2nd Trimester

Is it safe to be around cats during my pregnancy?

Hello,

My boyfriend has 8 cats in his house. He loves them like they are his children. It's 4 adults and 4 kittens. They are super friendly to me and when I'm over there they will lay up under me in the bed or anywhere in the house.They are clean and groom.  Is it safe for me to be around the cats? Will it harm my child being around them? 
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Re: Is it safe to be around cats during my pregnancy?

  • You're fine to be around the cats, just avoid changing the litter boxes as that can cause something (I can't remember off the top of ny head). The cats themselves won't be a harm to you or your child in any way though.
    DS1 born 2/28/16
    DS2 due 12/12/18

  • Toxoplasmosis is a threat related to litter box changes (or really any interaction with the fecal matter of animals that consume raw meat).  The ONLY time this is a threat is if you get it for the first time while pregnant.  For most people that have had their cats for a long time, if their cats ever had it, they would have caught it long ago, and it therefore wouldn't affect a baby now.  If these cats are 100% indoors, it is very unlikely that they have it, as they would not be eating raw meat that could be contaminated.

     

    The threats for pregnant women and cats are as follows: if you get a new cat while pregnant (because it would be easy to catch it for the first time from a new cat), or if you change litter for an outdoor cat (which is usually not a thing...most outdoor and indoor/outdoor cats prefer to just go outdoors instead of in a litter box).  Unfortunately this threat is just really overblown.  I mean I'd love to avoid litter box duty while pregnant, but it's just not really necessary based on my two indoor-only cats that we've had for 10 years.  You can get toxoplasmosis literally from gardening (due to matter in soil), and no one tells pregnant women to avoid gardening.  That said, it is really serious, so if you get a new cat or an outdoor cat while you are pregnant, you should decline to change the litter if at all possible.

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  • People actually do tell pregnant women to avoid gardening, or at least to wear gloves. Gardening is more dangerous than changing litter as if you have a cat you're likely to already have been exposed to toxoplasmosis. 
    DD #1: April 2017
    DD #2: May 2020
    Baby #3: EDD May 2023; MC October 2022

  • tylender17tylender17 member
    edited November 2016
    Thanks, ladies. I appreciate your opinions and advice. 
    <a href="http://lilypie.com/"><img src="http://lbdf.lilypie.com/wf0Hm4.png" width="400" height="80" border="0" alt="Lilypie Pregnancy tickers" /></a>
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