Questions and answers

Compare this section with Yahoo Answers and Google Answers. Questions are all related to becoming pregnant, pregnancy, birth and babies.
Go to the Questions and answers index

Cat shit
Added: 85 days ago.
Added by: ccayrl
Section: General.
Status: This question is Closed. (Questions will be closed after 10 days.)


Will cat shit affect my pregnancy? Should I touch my cat?

---

Shellybela - 82 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) You should not handle cat poop or change the litter box at all during pregnancy...There is something in their poop that can be harmful to the baby. I haven't heard to stay away from the cat though...

LMO - 82 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) it can be very bad for your unborn baby so you need to have someone else clean it or wear gloves and it can also be bad if the cat scratches you because it has germs underneath there nails

Melanie07 - 82 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) Cat's can carry Toxoplasmosis. You can get it from the feces. It can be very bad for your unborn child. You should either wear gloves when cleaning the litter or better yet, have someone else do it. Also, you should wash your hands after petting them. I have always had cats while being preggers. My cats this time liked to lay on my belly. I was also told to wear gloves while working outside because of stray cats going in the yard. You are most likely safe. I still wouldn't take chances.

heather4185 - 83 days ago Rating: 4 (1 votes) If you really need to clean the litter than make sure you are wearing gloves and throughly wash your hands afterwards. Also when doing gardening you should wear gloves in case the cat has done one in the flowers. You are fine to stroke your cat though but i would still make sure you wash your hands before touching your mouth, better to be safe .

Cindie - 83 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) Don't clean the litter box, and if your cat uses the bathroom on the floor make someone else clean it. BUT, petting a cat can be fine.

crystalmommy3 - 84 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) I can say from experience that yes it can. Touching your cat should be fine as long as there is no fecal matter transferring. In my second pregnancy my toxoplasmosis test came back positive. (this is what you get from cat poop) I had to go onto a specialist and everything ended up turning out okay. I had gotten it approximately 2 months before conceiving. But if you get it during pregnancy it can cause birth defects. Its a little like chicken pox’s in that once you get it you never get it again. You never know though if you’re immune to it or not because there really are no side effects, Unless your prego. You also can contract it from unwashed potatos. I'd still pet your cat but let someone else take care of the litter.

Mommyof2boys - 84 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) You can pet your cat just becareful if your cat scratches you, you need to go wash so you don't get an infection. If your cat uses a litterbox you need to let someone else change it, dont breathe in the smell or touch with your hands because it can be passed through you to the baby and its harmful.

mommy-of-3 - 84 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) You can play with/cuddle your cat all you want, you just can't change the litter box. There is something in the waste that carries "Toxoplasmosis" and can be very bad for the baby.The doctor told me if I had to change the box then I should be wearing gloves and wash my hands really well afterwards....

kater - 84 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) it is unlikely that you will contract toxoplasmomis from you cat, but there are safety precautions any pregnant cat owner should do, such as wearing gloves and washing you hands well after changing litter. the thing to remember is, cats are carriers of the disease, they get it from eating raw meat, such as some types of commercial cat food, or mice and rats. the virus stays in their systems for aprox 10 days, so if your kitty is an indoor cat, and you know they dint eat raw meat, your almost certainly completely safe. the poop is the only thing the toxo virus lives in, not the wee,so if you scoop the poop daily, there shouldn't be a problem. it is aually far more likely to catch the virus from handling raw meat while cooking or coming into contact while gardening that you have from touching a cat while pregnancy. also once a person has come into contact with the virus, they develop an immunity to it, and you can go and have tests run to see if you have had the virus earlier in life. so, yes you hsould touch your cat :D

RandiLee - 84 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) Touching your cat is fine....i sleep with mine every night.. Cleaning cat litter is notttt fine. Get someone else to do it for you. The ammonia is bad for the fetus.

lady26 - 85 days ago Rating: 5 (1 votes) You should stay away from or use Gloves if you cannot avoid it. I heard it's bad for pregnant women to touch 'cat shit' check with your doctor

mrsbekki - 85 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) YOu can touch your cat, but stay away from changing the cat box SO bad for us Pregos. That would be a job for your man.

mattie4 - 85 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) If you must change the litter box wear gloves and wash hands thoroughly afterwards. You can still play with your kitty. Toxoplasmosis is what you are trying to avoid. I had a friend that developed toxoplasmosis while she was pregnant, things did turn out ok. I have always had a cat with all my pregnancies, litter duty just gets handed over to the hubby (yay me) and my kitty still gets to cuddle up and around my growing belly :)

monica9 - 85 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) just dont go near the waste but hold, squeeze, play with your cat as much as you want!!

JillyBones - 85 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) You can give your kitty all the attention in the world, just don't clean up the litterbox yourself. There is a risk of contacting toxoplasmosis from the cat's waste (urine as well as feces). Toxoplasmosis in adults is not dangerous and is easily treated, however to developing fetuses it can be deadly.

ashleyandcaleb - 85 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) i heard that cat litter can affect pregnant women.I haven't heard that the cat itself can..

wildberry - 85 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) your cat is fine just don't clean up after her

gr8scottswife - 85 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) Yes. You can touch your cat but not the litter/crap.

niki - 85 days ago Rating: 5 (1 votes) Pregnant women and cats... You may have heard the rumors, but what threat does a cat pose, if any, to a pregnant woman? What are the real dangers of having a cat in the house while you or someone in your family is pregnant? Read on and find out! A pregnant woman will need to take extra precaution against contracting Toxoplasmosis during her pregnancy. However this doesn't mean that a cat can not live in the same house with a pregnant woman. There are many very simple and easy tips that you can do to make sure that Toxoplasmosis is not spread (if your cat even has it which he or she may not) to the expectant mother. Keep in mind that a pregnant woman can also contract Toxoplasmosis from unpasteurized milk products, and uncooked or undercooked meats such as lamb or pork. So cats do not pose the only risk to women as far as Toxoplasmosis is concerned, and in fact a woman is more likely to contract Toxoplasmosis from a source other than a feline. Hope this helps

MelissaJoanne - 85 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) Oh don't ignore your kitties! If you have someone else around to clean the cat box, have them do it. If not, wear gloves when you change the litter. The chance of you getting toxoplasmosis is very small, and most people with cats have already developed an immunity. Pet your cat all time.

Laura14 - 85 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) cuddling playing w2ith the cat is alll fine its the litter box you need to watch:) fr toxoplasmosis. great excuse not to clean it i found lol

young.mamma - 85 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) ive heard ur not suppose to touch the litter box!! u cant clean it,someone else has to..ur litter gives off some sort of chemical that is harmful to our bodies as pregnant woman and u can get very very sick..as far as touching ur cat go right ahead..i have two cats and they sleep in my bed with me,just be careful with washing ur hands and stuff,even if u dont touch the litter,the litter touches the kitties.

denee85 - 85 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) Don't mess with the litter box..You can pet the cat,but I would still wash my hands since cats will obviously have stuff on them occasionally since they lick themselves...Have someone else change the litter box

BonEsInspired - 85 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) Dear ccayrl, I would say touch your cat all you like! My cat has been a great comfort to me while being pregnant. He likes to cuddle finally lol. I do stay away from the cat litter though...As others have mentioned you probably already have toxoplasmosis because you have a cat but it would be best if you stayed away from the litter box anyways...Other places that have been mentioned are to do gardening with gloves on because there may be a large amount of cat feces in the soil or even raccoon feces which is toxic in it's own effect. In short, enjoy your cat, and enjoy having someone else clean the litter for the time being :D Best wishes, Bonnie.

Christina1984 - 85 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) docs say only the cat liter because of something in its urine. u can touch ur cat just dont go near the liter box. at least u wont have to do the job of cleaning it for a while lol

jessicadarling - 85 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) If you research toxoplasmosis you will see that there is a large chance you already have it because you have a cat. If you already have it then it is fine but if you contract toxoplasmosis when pregnant it can pose a problem. Don't change the litter if you don't have to. If you do wear a mask or hold your breath. Wash hands well and don't handle the feces yourself.

njstewy - 85 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) There is a small chance of getting toxoplasmosis from coming into contact with cat feces, however you can also get this from handling raw meat too. I had to change my cat litter all through my pregnancy cause my husband refused too! so I just made sure that I washed my hands really well in antibacteral soap afterwards, and I would recremend holding your breathe when you dump new cat litter in the litter box, I never heard anything wrong with it, but it can't be good.

lizzie287 - 85 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) Stay away from cat litter, your cat itself is fine. It's breathing in the dust from the litterbox that can pose a problem.

slg3233 - 85 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) Just stay away from the litter box the kitten itself is fine.

lilmissred - 85 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) as long as u stay away from the liter box-ur good.. u can still pet him tho

mtnwoman - 85 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) You can still love on your cat! Just make sure you have someone else change the cat litter. When changing it, it releases paracites in the air that have been found to be harmful. Its called toxoplasmosis and isn't harmful to you, but could be harmful to your developing babe.

kmokat - 85 days ago Rating: 5 (1 votes) You should stay away from the litter box, but you can pet your cat. I was just always really good about washing my hands afterwards.

Baby3OnWay - 85 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) your cat is fine as long as you had it before pregnancy but you shouldn't be changing the littler box as theres something called toxoplasmosis or something like that... from the amonia and such in the box.. check it out on the net!