Cats

[WasabiMommi]

What precautions do you take while pregnant while owning cats?

We have two and the husband has said he wants me to wash my hands every time I touch them..or they touch me..or I touch something they were on...I think it's a little ridiculous, honestly...But, is it?

[lillymonster]

I don't change the litter box because I would vomit. Other than that, I don't don anything special. I don't like my DH's cat though, and he doesn't like me, so we aren't around each other much

You can get toxo blood test, other than that, I am not sure what else you can catch from them.

[Sharlla]

well i didnt but mostly i had dh start doing boxes since he started sah
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[annablue]

I don't deal with the litterbox, but that's the only change I've made.

[bcblondie]

At first I was freaking out if they scratched me. But soon got over that. Touching is totally fine. I wouldn't change the litter though.

[RedOakMomma]

Your husband is being a weirdo.

Take him to your next OB or midwife appointment and have him go over this "wash your hands every time" business with a medical professional who specializes in pregnancy. That should take care of things. It's sweet that he's being protective, but seriously...if he's going to be protective, he at least needs to know the facts.

The only thing I avoid is changing the cat litter, and I ask that dh keeps the area around the cat boxes much more swept and cleaned up than usual.

[LSUtwinMama]

Do you have indoor cats? If so the chances of getting toxo from them is so remote I wouldn't worry about it at all (unless you feed them wild mice for snacks).
Even if an indoor/outdoor cat gets toxo (from eating little outdoor critters), they only actively shed toxo in their feces for a few days in their ENTIRE life making the chances that your kitties are shedding toxo while you're pregnant very remote.

Getting toxo from undercooked meats or unwashed veggies is a much bigger and more real concern than your kitties and even that is very rare.

All that said... I still make DH change the litter box for 9 months... the smell is enough to make me gag.

[MaerynPearl]

I don't change the litter BUT that's 1. because it grosses my pregnant increased senses out and 2. because that is DSs daily chore

Ive already tested positive for toxoplasmosis (likely from the barn cats where I grew up) so I could change the kitty litter just fine if I wanted to. But I don't anyway lol.

Touching them is fine. Your hubby's just paranoid!

[kittywitty]

I wash my hands after cleaning litter box. But I always do-it would be super gross not to!

[nia82]

I just don't do the litterbox cleaning, DH does it. Sometimes when he is gone for longer (36 hours at a time) I changed the litterbox using gloves and a mouth mask. I washed my hands afterwards thourougly. However now we bought another litterbox and build "litterbox city" in the basement, three litterboxes for our two cats, and that way, they can survive without changing it every day when DH is gone. He cleans them as soon as he comes home...

For not touching cats, that's a little too much. I touch, cuddle and pet them all the time! Of course I wash my hands before I eat or cook... As always

[WasabiMommi]

Changing the cat box has been DHs job since I was pregnant with DD But, he is a very paranoid guy in general. I usually choose my battles but, this one is tough! They are inside kitties and they are super loving. Stripuss sleeps with me and follows me around every day. He is like a dog, lol. And, yes..my cats name is Stripuss. The other one is Spot lol

[shoefairy3]

My dh changes the litter pans, but he has since we got the cats

[Beverly]

I don't take any special precautions. Like a PP said, I wash my hands after changing the litter box, but I always do that.

[BeanyMama]

I took no special precautions other than letting my guy handle the litter

[Ellen Griswold]

My cat literally sleeps on my pillow, wrapped around my head.

Dh does the litter box but that's because I would throw up.

[finnegansmom]

My dh does the litter box. And has since Feb of 2006 when I found out I was pregnant with #1. I then convinced him that Toxi is dangerous while breastfeeding and I couldn't change the boxes then either. Bless his heart he never questioned it.

I actually used to foster some ferals and strays for a while and had no issues (except for a grumpy dh).

[bella99]

I don't change the litter, but, honestly, it's been a couple of years since I did it anyway. I just don't do it, that's my husband's job.

Other than that, nothing, and my cats act like I'm there for their entertainment/cuddling half the time.

[Kelly1101]

I don't change the litter box. Other than that it's pretty normal. Although for some reason the cats have been annoying the hell out of me so I haven't been around them much lately.

[shoefairy3]

Originally Posted by Ellen Griswold

My cat literally sleeps on my pillow, wrapped around my head.

Dh does the litter box but that's because I would throw up.

Thats where one of our cats sleep too