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Getting a kitten
I have a 3yr old and was thinking of getting her kitten.. I'm 19 weeks pregnant what are the pros and cons? Should I wait till after the baby?
If you do get one make sure to deworm right away and do kitten vaccines. Don't want anyone getting worms...that's why we decided against a kitten for now (just because they,and the litter, can be dirty and carry things)
My hubby said he will do the litter cleaning.. as far as the breed we don't know my upstairs neighbor friend is giving away because her cat had kittens but the one my neighbor has is very friendly with her son. And my daughter can be gentle at times. I can always teach her that and that will also prepare her for the baby. Right? Declaring idk if I will do that but I will get a lot of scratch pole this gs and even a rug just for the kitten..
Oh, just noticed all of the grammar mistakes, that's what happens when you type on the phone.
You might want to make sure that's the litter is cleaned by your hubby daily (if not few times a day). According to what I found out, it takes about 24 hours for taxoplasmosis bacteria to grow. So if somebody cleans the litter constantly you should be much safer.
You might want to make sure that's the litter is cleaned by your hubby daily (if not few times a day). According to what I found out, it takes about 24 hours for taxoplasmosis bacteria to grow. So if somebody cleans the litter constantly you should be much safer.
1) there is a risk of toxoplasmosis, however:
A. Take kitten to the vet when you get it and make them draw a test for toxoplasmosis. Unless the kitten ate raw food or was outside the change he/she has toxoplasmosis is 0 (according to my vet). Although, you want to have somebody else clean the litter box. Make sure you feed your kitten known brands that don't have any raw food. I feed my cats Wellness brand ( I got them from a breeder who fed them raw food, so I had to switch them to this brand. Luckily for me, after a recent blood test my cat had no toxoplasmosis). I just make sure they eat food that is not raw and they are not allowed outside.
B. Don''t get a fluffy cat (fluffy cat carry there poop around the house because it gets stuck in their fur). If to consider that your kitten in a few month will jump on the counter when you don't see it you might want to put all of your dishes away.
C. Wash your hands after any contact with a cat. Personally, I would not get a kitten while pregnant since when they are litter their immunity system is fragile (unless if you get a kitten from a breeder that is known for healthy cats).
D. I am surprised how in the USA everybody is careless about toxoplasmosis. My cousin (who lives in France) gave away two adult cats when he found out his wife is pregnant (because their doctor insisted).
E. If you grew up raw meat (sushi, salted port, etc) you might want to make a doctor take a blood test from you for taxoplasmosis ( you might be immune to it if you had it earlier in your life).
F. According to the US doctors your chance of getting taxoplasmosis is much higher from eating veggies or fruits that were not washed properly or consuming raw or undercooked meat.
As a side note: Persobally, to me it seems like US doctors are "cat" friendly as our country loves anymals, so they raise little or none awareness about the danger of taxoplasmosis (again, this is my personal opinion and does not apply to all doctors in the USA but my personal experience with the doctors here). Before I was pregnant I asked a doctor if she could do a blood draw to find out if I had immunity to taxoplasmosis or not. My doctor said that insurance does not cover it in the USA (when it does in many European coutries)...
A. Take kitten to the vet when you get it and make them draw a test for toxoplasmosis. Unless the kitten ate raw food or was outside the change he/she has toxoplasmosis is 0 (according to my vet). Although, you want to have somebody else clean the litter box. Make sure you feed your kitten known brands that don't have any raw food. I feed my cats Wellness brand ( I got them from a breeder who fed them raw food, so I had to switch them to this brand. Luckily for me, after a recent blood test my cat had no toxoplasmosis). I just make sure they eat food that is not raw and they are not allowed outside.
B. Don''t get a fluffy cat (fluffy cat carry there poop around the house because it gets stuck in their fur). If to consider that your kitten in a few month will jump on the counter when you don't see it you might want to put all of your dishes away.
C. Wash your hands after any contact with a cat. Personally, I would not get a kitten while pregnant since when they are litter their immunity system is fragile (unless if you get a kitten from a breeder that is known for healthy cats).
D. I am surprised how in the USA everybody is careless about toxoplasmosis. My cousin (who lives in France) gave away two adult cats when he found out his wife is pregnant (because their doctor insisted).
E. If you grew up raw meat (sushi, salted port, etc) you might want to make a doctor take a blood test from you for taxoplasmosis ( you might be immune to it if you had it earlier in your life).
F. According to the US doctors your chance of getting taxoplasmosis is much higher from eating veggies or fruits that were not washed properly or consuming raw or undercooked meat.
As a side note: Persobally, to me it seems like US doctors are "cat" friendly as our country loves anymals, so they raise little or none awareness about the danger of taxoplasmosis (again, this is my personal opinion and does not apply to all doctors in the USA but my personal experience with the doctors here). Before I was pregnant I asked a doctor if she could do a blood draw to find out if I had immunity to taxoplasmosis or not. My doctor said that insurance does not cover it in the USA (when it does in many European coutries)...
Yea my doctor asked me if I had a cat at home. If so not to.change the kitty litter someone else has to do it because of the bacteria in the feces. Other than that there isn't really any problem having a cat
The #5 that was missing from the list above was the point about how toxo is not transmitted by breathing in, just from hand-to-mouth transmission. I combined the points in 4 and 5 but forgot to re-number #6. :)
siloe713 --
Just because she was a nurse, it does not mean she knows what she is talking about. "The problem is that all cat fecal matter is poisonous and can cause toxoplasmosis" is such an overstatement as to be very misleading.
Fecal matter has bacteria in it, that is true. But cats and dogs (and many other animals, too) have much shorter digestive tracts than humans, so the material does not have enough time for bacteria in it to build up to toxic levels (which is what I assume you mean when you say "poisonous"). Why do you think a cat can wash his bottom and not get sick? This is also why dogs can eat poops. Gross, yes, but poisonous, no.
Regarding toxoplasmosis, here are some things to know.
1. A cat has to actually have toxoplasmosis in order to give it to anyone. Unless the cats go outside or eat raw meat, they are not going to have been exposed to it or get sick with it.
2. If a person has had cats all their life, or has done a lot of work with their hands in the soil, there is a chance they have already had toxoplasmosis at some point in their life and are now immune to it. A pregnant woman's doctor can run a titer and see.
3. If a cat has an active case of toxoplasmosis, his or her poops are not able to transmit it to anyone if they are new. Only if they are over three days old. So if someone (even the pregnant woman) were to scoop the box daily, allowing no cat poops to stay in the box more than 24 hours, they would not get toxo even from a cat who had an active case.
4. The transmission has to be oral. In other words, the pregnant woman would have to get some into her mouth in some way. And again this applies only if the cat has the illness at the time, and if the poops have sat in the box a few days. Toxoplasmosis is not transmitted by breathing anything in.
6. A person (including a pregnant woman) can get toxoplasmosis by eating raw or very rare meat, and by gardening (again, the hand-to-mouth transmission would be required, meaning, you reach for something in the soil, and later scratch your mouth and lick your lip, or something like that). When people have gotten toxoplasmosis, it's more common to get it from something other than the cat.
mushie156 -- It might not be wise to start with a kitten, but with a really calm, friendly and outgoing cat, if you can find one. My son loved our cats when he was 3, and almost all he ever saw of them was their tail and hind legs as they frisked out of the room (or let's face it, ran away from him) when he came in. Little kids are just too boisterous, noisy, and sudden in their (unexpected to the cat) movements, for most cats to be calm in their presence. Even now, when he is 9, our cat will sit on the bed with him but if I leave the room, the cat comes with me. He doesn't yet trust my son fully (and I can't blame him entirely. Even though my son loves him and wants him to sleep with him, he has also recently blasted him with an air-popper thing that looks like a megaphone and shoots puffs of air.) Cats are not stupid, and one of the reasons they live so long is that they make themselves scarce first and ask questions later. This can be very sad for a child who genuinely cares about the cat but can see that the cat does not choose the child for his favorite.
Just because she was a nurse, it does not mean she knows what she is talking about. "The problem is that all cat fecal matter is poisonous and can cause toxoplasmosis" is such an overstatement as to be very misleading.
Fecal matter has bacteria in it, that is true. But cats and dogs (and many other animals, too) have much shorter digestive tracts than humans, so the material does not have enough time for bacteria in it to build up to toxic levels (which is what I assume you mean when you say "poisonous"). Why do you think a cat can wash his bottom and not get sick? This is also why dogs can eat poops. Gross, yes, but poisonous, no.
Regarding toxoplasmosis, here are some things to know.
1. A cat has to actually have toxoplasmosis in order to give it to anyone. Unless the cats go outside or eat raw meat, they are not going to have been exposed to it or get sick with it.
2. If a person has had cats all their life, or has done a lot of work with their hands in the soil, there is a chance they have already had toxoplasmosis at some point in their life and are now immune to it. A pregnant woman's doctor can run a titer and see.
3. If a cat has an active case of toxoplasmosis, his or her poops are not able to transmit it to anyone if they are new. Only if they are over three days old. So if someone (even the pregnant woman) were to scoop the box daily, allowing no cat poops to stay in the box more than 24 hours, they would not get toxo even from a cat who had an active case.
4. The transmission has to be oral. In other words, the pregnant woman would have to get some into her mouth in some way. And again this applies only if the cat has the illness at the time, and if the poops have sat in the box a few days. Toxoplasmosis is not transmitted by breathing anything in.
6. A person (including a pregnant woman) can get toxoplasmosis by eating raw or very rare meat, and by gardening (again, the hand-to-mouth transmission would be required, meaning, you reach for something in the soil, and later scratch your mouth and lick your lip, or something like that). When people have gotten toxoplasmosis, it's more common to get it from something other than the cat.
mushie156 -- It might not be wise to start with a kitten, but with a really calm, friendly and outgoing cat, if you can find one. My son loved our cats when he was 3, and almost all he ever saw of them was their tail and hind legs as they frisked out of the room (or let's face it, ran away from him) when he came in. Little kids are just too boisterous, noisy, and sudden in their (unexpected to the cat) movements, for most cats to be calm in their presence. Even now, when he is 9, our cat will sit on the bed with him but if I leave the room, the cat comes with me. He doesn't yet trust my son fully (and I can't blame him entirely. Even though my son loves him and wants him to sleep with him, he has also recently blasted him with an air-popper thing that looks like a megaphone and shoots puffs of air.) Cats are not stupid, and one of the reasons they live so long is that they make themselves scarce first and ask questions later. This can be very sad for a child who genuinely cares about the cat but can see that the cat does not choose the child for his favorite.
I've had a nurse tell me absolutely not to go anywhere near cats during pregnancy. She said the problem is that all cat fecal matter is poisonous and can cause toxoplasmosis. Hence why you should never change the litter box yourself. The problem is that while we think the litter is contained you can never be sure. If your little one accidentally gets into it, or if another object or your cats fur continues to be near it etc. It can cause birth defects and is problematic for young children. She was adamant that no one pregnant or with small children should take a chance.
I don't have any experience whatsoever with cats or toxoplasmosis or even children since this is my first pregnancy, but this pregnant nurse was passionate about it.
I don't have any experience whatsoever with cats or toxoplasmosis or even children since this is my first pregnancy, but this pregnant nurse was passionate about it.
I LOVE kitties lol so my opinion may be biased lol. But there are a few things to consider. 1) does your LO know how to be gentle with a kitty? (We have a hybrid mix dog, she's the BEST with our son, he's NOT very gentle, seriously body slams her, jumps on her, tries to ride her etc. He'd be a nightmare for a kitty lol) 2) do you have someone to help with the littler box? That's the main issue with being pregnant and kitties. You should NOT be cleaning litter boxes and you can't count on your LO to do it. 3) consider (& I know this is eesh!) Adopting a declawed kitten/cat. The bacteria can build up on their claws so when they scratch you, your LO or new baby it can cause serious health issues. I had a cat for 12 years that wasn't declawed, she was strictly indoors but she'd still get out and go "hunting" (so many birds/mice that she'd bring to our door step... :-( sad) I couldn't imagine her scratching me or anyone else playfully after hunting. Or using the box for that matter. I think those are the main things to think about before deciding. If you have help and your LO knows how to be gentle, then I think you have a good chance of getting a kitty. The claws will in the end be your option. I used to trim my cats nails, but when they're too short, they can be super sharp and you can't trim cause they have to grow. I know a lot of people frown upon declawing, I get it, but with LO's it's a consideration I'd pick. If the kids were older I wouldn't worry about declawing cause their immune system would be built up and they'd be old enough to understand when the kitty doesn't wanna play or cuddle. But LOs it's hard sometimes. Good luck!!! OH! And look into breeds too. Tabbys can be more rambunctious, ragamuffins are usually more child friendly, etc. Different breeds of cats are just the same as dogs. Do some research before picking. :-)
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