Cats on bed

[Catlady100]

Hi all- just found out I'm pregnant and I have cats, so toxoplasmosis is a consideration. I will of course be careful not to garden without gloves and they don't use litter trays. However, I downloaded the ovia app and this morning it sent me an alert saying do you allow your pets to sleep on your bed. If you do, and you have cats, you may wish to keep them out of the bedroom during the pregnancy. I can't find any reference to this on the nhs sites (or indeed anywhere else). What do you think? Have others banned them from the bedroom? Ours sleeps on the end of the bed and I would of course stop this if it presents a problem. Thanks for the advice! Cat x

I didn't keep them out of our room / bed but we did shut the door to the nursery a month or two before my due date so that they got used to that room being off limits. I never heard of that advice before, only the litter tray etc x

I'm currently 35 weeks with my first and have 2 dogs and a cat and all 3 sleep in the bedroom with us and I regularly have cat cuddles in bed and on the sofa, as long as you're not handling their poop directly and wash your hands I don't think there is as big a risk as many sites would have you believe I wouldn't panic

Thanks both, that's reassuring! Was trying to work out how we would manage to keep them out and still get any sleep! (With all the inevitable whining!). Xx

I wouldn't worry. Use the opportunity to insist your partner changes the litter tray, but even if you need to do that it'll be fine as long as you wash your hands.

Special cat slept on the bed with me a lot throughout pregnancy as I was unwell and off work, so he kept me company!

I read somewhere that Ovia app isn't the best for advice as US based. I still use it (as like the size updates and hand picture) but listen more to advice on Baby Buddy

I don't have cats, but I assume you won't want them sleeping on your bed when you've got the baby in with you so I'd stop them sleeping there now to get used to the idea.

I haven't stopped the cat sleeping on our bed and I don't plan to have the baby in with us either so no issues as yet.

In the country I am in, they screen for toxoplasmosis antibodies - I was (thankfully) found to have them. It's probably because I have had pet cats since I was 7. If you've had cats for a long time, you're probably already immune to it.