Contact with my cat

[mrsbrooks]

I know you can't change the cat litter without gloves on and can't be near sick cats but I'm worried that hugging and stroking my cat may be dangerous too. Is it better to stay away from my cat (as difficult it will be) or can I still stroke her?

If you already have a cat it is likely you have been exposed to toxo already, anyway I stroke mine but have good hygiene as a general rule i.e washing hands before eating. I think it should be fine and I couldn't stay away from my cat if I tried!

I don't know how you could do that :) my cat cuddles up next to my belly every night and the purring makes baby kick :) but I tested him for toxo just to stop thinking about it every day (am not immune) and he's an indoor only cat so am not worried :)

You're fine, even the cat litter thing is pretty low risk (although I have used the excuse all through my last pregnancy and this one)

I also told DH that breast feeding mothers couldnt do litter
theyre my cats as well

Very, very few cats have toxo so I wouldn't be overly worried. You're doing all the sensible things. Keep snuggling your furbaby whilst you have the time to!

I really wouldn't worry, the cat connection is imo over-hyped. I wasn't immune to toxoplasmosis, I have always had cats and they sleep with us too. When discussing with my vet she told me she wasn't immune either, despite handling a variety of cats every day, nor were many of her colleagues (we get regular toxo tests in pg here, so easy to check). She reckons it's a huge conspiracy against felines and blown out of all proportion as most pet cats are wormed anyway. It's a handy excuse for getting out of litter tray duty though.

The only people I have ever met who did have immunity were consumers of vast amounts of Parma ham and salami. So it's the pigs that give it to you, not the pussies!

Just adding a pro-cat vote! I had 3 cats during my pregnancies with DD1 and DD2 (one cat has since died :( ). I didn't change the litter during pg or BF, unless DH was away, and then used gloves. I never had any problems, neither did my girls. The cats don't sleep in our bed, but two of them are/were very affectionate so I had quite close contact with them rubbing themselves on me, licking me (!!) and otherwise being cat-like (fortunately its only their faces they rub on me :) ).

My daughters cat cuddled up to bump all through pregnancy, she occasionally changed the litter tray when no-one else was around to do it,she was fine, 7 week old baby and cat are now getting on fine, they seem to have a bond already......soooooo sweet !

Ahhhh moregranny that's lovely. DD2 and one of our cats have a "bond" too, but unlike your story, I think the cat wants the bond broken!!!

I am 56 now and have had cats since I was tiny, I had 2 cats as a wedding present and we never had any advice about pregnancy and cats in those days, everything was fine with my 2 babies,I think a home with pets teaches children to respect life......I know my 2 loved and still love all of our past and present pets and even 7 week old Millie managed a smile when she saw Suki today.

catsycat I am sure that when Millie starts to get mobile Suki will be going out more often !

Just wanted to add that if you don't want to be tested/test the cat do follow all the hygiene restrictions - gloves, etc although it is HIGHLY unlikely your cat COULD be a carrier so don't ban him from the house but be careful as well,
BTW toxo transmission is much more common through eating/handling raw meat or contaminated salads/fresh vegetables than through cats - however, it is very rare in the UK due to methods of farming etc.
I've had loads of cats over the years most of them rescued from the street or shelters and am neg for toxo - never had it! I guess washing hands is pretty effective :)

Re: cleaning products
If anyone's looking for decent cleaning products to use on litter trays/gloves/scoops etc then use bleach and rinse thoroughly or something like Trigene Animal (looks expensive, but you dilute it down a lot...).
Detol or anything that will cloud/colour water is highly toxic to cats and should be avoided.