Is it true...

tessa_s212

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Is it true that women who are pregnant should never change or clean a litter box ever? I've heard that many doctors try to suggest that all pregnant women should even get rid of their cats altogether, but I also have heard and personally believe that it is mostly an overdramatic reaction that as long as you are clean(washing hands, etc) and your cats are indoor and parasite free, that it is not an issue at all.

So is there any truth, some truth? Should all pregnant women get rid of their cats, or go about their litter box cleaning ways?
 

yosemite

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Aaah, the pregnant question! No, pregnant women definitely do not need to get rid of their cat(s). Pregnant women should hand off litter duty to someone else, but if there is nobody else, then simply get a pair of rubber gloves to use when scooping/changing litter and wash up immediately after. As my doctor told me, anything my cat might have, my body had already built up immunities to it and those immunities would be passed on to my unborn baby in my womb. Pregnant women can get toxiplasmosis (not sure of the spelling for that) so that is why doctors recommend handing off litter duty. But with care and cleanliness there should be no problems with kitties and pregnant women.

Also, cats don't suck babies' breaths but it is a good idea to keep the kitties out of the baby's crib. Some folks replace the door to the baby's room with a screen door to keep kitty out. My Siamese never bothered our baby and in fact had quite a strong bond to her. The Siamese would allow our baby to handle her in ways that she would only ever allow me to do before Jennifer was born.
 

kittkatt

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Originally Posted by Rosiemac

No it's not true. Like anything it's down to good hygiene, so just make sure your hands are well washed afterwards or wear rubber gloves

Like most myths, it's just a bunch of baloney.
I had cats while I was pregnant, and nothing's wrong with my son (well, not physically, anyway!
Just kidding, y'all!
).
 

caligirl

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Never had an issue here either but just to be on the safe side my Hubby did the litter box. Its also a good reason to get out of it for a while
Honestly though just be careful as you are with anything while you are pregnant. Congrats on the baby!!
How exciting! I get very excited about babies...shoot babies of all kinds...kitties...puppies.


Anyways, good luck and enjoy the blessing that you get to be a part of.
 

fastnoc

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see you blew it! you could have no posted this thread, and just went on not knowing the real answer. then you weren't playing dumb! now your consience will kill you when you don't clean the litter!

Curiosity killed the cat myth!
 

strange_wings

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Half the things you could eat, drink, or take could possibly do more harm. I'm assuming, of course, that everyone here washes their hands after changing the litter box.

You're surrounded by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and even parasites. You could just as easily get toxoplasmosis from digging in a flower bed outside, contaminated water, or from eating under cooked meat. (you can actually get a lot of nasty things from under cooked meat...). You should be more concerned about items and food handled by other people who don't wash their hands.

As Yosemite pointed out. If you've already been exposed to it, and for a while now, you're not going to pass it to your baby.


People may not believe this - But do you know that some people actually return movies with feces and urine on them?
I suspected this is how I got c. diff!



I hear similar stories from people who happen to mention to their doctors that they have reptiles. A lot of doctors will insist that a reptile will make you sick with salmonella and that it must be gotten rid of.
 

laureen227

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also, according to everything i've read, the feces need to 'age' before becoming problematic. so if you scoop daily or multiple times per day, there really shouldn't be an issue.
 
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tessa_s212

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Originally Posted by fastnoc

see you blew it! you could have no posted this thread, and just went on not knowing the real answer. then you weren't playing dumb! now your consience will kill you when you don't clean the litter!

Curiosity killed the cat myth!
Well, I already well suspected it was a myth and not a true problem; however it is an argument his family is using to try to force us to get rid of the kittens, so it was important to disprove it. Thanks to bad economy and our still being in college, we don't have our own place but are renting at his grandparents' house. She really dislikes animals to begin with, but I am truly really stubborn about NOT getting rid of our kittens. My animals are every bit my responsibility as a future baby, and I will not just dump them.

I tend to be a better watch on litter duty anywho. SO can be baaad about not cleaning it often enough. And oddly enough, I usually do not mind cleaning the litter one bit. After having worked at an animal shelter for quite some time.. one litter box is nothing to sweat over.
 
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