Mary Allen
Children love animals. Nevertheless, many parents-to-be give their cat away just when they are expecting a child – for fear of communicable diseases that are dangerous for the unborn child. But that need not be! How to protect yourself from diseases such as toxoplasmosis during pregnancy.
Again and again, families consider giving away their cat as soon as the woman is pregnant for fear of communicable diseases. However, this is not only illogical but also bad for the animal and a pity for the offspring. Because cats have many positive effects on children. Science today also knows a great deal about the diseases that can be transmitted from cats to humans. These are not many and you can easily avoid these few.
It is also unlikely that a cat will hurt the baby or toddler. Of course, caution is required, especially at the beginning, and the cat should not be left unsupervised with the newborn. But that’s not a reason to give the cat away. With a few changes in daily routines and habits and some empathy with the animal psyche, jealousy will not arise in the first place. Those who distribute their favors evenly and give everyone “their” special attention create domestic harmony all by themselves.
Toxoplasmosis Risk From Cats?
Pregnant women often have particular concerns about the infectious disease toxoplasmosis, which is caused by parasites and primarily affects cats. Cats can transmit the disease to humans, who serve as intermediate hosts for the pathogens. This disease is not really dangerous for cats or for healthy, non-pregnant people. Most people have flu-like symptoms, organs are rarely affected. Cats can get diarrhea. If diagnosed at all, the disease can be treated with medication.
On the other hand, toxoplasmosis poses a risk to the unborn baby. Depending on when the unborn baby is infected during pregnancy, it can cause a miscarriage or subsequent damage to the child later in life.
While this may sound alarming at first, the risk of contracting toxoplasmosis during pregnancy is low. Because if you have already been infected with the disease once in your life (usually this happens unnoticed), you are then protected by lifelong immunity (unless you develop an immune deficiency at some point, e.g. due to HIV).
Experts estimate that 30 to 70 percent of all pregnant women are already immune to toxoplasma. This also applies to cats who, like us humans, develop antibodies after an initial infection that is hardly noticeable.
As soon as the pregnancy is confirmed, the doctor arranges an immune test. If you are already immune to the pathogen “Toxoplasma gondii”, you no longer need to worry. If you are not immune and have a cat that is allowed outside or eats raw meat, you should be careful during pregnancy. Because even if the risk of infection is relatively low, you should be careful to protect your baby.
How to Protect Yourself From Toxoplasmosis
The toxoplasmosis pathogen is mainly found in three to four-day-old cat droppings, in garden soil, in the grass, on unwashed fruit and vegetables, and in raw meat. Therefore, the disease is transmitted primarily through contact with cat feces, through the soil during gardening, and contact with raw meat or unwashed vegetables. The pathogen can enter the body through the mouth or an open wound. Anyone who has not yet had a toxoplasmosis infection, i.e. is not immune, should:
- leave the daily cleaning of the litter box (with hot water) to others.
- Wear gloves when cleaning the litter box when no one else can clean it.
- wear gloves when gardening.
- wear rubber gloves when preparing meat.
- do not eat raw meat (meat, undercooked steaks, tartar, etc.).
- Wash hands after petting pets and after gardening.
- don’t let the cat sleep in the bed.
- do not feed the cat raw meat.
- Thoroughly clean used kitchen utensils.
You can also do the following things if you are unsure:
- Have the vet check the cat for worms and parasites and take any protective measures that are missing. Make up for any missed vaccinations. Keep your distance from a cat that has just had its neck rubbed with flea and tick repellent.
- You or your partner should check the cat for ticks every day from spring to autumn.
- Keep the litter box meticulously clean. If you clean it yourself: wear gloves!
- For example, change a few habits: Prevent the cat from sleeping on your lap. Banish the cat from your bed now. Do not let the cat into the future children’s room.
- Assign the basic chores of caring for the cat to someone else in your household.