Human babies and cats :D

[carolina]

To be on the safe side, ask your husband to clean the litter box... That is really the best way to prevent toxo, besides giving up on the kitties, which is, well, just not an option for a cat lover...

 

[twstychik]

Originally Posted by carolinalima

To be on the safe side, ask your husband to clean the litter box... That is really the best way to prevent toxo, besides giving up on the kitties, which is, well, just not an option for a cat lover...

But for some of this it isn't an option. If I left it up to DH to clean the box Frankie would be peeing everywhere. Besides, if you educate yourself and get tested, then the risk is almost non-existent. Life in general is al about calculated risk.

 

[yosemite]

Originally Posted by laureen227

don't know about that... my nephew who's allergic to peanuts had peanut butter fairly young - his mom let him have a bite of her PBJ sandwich & ended up taking him to the emergency room. i know he was under 2 years old at the time.
most of my food allergies are to foods i used to eat quite often.

There will always be exceptions. I think the study was showing more the rule than the exception.

Originally Posted by AMYSCRAZY

I have 4 children and have always had cats. I have always changed the litter box as well...my DR. said that because I have had cats all my life, I probably already have immunities built up and that it is fairly rare that they actually see it. It's one of those things they have to disclose because someone got it and they don't want to be held liable (sp?). My cats are pretty good to stay away from my baby (2 mo), she is scary and noisey

I just limit their access to the nursery. BTW, my kids are not allergic to anything and very rarely get sick.
We used to joke that germs were our friends. People are way to worried about everyday things and in response to that there are new strains of viruses popping up every day!

We were the same - as kids we had mumps and measles but rarely if ever even caught a cold after tobogganing and skating on the pond with snow soaked clothing. I do think folks these days are far too concerned about germs and need to let our bodies build up natural immunities.

Originally Posted by carolinalima

To be on the safe side, ask your husband to clean the litter box... That is really the best way to prevent toxo, besides giving up on the kitties, which is, well, just not an option for a cat lover...

I also could not count on my husband to do the litter box. Keeping a pair of rubber gloves for litter duty and washing hands (and gloves while you still have them on) after doing litter duty would probably be quite safe.

 

[twstychik]

Originally Posted by Yosemite

I also could not count on my husband to do the litter box. Keeping a pair of rubber gloves for litter duty and washing hands (and gloves while you still have them on) after doing litter duty would probably be quite safe.

That's what I do... with a dust mask.

 

[emmylou]

Yes, scientists have determined that being raised with a cat or dog in the house makes children *less* likely to be allergic to them. That's because new babies' immune systems calibrate to their environments early on, deciding that whatever is regular in their environment is "normal."

And I agree with everyone else that there's no cause to worry. Of the babies I know who were born into houses with pets, it seems like "cat" or "dog" or the name of the pet is often their first word... because they're so enamored of the family pet.