Fluffy The Night Stalking Life Sucker


I have known many people to give away their feline friends at the first sign of pregnancy. A few unfortunate myths and wives tales exist that surround our furrier friends. The reasons behind abandoning little Bast are logical, unless you know the real facts.

First of all, no your cat will not suck the life from your tiny unsuspecting newborn. They may, on the other hand, get into the crib and try to lick the milk from the baby's lips. Or, we all know how cats love to sit by a person's head. This cute behavior could be life threatening to an infant. My advice to you, which worked for me, close the baby's bedroom door and use a good quality monitor.

For the first three months of her life, my daughter slept in bed with me, but after that she slept in her room with the door closed until she was nine months old. My theory was to keep the cats out until she was bigger than they were and strong enough to move her head out of the way of their soft bodies.

Another not so superstitious myth is toxoplasmosis. During pregnancy a cat can infect a woman with toxoplasmosis, but only if the cat spends time outdoors where it can eat wild animals, or the feces of wild animals. A less well known fact is that many women are immune to the bacteria. You see, it's like chickenpox in the fact that you will most likely never get it again after you are exposed to it once.

Let's look at some other reasons why a woman, or anyone for that matter, may get toxoplasmosis. When I was pregnant, I was given a blood test for the bacteria. It appeared that I had already contracted it from an unknown source. I had lived with cats for only four years of my life at the time and they were all strictly indoor animals. Since I could remember no fits of vomiting or terrible sickness I asked my doctor how I could have contracted such a thing. His reply was very nonchalant. He said I could've eaten undercooked meat, somehow been exposed to wild animals, and so on. He also went on to say that it was uncommon for someone to reach their twenties without already being exposed to toxoplasmosis.

So you see, you are as likely to get toxoplasmosis from undercooked steak or working in the garden as you are from your cute little house cat.

So, there you have it. You can keep your cats and have a successful pregnancy and a healthy baby. I am by no means a doctor, so be sure to get all of the appropriate tests anyway and wear a mask when changing the litter box. If you have never had toxoplasmosis, never change the litter box, wear gloves while gardening and working with soil, and be sure to eat well cooked meat.

-By Middaysun.

Links on this topic:
Toxoplasmosis and Pregnancy
Pregnancy and Cats: Don't Get Rid of Fuzzball So Quickly!