Cats and children

[dandysmom]

I think the above answers have summed it up pretty well. I grew up with cats and was taught to respect them from an early age. I bet there were times my Mom would have preferred rehoming me! (Another joke, BM!)

[Tina]

I can't imagine giving up a beloved pet just because there are children in the house. However, I know that this does happen frequently and have seen it happen myself among friends and neighbours, etc. There are at least 3 "scare tactic" reasons for this happening that I know of.

I was myself advised by MANY people to give up my cat when I was expecting my son......the reasons I was given and my solutions to the "problems" were;

1. Pregnant women having contact with cat litter cause serious health and deformity risks to their baby. SOLUTION: Let OH clean the box.

2. Hygiene/Sanitary reasons. SOLUTION: Keep litter boxes etc clean and sweep/hoover up fur frequently.

3. This was the biggest scare tactic used for new parents in Canada and the US around the time that my son was born and I know that, in Canada at least, it is still used. MANY new parents were told of the severe dangers of having a cat in the home when they had infants, the reason was that cats are natural "heat-seekers" and will find the warmest spot to sleep. Some years ago, there was a scare when several infants were suffocated by family cats that had "found the warmest spot" and curled up to sleep on their heads/faces. Very sad of course, but the SOLUTION is obvious; keep doors where sleeping babies are CLOSED.

I kept my cat when I had my son and had no problems at all, it's really about common sense. Unfortunately many people either lack that common sense or are easily "scared" into believing something awful will happen. Also, claims that having a cat in a house with a new baby can cause the child to have allergies or asthma are a myth......cigarettes can cause that....NOT cats!

[yola]

My points exactly Tina!!! Each one of these hysterical 'warnings' can be so easily countered I'm surprised people keep trotting out the same old rubbish. Probably somewhere there was a tragic incident of a baby being smothered by a cat, and cases of deformity due to toxoplasmosis but they must be really rarer than hen's teeth

1. If you've been emptying litter historically you will 99/100 times already be immune to the bugs within cat faeces. But yes, failing this rubber gloves and/or partner empyting litter is an easy solution!

2. What's wrong with a little fluff? And if you already apply good hygeine practice to cleaning litter trays then nothing really needs to change!

3. I spent a bloody fortune on cat nets for the pram and for the cot. Cats Protection got them all as they never came out of the wrappers; the cats were SO wary of the noisy thing that had just invaded their space that apart from a quick sniff they kept a respectful distance!!

[PoshPuss]

As a midwife I must give information to pregnant women about the risks of CMV & Toxoplasmosis, but NEVER in a million years would I advocate that the client does away with her pet. I have never heard another midwife I work with say that either. However, some new mums have said to us that they thought they'd better rehome/ even destroy
!! their pets because of the risks. The risk is so small, I have to reason with them there is no need to do anything so drastic. Some times however, I think a few women get rid of animals which have outlived their purpose in their lives when they become pregnant ( !!) .. I often wonder what sort of parent(s) they will then become.

[angieh]

I am reassured by your comments PP - glad to know that you and the midwives you know give good info with no scares about keeping your pets.

I do dread to think about what sort of parents those who do "get rid" of their pets become - I had hoped we had turned the tide of disposability.