pregnant and i own cats

Hello everyone. i have a question. im not pregnant yet(and i stress yet lol) but i have 4 cats. now that i have heard a million different things about having cats and being pregnant. i have a relative that as soon as she found out she was pregnant got rid of her cats. now i am a HUGE animal lover and i am by nomeans getting rid of my cats. my question is what is the truth behinde cleaning kitty litter and being pregnant. any other info on havin cats and being pregnant is very much welcomed thanks soo much for all your input! xox

[tiredbuthappy]

your best bet is to have a simple blood test done to see if you've had toxoplasmosis. if so, then no worries. if not (like me), then it is advised that you not clean litter boxes (if you do, take extra precautions like wear gloves, dust mask, etc...). my dh takes care of all the litter now.  if your cats are indoor cats, your risks of getting it are lower. you also need ot be careful gardening, especially where animals may have gone to the bathroom. but don't get rid of your precious animals!!! my kitties were a huge comfort to me when i was so sick in the beginning.

[NataliesMommy]

My dh was in charge of changing the litter box when I was pregnant.  I had no problems with having a kitty kat.

[kraziekracka]

i had a cat while i was pregnant and most of my family members have cats too...i wouldnt get rid of them...but i wouldnt clean their litter boxes...my boyfriend cleaned ours while i was preg.

[yoursmineours]

I had a cat during my pregnancy.  Just don't clean the litter box.  Have someone else do that for you.

[michellejune]

I also have 4 cats and everyone hounded me to immediately stop cleaning the box. So I requested a Toxo test at my Dr's. My test came back negative and I'm still awaiting to see if I have a past infection to see if I'm immune. For now my DH is cleaning the box.
However, my doctor kind of laughed it off when I requested the test. She said toxoplasmosis is so rare in the US. That even just wearing gloves and making sure to wash you hands does the trick.

The way it works is that the poop has to be in the box for 48 hours before the bacteria forms to if you clean the box daily you shouldn't have an issue.

Of course, you can never be to careful and I will continue to let DH do it but there is really no need at all to think you will need to get rid of your precious kitties.

[mommyluv02]

ask your doctor but i think that if you wear one of those medical masks while changing the litter box then i think you would be ok

[mom2rachie]

The disease you get from cats is usally carried by most cats and you are probably immune by now.  But if not take comfort in the fact that it's cause by cats eating live animals.  That's why they say not to garden either because they can go to the bathroom inthe garden.  If your cats are idoor cats and don't have the opportunity to eat live mice or bords and are only on cat food, chances are you're fine.  I too have 4 cats and i changed the litte box my entire pregnancy.  I washed my hands immediately after and never handled their feces with my bare hands.  
Anyone who gets rid of their pet before there is a problem and just because they're pregnant is not a real animal lover.  My cats are my family.  It sounds like you feel the same way.
Good luck with your pregnancy.  

[Danij]

Like the other ladies said it's ok to have cats when pregnant (trust me i throughly looked this up, but yeah there was no way i was parting with my little man)

Have someone else clean out the kitty litter, if you have to do it then wear clothes and a face mask, make sure you keep your cats indoors, as having them wonder in and out means there at a higher risk of giving you something.  If you haven't had them for too long, just take them to the vet and have them tested and yourself to make sure your not carrying it.  But other than that you should be fine, just don't bring in any new cats or kittens to the household.

[ImmortalOne]

I have 3 cats and I'm 17weeks 5 days.  I also had cats with my other two successful pregnancies.  Right now my fiancee' and daughters are in charge of keeping the boxes clean so not to risk the baby at all.  That seems to satisfy my doctors.

[ange800]

I had 4 cats with my first pregnancy and I also had a comments from people they were people that didnt like cats saying things like cats can soficate babies and other **** I just ignored people like that I just made sure I washed my hands after I had patted my cats they were all outside cats but I've had cats all my life so are prob immune to toxoplasmosis. I got a special screen door in the lounge to stop the cats from going up the front and they werent even interested in the baby I was really surprized I now have 3 cats and another baby and everyone fits in well with each other I dont understand why people get rid of their cats because of having a baby your like me a cat lover good luck.  

[ImmortalOne]

When my daughter was born in 97, I had a cat who used to sleep with her (not till she was much older like 4 months because she slept with me).  The reason people say "cats suffocate babies" is because often they are trying to get at the milk upon the babies lips/mouth.  Personally I feel this is a wives tales, but I keep vigil over the crib and kick him out whenever I caught him in there.

[2007mommy]

I have a cat who is like a child and no way would I ever consider giving her away. My husband is a doctor and he also agrees that have someone else clean the litter box. Also, my cat is an indoor cat we are lucky when we can get her out on the deck, and my DH says the chances of an indoor cat having any diesease is very low, And for as when the baby is born, we are going to have to treat the cat as if she was a child and give her just as much love and attention when we can.(even though she will probably hide for the first week)

Good luck with getting pregnant and enjoy your cats

[twinscared]

I worked for a vet the entire time i was pregnant.  i was a vet assistant so i got the wonderful job of helpng the kennel guy do boxes if he was overwhelmed.  the vet i worked for was very cautious of this type of thing.  he did some research and found out if i took proper cautions like not inhaling the litter (duh) and washing my hands that i had a better chance of getting toxoplasmosis from handling raw meat!  i didnt tell my hubby though because he cleaned the litter boxes out at home for me when i was pregnant!