I have a lil cat and im pregnant

[mmg102]

Im pregnant and I will have a baby girl...y boyfriend just got a kitty and the baby cat just got home never been in a veterinarian or take any medication... is this helthy for me and the baby

[VARocky]

Hey there, I am a Licensed Veterinary Technician and was reading your post and thought I'd comment.  I would not be concerned about being pregnant and having a new kitten in the household, however there are some precautions to take. I'm not exactly sure how old the kitten is or the history of where it came from, but you definitely should get it vaccinated once it is between 6-8 weeks old and it does need to go in as soon as possible to be given a couple doses of dewormer.  It is a very simple process, but important to ensure that no worms can be passed along.  You also should not be the one to scoop the litter box so you don't get Toxoplasmosis.  It is rare that this is passed along especially when you are washing your hands thoroughly, but just to be on the safe side...plus then you have an excuse not to have to scoop the box : )  I wouldn't worry about the kitty's claws either...if you are concerned, you can apply soft paws, which are plastic cat nail covers.

[FurballsMom]

I also agree about not declawing cats.  They have claws for a reason.  I agree with Pip, too, about how to keep the cat from scratching or biting.  Cats are actually quite athletic, too, so interactive toys and a lot of play time together with any of those toys that are basically sticks with toys attached to them with a string that you buy at a pet store are excellent toys.  Even my ten year old cat still likes this kind of toy and doesn't act like a senior cat at all.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqzvN-d99qo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1ZrzD0prZ4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uoo-xjWGR8Q

It doesn't take cats long to learn the word "no".  Akira even knows the word "gentle", which I tell her when she starts to bliss out and get carried away.

Teach your cat to allow you to trim her toenails on a regular basis.  One thing you can do to make it less stressful for your cat is to do something the cat likes a lot each time after you have trimmed her toenails.  Akira loves her grooming tool that I just refer to as a brush.  You should see her eyes light up when I say the word "brush" to her.  So, this is the activity I do with her after I trim her toenails.  It's important to the cat's health and well-being to keep the nails trimmed and to keep the cat's stress level down as much as possible.  The cat will still never like getting her nails trimmed, but she'll be more likely to cooperate with you if you provide something for her to look forward to after the nail trimming session is over.  

I even had a pet rat that I conditioned to allow me to trim his little toenails while he was still a juvenile but big enough for me to be able to see what I was doing so I could do it safely.  With rats the easy thing to reward them with is a favorite treat.  Okay, not everyone likes the idea of a prey animal for our beloved cats being a pet.  This was a very long time ago, and he was a good pet.  I was just making the point that it works really well with any pet we have that needs its nails trimmed to make nail trimming less stressful by offering a reward of some kind that the animal looks forward to after the nail trimming session is over.

Continue to provide a scratching post and/or scratch pad for the cat.  Akira always instinctively scratches her claws after I trim them.  It helps keep them in good condition.  She clearly doesn't like to get her nails trimmed, but she is actually very cooperative about it and doesn't complain too much.

[AppleBr]

I completly agree with Opus and Pip about everything.No declawings.

[Piparskeggr]

I'm with Opus on this, both in the advice on litter and food handling, AND the declawing. Declawing is basically amputating part of kitty's toes and leaves them defenseless if they do get out without human supervision.

My wife and I have had many cats over the years, they instinctively know other babies for what they are I have observed.

The best way to train kitty not to scratch or bite is do not use your hands as toys for kitty.  Always use something that kitty will associate as a toy (like a feather on a string, a cloth mouse or other such).

Provide a scratching post or pad and praise kitty when that is used instead of furniture, keep a spray bottle handy, a quick spritz accompanied by a firm "No!" will show kitty where not to scratch.

[opus88]

yes please do take kitty to the Vet for a checkup and later on its vac's but PLEASE don't consider de-clawing...ESPECIALLY if you plan on having this kitty not staying indoors, declawing is not only  cruel its also taking away any form of protection this kitty has from other cats that roam around, he/she will be injured easily.

I've had cats/kittens all my life and raised babies around them too....they stay away from babies its not as if they are a threat and as the child gets older teach them to respect animals and how to handle them gently this will prevent any scratches or bites....

the biggest thing you need to be concerned about while pregnant is toxoplasmosis....this can be carried in cat feces(as well as raw meats, unwashed fruit/vegetables and soil too)...have your boyfriend do the litter box cleaning and always wash your hands very well after handling any raw meat or garden soil...I will send you a link for more info on that, please read this article very carefully...good luck to you and baby and the kitties:)

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/01/14/toxoplasmosis-infection.aspx?e_cid=20130114_PetsNL_art_1

[Alywoj]

I guess if I was in your position I would watch the kitten carefully and then depending on when you're due and if the kitten is going to be indoors take it to the vet to get all its shots done, claws taken out, etc. in about 2 months or take it to the vet in about 2-3 weeks to make sure it doesn't have worms or any kindve diseases. Hopefully the kitten will be able to stay with you when the baby is born. I just got a kitten myself and I always have little cousins running around at my house so I also know that if you're gonna keep the kitten you're gonna have to make sure it isn't biting and scratching or that it doesn't have any diseases. Hope this helped :)