorry, but I find these tales annoying. If you believe all of them you have to wonder....how has the human race survived??

Enjoy your babymaking, enjoy your kitties, and enjoy your baby!

[Chinadoll]

There is toxioplasmosis to consider, but I think it's rare. It's only transmitted through kitty poop, that's why they say pregnant women shouldn't handle litter or where gloves when chnging litter. As far as the cats being harmful to the baby, that's a load of bull. As with any animal be it a cat, dog, ferret etc.., if you don't watch them together, of course something harmful could happen...But, supervision is the key if you're going to introduce your pet to your baby. Cats are no more dangerous to a baby than any other pet you have in your house. Good Luck! Hope to hear good news soon And hey, this is a good time for hubby to start changing the litter all the time because you could *possibly* be pregnant...and then when you know for sure, he has no choice but to have to change it! Ahhh, can you just imagine 9 months of not having to change litter?! oh, to dream

[Vermontcat]

You will be able to keep your cats and enjoy having kids too. We have had our cat for 14 years and we have had 3 kids since then. You may have to make a few adjustments at first but later on they will be the best of friends. During your pregnancy let your husband clean the litterbox so you don't risk getting toxoplasmosis. Once the baby arrives you may not want the cats to sleep in the same room as the baby until they are used to each other. The cats may not like the baby's crying at first because it sounds cat-like! They also may be jealous that someone else is taking up their favorite laps! And once the baby starts crawling(usually in the direction of the cats)you will probably find your cats hiding or looking for higher ground out of the baby's reach. I'm sure your cats will love any kids you have and you will get some really cute photos of kids and cats too!

[K & L]

You do not need to get rid of your cats. Here's a very informative article:

http://www.cfainc.org/health/toxo-pregnancy.html

[yumyum6970]

Thanks guys for the information on this it helped out alot..and my husband is already taking the litter box out so I don't have to do that..I told him when we got the cats that would be his job

[KittyKats10]

LOL

[AmberLee]

Originally posted by Vermontcat
...The cats may not like the baby's crying at first because it sounds cat-like! ...

On another pet forum I belonged to, an expectant mother asked for volunteers to tape baby noises: especially crying so that her cats could adjust to the sounds more easily. [Most of us though this was a tad over the top, but who knows? ]

Best of luck to you and your husband (and fur kids and potential skin kids. )

[Ann]

I'm with Edwina's Secretary on this one, it's just a load of rubbish. Don't worry about it and good luck with it all

[C.C.'s Mom]

I agree with Ann and Edwina's Sec.

When we first started trying for a baby, I had my blood checked and with all the years I've had a cat and changed cat litter, I had never been exposed to toxoplasmoses. My GP said, it was rarely the cats that gave the humans the desease but more uncooked meat.

[Miss Meow]

As with all advice that sounds fishy ... ask the person 'why?' when they present such generalisations

Best of luck with everything. If your hubby is doing the litter already, there shouldn't be much to worry about, except choosing a colour scheme for the nursery

[Nomilynn]

Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary
Enjoy your babymaking, enjoy your kitties, and enjoy your baby!

definatly! (heehee!!!)

and when my mom was pregnant with me I pretty sure she had at least two cats.. and I'm not that wierd Ok I'm kidding.. she just made sure they didn't sleep in my crib. Likely she had to clean the litter too because my dad gets sick at the sight of animal poop (it's so cute.. big tough dad can't deal with the poop! )

I wouldn't worry about it.. kids love cats!!

[lynnestankard]

forget the myths pamela. i've always had cats - yes during and after pregnancies - without any problems. i've found all our cats actually like babies. there's never been any trouble - and both babies grew up knowing they couldn't hurt cats. now, as grown ups they both own cats of their own. cats are part of our life. and if you've got hubby to do the litter-box - good on you!

lynne