Cats and pregnant owner

[mummof1]

Hello ladies ! Me again ! Haha
So I have three cats, they were my idea , hubby did NOT want cats because (don't judge me) he's allergic to them lol! Not severely but he gets itchy eyes etc if he pets them.

Anyway, they're mine and that means the dirty job of cleaning the litter is mine too! I have a mask I wear now that I'm pregnant and rubber kitchen/cleaning gloves .. Do any of you ladies also still clean the litter ?
Sometimes I get paranoid about the poop because I know contracting toxoplasmosis is so dangerous for pregnant women.

I also get worried about their little paws getting all over everything ! We are very clean people, we keep our house tidy and clean but we also both work full-time and we know those sneaky cats are up on the countertops when we aren't home . I do try to make a habit of wiping the counters before preparing food though.

I shouldn't worry about these things right? As long as we practice good hygiene I'm okay right ?

 

[Cyan]

I'm still doing our litter tray too, I've got no choice as OH works away. I'm using disposable gloves and veeerrrry carefully throwing them away. I'm also trying to be super aware of what I touch while wearing them and not touching bare handed afterwards (dustpan and brush, tray spray, etc). Like you I'm also forever wiping surfaces and washing floors!

My cat has always been a house cat so I'm guessing the chances of him carrying it are pretty slim. The flipside of that is that if he came with it as a kitten then I've almost certainly already been exposed and therefore have an immunity.

It sounds to me like you're doing everything you can and should be OK. It's hard to know though isn't it - everywhere just says "DON'T do the litter tray". If only!!

 

[c beary83]

I've got a cat too. I am really cautious when I'm around her. I have heard that cat owners build up antibodies to toxoplasmosis. Not sure how reliable it is though?

 

[mummof1]

Yes exactly , I always read on my little pregnancy apps about giving that chore to the hubby but other than him being allergic he's also away a lot with work so I have no choice either!

I actually did read that immunity thing, if that's true I would definitely be immune since I have had cats my whole life ! So that's good news !

 

[Buffyx]

During my last pregnancy my husband would have go to away for a few days at a time for work, so I had to clean the litter tray. My baby was perfectly healthy

 

[Scout]

You should be fine. I'm single and when pregnant with daughter, I had no choice so I asked both my OB and my perinatologist (high risk pregnancy), and both said as long as I wash my hands afterwards I should be fine. They told me I had a greater risk while gardening so wore gloves for that.

 

[KatO79]

I think you should be fine, especially if you've had cats for a number of years. If they're strictly indoor cats and have always been then the chances of them having it are really slim since I think they often get it from e.g. eating mice.

I've had cats almost constantly since I was 11 (am turning 37 soon) with my mother's old cat having been an outdoor cat for years before the cat died some years ago (she even caught small animals). Our current cat has always been indoors only but just to be on the super safe side, DH does take the litter box (although I do have disposeable gloves handy if I need to do it for some reason). I'm most likely immune though