Information On Cat
Information On Cat
I’m pregnant and have an outdoor cat - I’m worried about toxoplasmosis. Advice?
Author: admin13 Sep
Hi! I’m about 10 weeks pregnant and for the first 5 or 6 weeks I still had my cat living with me. She’s 1/2 indoor, 1/2 outdoor and does hunt rats and birds (yuck!). We did not have a litter box for her so I never came in direct contact with her feces, but she did come into the house, lay on our couch, sleep in the bed with us, etc. And one time before I took her to live with my friend, she actually touched her paw to the lower part of my lip (accident of course). I’m totally paranoid about toxoplasmosis as I know it’s very dangerous to an unborn baby especially in the first trimester. I first thought I was fine b/c I don’t have a litter box for her since she goes outside, but then I started worrying about her tracking it through the house, on the furniture, etc. I had her tested and they said she HAS been exposed but didn’t have an active infection -but they only tested her once so I’m not sure how they can know it isn’t active! Has anyone had a similar experience while preg?
You should try to keep everything very clean, and always wash your hands after petting her.
However, if you’ve had her for awhile, chances are you’ve already been exposed, which is a good thing. That means you’re not going to get infected now and hurt the baby.
That’s sad that you’ve sent her away!
8 Responses for "I’m pregnant and have an outdoor cat - I’m worried about toxoplasmosis. Advice?"
if theres no litter box ur fine just dont let her scratch or bite you or spend too much time around her thats all
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I am not a 100% sure that something will not go wrong but I had a cat that was indoors and outdoors plus had a litter box that I cleaned out every day. I made sure I did not inhale the litter I used gloves and a mask. But I did nothing else. MY baby is 100% perfect. But you should ask your Dr. and if its not safe to have the cat around you. God Bless
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You should try to keep everything very clean, and always wash your hands after petting her.
However, if you’ve had her for awhile, chances are you’ve already been exposed, which is a good thing. That means you’re not going to get infected now and hurt the baby.
That’s sad that you’ve sent her away!
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Don’t kiss the cat.
Wash your hands after you pet it.
Your stress is a greater health risk than the cat.
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You should be fine as long as you aren’t cleaning the litter box… since you said you don’t have one, it shouldn’t be a problem! Lol.
I foster cats for an area rescue, and I currently have 6 cats in my house (it’s a decent sized house, and the cats have a special room for their food, water and litter box, so you can’t even tell unless you see them and actually count them lol). I’m also 19 weeks pregnant. I asked my doctor about them because I was paranoid about it as well, and he explained how everything works with toxoplasmosis, and that the cats aren’t a problem as long as my hubby is the one to clean the litter box. I am around the cats every day, and a couple of them even sleep with us. I don’t think you have anything to worry about!
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I’m a 28 year old guy with lots of microbiology experience.
If the cat tested positive then it’s possible to transmit the disease by fecal matter. However the toxoplasmosis is always excreted in the cyst form (dormant phase). It usually takes about 2 days before the cyst "ripens" to become an active form. So it would take 2 days after the cat has secreted the disease, and then somehow transmitted it to you, before you can aquire the disease
The most important fact is the cat has to be secreting the occyst. (aka the cyst or spore form). It’s extremely low that the cat will seceret it. Studies show less than 2% seceret it, even with repeated exposure.
Finally your chances of spreading it to your fetus is low <15%
so given the chances that your cat is actually secreting the cyst, the cyst being active, and given the low probability of your fetus actually contracting the pathogen. I’d say your ok
however, your cat should be tested, and your titer count should be measured on the safe side. Watch out for changing the litter box, and don’t do alot of outdoor work
References :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis
There is only one way you will not worry all the way through your pregnancy and that is to give the cat to someone. It could be until your baby is older or permanently.
You are going to be stressed enough just being pregnant, you don’t need to add worry to it.
When one worries it has a negative affect on the body. It can increase the heart rate and your respiration. It can also cause a release of adrenaline and other chemicals into the the body. Physiological changes can also occur.
Remember, what is going on in your body is also happening in the baby.
You really don’t need this to take away from the true joy of being pregnant. There will be time later for you to get back together with your cat.
References :
http://members.tripod.com/david_gregory/worry.htm
http://www.theworryfreelife.com/worry.html
Im 37 weeks pregnant and own a cat boarding facililty, plus have 3 cats at home. I spoke to my Dr who gave me a blood test for toxoplasmosis antibodies and suprisingly after 15years working and keeping cats - i had not ever been exposed to this disease. I have been told that it is very rare to contract (in Australia anyway). I use disposable gloves when changing the litter but apart from that carry on as normal.
Try not to worry about it, enjoy your pregnancy and your cat!
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