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Tip - 35 - Babies
and cats - babies and kittens - pregnancy and cats
There is no reason whatsoever why you need to get rid of your
feline friend if you become pregnant or if you have babies
or small children. There are many myths out there about cats and
babies and the number one myth might be cats sucking the breath
out of babies. Cats and kittens DO NOT suck the breath from
babies. Cats may approach babies and sniff them, they may even
lick them but they don't suck the breath from them.
Common
sense is the best attitude when dealing with babies. Babies and
young children
should not be left unsupervised with any pet. No matter how improbable,
unlikely scenarios can always happen.
One cat related disease
that pregnant women should watch out for is called toxoplasmosis. It's
a parasitic disease that doesn't harm healthy humans. A large
percentage of North americans are already carriers of the disease
and will never become sick. However it can be passed to the fetus
by a woman who contracts it during pregnancy, and it can seriously
harm the fetus because it is so fragile. In order to pass it
on to the fetus the parasite enters the body orally usually by
way of unclean hands that have touched infected cat feces or
infected raw meat. It is therefore recommended that pregnant
women avoid litter box duties if at all possible. If it's not
possible then wear disposable gloves and a mask and put the feces
into a sealed plastic bag before disposal. Wash hands thoroughly
afterward.
More information on
toxoplasmosis is located here.
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2006
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