Dear Sinéad and Siouxsie,
Heya from Cincinnati, OH...again.
My wife still won't budge on the me getting a cat thing and now has added ammo to her arsenal of reasons why having a cat would be "bad" for us. While I've pretty much given into her will and realize that my dream of owning a cat any time soon is a pure pipe dream, I would like something clarified.
Being that she is pregnant, her newest weapon against all things feline is her new buzzword "Toxoplasmosis." Now, from what I understand of this, assuming we had a cat, as long as she stayed away from the litter box, Toxoplasmosis wouldn't be an issue as it is, how should I put it, "poo" related.
Of course, I could be wrong as I am clueless about cats in many ways so I implore you to please give us, your adoring public, your entire knowledge on this toxoplasmosis thing.
Thanks,
Chuck
Sinéad: Hi, Chuck! We remember you! In fact, your last letter was one of our favorites of our first year, so we reprised it in our Favorites of 2003 column.
Siouxsie: So your wife is still being a hard case, huh? We're very sorry to hear it, because your wife is really missing out if she doesn't have a cat or two in her life.
Sinéad: We can understand her concern about toxoplasmosis, though. Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infection that can cause birth defects in human babies if the mother gets infected with the nasty little buggers while she's pregnant.
Siouxsie: The later in her pregnancy she's infected, the more likely that problems will occur.
Sinéad: However, the risk of your wife actually getting toxoplasmosis from a cat is minimal. She's more at risk for getting toxoplasmosis from eating undercooked meat or eating raw vegetables that were in contact with raw meat containing the toxoplasmosis organism than she is from touching a cat!
Siouxsie: She's more at risk from working in an outdoor garden than she is from touching a cat. You see, cats that live outdoors like to bury their feces in the soft soil of gardens, so it's possible that someone who is gardening could come into contact with toxoplasmosis-infected cat feces.
Sinéad: Cats get infected with toxoplasmosis by eating mice and other living prey. So if your cat is an indoor-only cat, the risk that he or she will be infected is minimal.
Siouxsie: Toxoplasmosis is usually symptomless. Many people probably have been infected at one point and didn't even know. The worst thing that happens to healthy people who get toxoplasmosis is that they suffer mild flu-like symptoms.
Sinéad: But, as we said, the risks of toxoplasmosis infection are very real for human babies in utero, as well as for people with immune system deficiencies--people with AIDS, for example, or people taking immunosuppressive drugs to prevent organ rejection after transplants. But even these people can live with cats if they follow some basic precautions.
Siouxsie: These precautions include avoiding litterbox duties, of course, because it is the feces that contain the toxoplasmosis parasite. I'm sure you wouldn't mind taking care of the catbox during your wife's pregnancy.
Sinéad: In addition, cat feces don't begin to shed the toxoplasmosis parasite until they've sat out for at least 12 hours, if not more. So if you clean your cat box every day, twice a day, your wife shouldn't be in any danger of exposure to toxoplasmosis.
Siouxsie: Don't forget to dump all cat litter and rinse the litterbox with a mild bleach solution once every couple of weeks, just to make sure you get rid of any other nasties. Of course, it would be best to do so while your wife is not in the same room, or even dump the catbox outdoors.
Sinéad: Another precaution your wife will want to take during her pregnancy is to avoid eating undercooked meat. She should have meat cooked to at least "medium" while she's pregnant, and it would be best if you did the meat prep, Chuck.
Siouxsie: Make sure you don't cut veggies on the same surface you used for cutting and preparing your meat for cooking.
Sinéad: And if your wife does any gardening, she should wear gloves to make sure she doesn't come into bare-handed contact with any "recycled food" from neighborhood cats.
Siouxsie: Another strange concern we've heard from mothers-to-be is that the cat will somehow smother the baby.
Sinéad: These tales range from the utterly ridiculous--such as the superstition that cats will "steal the breath" from babies--to not-quite-plausible concerns that the cat will sit on the baby and the baby will be too weak to move the cat.
Siouxsie: First of all, we cats don't really enjoy the sounds of crying babies and tend to avoid anything, or anyone, who is really noisy.
Sinéad: Second, when we do snuggle, we tend to snuggle next to the object of our snuggling, not on top of it. We stay warmer that way!
Siouxsie: We do understand why humans would want to keep cats out of babies' rooms and beds, though, and there are many simple ways to do that. The easiest, of course, is to close the door to the room where the baby is sleeping.
Sinéad: We cats have many puissant powers, but alas, we have not yet mastered the art of opening doors that are firmly shut.
Siouxsie: If leaving the nursery door closed is not an option, you can always cover the baby's crib with mosquito netting or some other such thing.
Sinéad: If you have the patience, you can actually "train" a cat to avoid the baby's crib. Of course, you need to have the crib before the baby arrives. Then you simply fill the crib with objects that make loud and unpleasant noises (such as soda cans filled with coins or ball bearings), so that when the cat jumps into the crib for a little nap, he can't find any place that isn't making noise.
Siouxsie: There are lots of websites and books out there that contain information on how to prepare cats for the arrival of a baby and how to keep your cat out of the baby's room or bed.
Sinéad: So, in a nutshell: Yes, toxoplasmosis is a legitimate concern. However, we think the fear of toxoplasmosis is much greater than the actual risk. More and more obstetricians are telling their patients that they don't have to get rid of the cat if they're pregnant. They just have to take some simple steps to minimize the risk.
Siouxsie: Even if your wife were to get infected with toxoplasmosis, there are medications she can take, while she's pregnant, that will cure the infection but not harm the baby.
Sinéad: Veterinarians are also more than willing to spread the good news. The about.com cats forum has a good article on toxoplasmosis, cats and pregnancy, too.
Siouxsie: The Centers for Disease Control has a fact sheet dedicated entirely to toxoplasmosis, and even has a convenient brochure, available in PDF format, about how to manage the risks of toxoplasmosis.
Sinéad: Just in case you need some more ammunition to prove that cats are more of an asset than a liability, we've found a few stories about heroic cats that have saved humans from harm or even death:
Siouxsie: So you see, cats are great and wonderful in many ways, and we can be a truly awesome addition to any family. If you still can't get your wife to come around, Chuck, we suggest working on the baby. If your little bundle of joy says she wants a kitty, how can your wife possibly refuse?
Sinéad: Besides, well-researched studies have shown that children raised with pets, particularly with cats, learn to respect other living creatures and begin to understand responsibility at an earlier age.
Siouxsie: Not only that, but a cat can be a wonderful confidant and a great sleep aid for a kid who needs a nap. Good luck, Chuck!
Got a question? Need some advice? E-mail Sinéad and Siouxsie at advice@paws-and-effect.com. None of the advice in this column is meant to be a substitute for regular veterinary care.
