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Original poster

Is this as dangerous as I think it is..?

83 replies

Whyohwhydididothat · 14/12/2020 19:45

My sil in law is due her first baby in early March and around a month ago bought a kitten.

The kitten is absolutely gorgeous and really loving! I have no problem at all with cats and have one myself. Sil is very attached to the cat and has it sleep in bed with her. In fact she won’t leave it in the house alone because it’s still settling in.

I mentioned that maybe it would be good to start having the cat sleep elsewhere because it’s going to be a big upheaval for the cat otherwise. A new baby and changing where she sleeps at the same time. Sil informed me that she wasn’t going to kick the cat out of her bed and it was going to sleep in the room with her and the baby.

This sounds insane to me! When mentioning my concerns I was told to butt out. Is this as dangerous as I think it is or am I being overly cautious?

OP posts:
user8888 · 14/12/2020 20:44

So long as someone else is changing the cat litter. I think pregnant ladies aren't supposed to do that because of some kind of cat related disease?

ShalomToYouJackie · 14/12/2020 20:47

So long as someone else is changing the cat litter. I think pregnant ladies aren't supposed to do that because of some kind of cat related disease?

Very small chance of toxoplasmosis but if you were already changing the litter before pregnancy you would've already been exposed to this.

Although I haven't told DP this and haven't changed the litter trays for 5 months 😁

ShalomToYouJackie · 14/12/2020 20:50

Also should add toxoplasmosis is really rare but if it is passed by cats, it's cats that have eaten mice or a bird or raw meat. As long as she wears gloves and washed her hands she'll be fine

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HolyBuckets · 14/12/2020 20:52

The cat won't want to stick around in the room with a screaming baby, it'll trot off and find somewhere quiet.

Changethetoner · 14/12/2020 20:53

She needs to be careful of toxoplasmosis in the cat litter. Best if somebody else changes it while she is pregnant. As a responsible cat owner, I'm sure she's aware?

Sparklingbrook · 14/12/2020 20:53

www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/pregnancy/why-should-i-not-change-cat-litter-during-pregnancy/#:~:text=Cat%20litter%20and%20cat%20poo,cause%20miscarriage%20or%20stillbirth

Rubber gloves and handwashing are recommended if you can't avoid it but Toxoplasmosis is also caught from other sources according to this.

ShalomToYouJackie · 14/12/2020 20:54

Toxoplasmosis can also be got from. raw or undercooked meat (meat showing any traces of pink or blood), and raw cured meat such as Parma ham or salami and unwashed vegetables and fruit

Piwlyfbicsly · 14/12/2020 20:59

I wouldn't allow any animal to sleep in the same room with a newborn, end of. I am an animal lover, I really am. But I am also aware of animals being animals and sometimes they have bad feelings too that they can express in different ways and sometimes unexpectedly. My baby sister nearly lost her eye to a cat, it happens.

LegoLady95 · 14/12/2020 21:02

I woke up one night and my cat was asleep on top of DS2 in his moses basket. I didn't let her in the room so she must have snuck in and was attracted ti his warmth. Luckily she was on his bottom half, but he was only 2 weeks old and could have overheated or something.

Maryann1975 · 14/12/2020 21:13

I wouldn’t have wanted one if my cats sleeping in the room with my newborn for various reasons. As @LegoLady95 said cats will sleep in the basket with the baby and I just wouldn’t feel happy with the risk. I’d also have been terrified that the cat would jump in to the basket and wake baby up, meaning I would have to start the whole getting back to sleep thing all over again. The thought of this even now fills me with dread. Also kittens/cats are not known for sleeping all night long and will often wake you up for no apparent reason, they are bored, hungry, want to go outside, whatever. Our cat still sleeps downstairs because I do not want to be woken up at 3am because she needs a wee (she has a litter tray). I’m sure your sil will catch on soon enough though.

ScreamingBeans · 14/12/2020 21:23

Potentially.

The thing about risk assessment is that you assess the risk, then see how bad the consequence of the risk is, then decide if you want to continue to take the risk.

Personally I wouldn't because I cannot see what extra benefit there is to me and my baby, if I let the cat sleep in the same room as me. There isn't a terrible inconvenience, upheaval and discomfort for everyone in getting the cat to sleep elsewhere and there is a marginal benefit of less risk to the baby.

In that scenario, I'd go with the marginal benefit. But I like babies and I don't particularly like cats, so that will be biasing me.

PurplePansy05 · 14/12/2020 21:31

I'm pregnant now, my kitten sleeps in the bedroom and she'll continue that, unless she chooses to sleep elsewhere. We'll do careful introductions and watch their interactions initially until everyone is settled in each others' company. I really wouldn't be overly worried about this.

PetertheWalrus · 14/12/2020 21:31

yes, there have been cases of cats suffocating babies.

Really? I've never heard of a case and it's the sort of sensation that the press would shout from the housetops. We've had cats and kittens for years. Not one would stay in the same room as a crying baby.

JonasKahnwald · 14/12/2020 21:32

I stayed at a friend's with my son when he was 6 months and woke to find her cat in the travel cot with him. I was not happy.

AintOverUntilTheCatLadySings · 14/12/2020 21:32

I have cats so I really looked in to the risks of cats vs babies. I found one unconfirmed case from Russia/Ukraine (even the newspapers couldn't agree on the source) where a cat suffocated a baby.

If this was a common thing it would have been easier to find news reports on it.

Saying that, I didn't let my cats sleep in with my baby because they (the cats, but the baby too) are really annoying at night. And I also couldn't be bothered with the faff of dirty paw prints everywhere.

But, YABU. It's not really any of your business. And if it was a big deal the midwives would ask everyone if they had pets, where they sleep etc

naptimeismyhappytime · 14/12/2020 21:36

None of your business!

ILoveYoga · 14/12/2020 21:38

I grew up with a car and dogs. It never occurred to me any danger about cat/dog and baby. Had my first baby when living in my home country and had two dogs at the time. One used to go snd rick the cradle when my baby cried. They were such great friends

Then I moved to UK. We bought two kittens for our D.C. but one really loved my DH and would sleep in our bed. It’s was only shortly before having a baby here that I heard about cats suffocating babies.

I bought netting to go over the cradle but to be honest, neither cat went into the cradle (nor the cot later on).

When we had our last D.C., I didn’t bother with the netting. Cat never went into baby’s crib nor cot.

If you’re really really concerned, as an additional baby gift, why not give her the netting?

mintich · 14/12/2020 21:40

Going by my cats, itll bugger off as soon as the baby starts crying!

insiwinsi · 14/12/2020 21:43

i met an old woman in a shop who said the cat had suffocated one of her brothers or sisters when she was a child (why she was telling me this I have no idea!). Apparently they like to sleep on/near babies because they are warm / soft. Having heard this I really wouldn't want a cat around my baby or anyone else's!

Anotherlovelybitofsquirrel · 14/12/2020 21:43

Get a hobby. You clearly have way too much time on your hands OP!

Santaisironingwrappingpaper · 14/12/2020 21:44

My ds was 2 before dcats could stand the noise of being anywhere near him!! I reckon dcat will find it's own new sleeping space soon enough op!!

cookiesthatcrumble · 14/12/2020 21:49

Cat nets are a thing. We used one but we ended up putting it on a frame, because the cat sat on it and it sank into the moses basket.

My midwife told me that if you have always had cats and changed their litter you were already had/ were immune to toxoplasmosis.

(Mind you, she also told me that the windows in the maternity ward were boilted shut to stop women leaping out of them with the pain of childbirth- seriously).

Newstart20 · 14/12/2020 21:54

It's very dangerous as the kitten may get into the babies cot. I totally agree that the kitten needs to get used to sleeping elsewhere so that it isn't such an upheaval later.

On a side note she shouldn't be dealing with cat litter when pregnant as it can be dangerous too.

anothernc4you · 14/12/2020 21:55

You are not overreacting. I didn’t let my cat’s in the bedroom when we were sleeping. It’s well known cats like to sleep on top of warm things and I regularly used to wake up with mine trying to sleep on my face!

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