Is it bad to have cats during pregnancy?

On the question: Is it bad to have cats during pregnancy?, there are many false truths, misinformation, and “old tales”.

If we had to ignore all the ancient wisdom of our ancestors. Many of us would still believe that the Earth is flat and the Sun revolves around it.

Continue the careful reading of this enlightening article, and elucidate for yourself yes. Is it bad to have cats during pregnancy?

The cleanest animals

The cats, without a doubt, they are the cleanest pets that can coexist with people in the same home. This is already a very important point in their favor.

Humans, even the cleanest and most hygienic, are susceptible to infecting each other very different diseases. In the same way, animals, even the cleanest and best cared for, are capable of transmitting diseases acquired by multiple pathways to human beings. This said like that, it sounds really bad; but when we explain it in the proper context, that is, in a percentage way, the question becomes clear.

It is the same as if we said that all the planets on the planet can fall. Put like that, it really sounds very bad; but if we explain that airplanes are the safest means of transport in the world, we will be recounting a contrasted scientific reality (although the first absurd theory is not denied).

Something similar happens with cats. It is true that they can transmit some diseases; but the reality is that they spread to many people less diseases what other pets, and even much less than the ailments that humans transmit to each other.

Toxoplasmosis, the dreaded disease

Toxoplasmosis is a very serious disease that can cause brain damage and blindness to the fetuses of infected pregnant women. Some cats (very few) they are carriers of this disease, as well as many other pets, farm animals, or other materials of animal and plant origin.

However, toxoplasmosis is a disease that it is transmitted very hard. In particular, the following are the only possible ways of contagion:

• Only if the animal’s feces are handled without gloves.
• Only if the feces exceed 24 hours since his deposition.
• Only if the feces belong to a cat that is infected (an 2% of the feline population).

In case the forms of contagion were not restrictive enough; In addition, the pregnant woman should take dirty fingers to her mouth, as there can only be contagion due to the ingestion of the parasite. Toxoplasma gondii, which is what causes this disease.

In fact, toxoplasmosis is spread mostly by ingestion of infected meat badly cooked or raw. They can also be spread by eating lettuce or other vegetables that have been in contact with feces of dogs, cats, or any other animal that carries toxoplasmosis and have not washed or cooked well before eating them.

Pregnant women and cat hairs

The cat hairs produce allergy to pregnant women allergic to cats. This perogrullesca reason tries to show with a sense of humor that cat hair only produces allergies to women who they were allergic before their pregnancy.

According to estimates there is a total of one 13% to one 15%, of population allergic to cats. Within this limited group of allergic people there are different degrees of affectation. From people who only sneeze if a cat is in your lap (the vast majority), to a minority of people who can cause asthma attacks with the simple presence of a cat in the same room.

Obviously, women with a very high degree of allergic involvement to cats, if they become pregnant will continue to have serious allergy problems to a cat. But it is assumed that no woman very allergic to cats, when she gets pregnant, she will decide to live with a cat.

Cats can harm the baby

This silly theory that heads this point, is denied by the multitude of cases in which cats have defended young children, and not so small, of aggressions by dogs or other people. It is exactly the opposite: cats, and especially cats, are very aware of young children, and worry a lot when they get sick.

There have even been cases in which it is precisely the cats who have warned the mothers of some event that happened to their babies.

It is true that to cats and dogs the arrival of a baby at home can cause a certain amount of embarrassment for a few hours. In the same way that the arrival of a brother can cause similar sensation to the brothers of the neonate. But it is a natural and temporary circumstance that soon disappears and family normalcy returns.

conclusions

I guess after reading this post, you have come to the conclusion that a cat is absolutely innocuous for a pregnant woman.

The only preventive measure that should be taken by a pregnant woman if she has a cat at home, will be refrain from cleaning the cat sandbox without gloves. The husband, the wife or any other person in the household must perform this function during the pregnancy period of the future mother. But the pregnant woman should also refrain from eating raw meat and will have to wash the vegetables very well for salads.

The doctors

It’s sad that there are still doctors that recommend to pregnant women that they get rid of your cats. This kind of absurd advice is a clear sign that the doctor is not well informed or trained. Because there are many medical studies on toxoplasmosis that affect the transmission vectors of the disease, and cats are one of the most unlikely.

It is as if the doctor discourages a pregnant woman from getting on a plane, because the device could crash. Absurd.

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