Slightly wacky question

So, I am used to my in-laws attitudes about the number of cats we have (four) but apparently she made this comment to my husband tonight and I am totally boggled - especially as she is/has been a nurse for many years although she has been living and working in the ROI for the past 18 years.

She says that since we have so many cats, if/when I get pregnant, they will not let me take my baby home from the hospital (!!!!!?!! wtf!). Also, midwives would not be allowed to visit me.

Is this based in fact at all?? I just think my MIL has very strong opinions about my cats (she is sure we will never find a real place to live in the UK - and this even after we do, actually, have a place to live when we move at the end of the month that takes cats, although it is a short-term lease since we will likely move again when I find a job) but her medical background makes me concerned that there is some basis in fact for her statement.

Does anyone know? I am totally flabbergasted.

Sorry mods if this belongs in the pet forum, I just wasn't entirely sure...

While it does sound like she might be blowing it out of proportion a little bit, she is right that there are risks with cats and pregnancies.  It has to do with toxoplasmosis which is a parasite that can be found in cat feces.

If you google "toxoplasmosis and pregnacy" you'll find a lot of information and also some varying opinions.  The basic rule is let someone else clean the litter box while you're pregnant and make sure it's cleaned regularly.

That is all I really know about it and I'm not sure how seriously they take it here in the UK, so hopefully someone else will come along with more information.

Hope that helps at least a little! 

While it does sound like she might be blowing it out of proportion a little bit, she is right that there are risks with cats and pregnancies.  It has to do with toxoplasmosis which is a parasite that can be found in cat feces.

If you google "toxoplasmosis and pregnacy" you'll find a lot of information and also some varying opinions.  The basic rule is let someone else clean the litter box while you're pregnant and make sure it's cleaned regularly.

That is all I really know about it and I'm not sure how seriously they take it here in the UK, so hopefully someone else will come along with more information.

Hope that helps at least a little! 

The risk of contracting toxoplasmosis while pregnant is actually *much* higher if you eat undercooked meat, or garden with bare hands. Toxoplasmosis oocysts shed in the feces of cats are only infectious after 24+ hours in the environment - so if the litter-box is cleaned daily or twice daily, the risk is minimal to nil (although yes, it is definitely best to have someone else take over litterbox duties which I have been grooming my husband to do for ages now). Zoonoses are kind of a thing of mine, since I am a Veterinarian and the "ooh cats are dangerous when you're pregnant" myth is a particular pet peeve (pun intended)!

I am not concerned *at all* about the risk of toxoplasmosis to myself from my four house cats and any advice from physicians suggesting or demanding that pregnant ladies abandon their cats is outdated and just plain wrong.

What I'm concerned about is the possibility of not being allowed to take my baby home after its born or to be denied midwife visits (I did find a blurb online about having to secure your pets during visits, which I am all for, I can definitely understand people not wanting pets running about in that circumstance). I'm pretty sure she is exaggerating but I can't find anything online that proves or disproves what I think...

Sorry!  I thought you were asking why she would be so concerned about the cats.

I'm obviously of no help then, but I hope someone can prove her wrong for you! 

Sorry!  I thought you were asking why she would be so concerned about the cats.

I'm obviously of no help then, but I hope someone can prove her wrong for you! 

No need to be sorry!! I wish she would have brought this up with me instead of my husband, so I could have asked her questions but now I feel like if she didn't say this to me she doesn't want to talk about it with me? Ugh.

hmmm I've not heard this from my midwife and frankly I'd be very surprised. The UK in general is much more animal friendly than the US (no big deal to take your cat or dog on the bus for example) so I'd be very surprised to hear that they are denying after care for having cats. they may ask you to put your cats away but I'd think that would be the most they'd do.

Yes, it may be more difficult to find a house that allows pets, it can be done. We've done it as have millions of other pet owners.

I'm 20 weeks now and had a co-worker tell me that if we get our new kitten now I'll miscarry and if we get it in the first year it'll kill the baby.  He had no concerns about out 2 year old cat though.

I'm 20 weeks now and had a co-worker tell me that if we get our new kitten now I'll miscarry and if we get it in the first year it'll kill the baby.  He had no concerns about out 2 year old cat though.

Some people are so dumb.

That sounds like a load of rubbish to me, but surely there must be somewhere you can research online? I mean, honestly, they are going to take your baby away from you for having cats?  That doesn't even sound reasonable to me. She's probably just exaggerating things. Why not start researching by looking at the NHS site and see what you can find out? Maybe there is an information line you can call to ask them directly?

I think it would just be a matter of being carful with a baby and four cats, making sure that when the baby is asleep that the cats are no where near the baby and safe handling of the litter box (wear gloves or have your husband take care of it) whilst pregnant.

Here are all the search results for 'pregnancy & cats' from the NHS Choices website.

We had 2 cats and were never even asked about having pets when I had my son in London. The midwives came after he was born, as did the health visitor. Your MIL sounds, well, odd.

Oh God. This old chestnut again.

I adored my first midwife except for one thing. She still bought into the myth that cats can suffocate babies easily. Well, no cat I've ever had would go near a baby! They don't like the sudden noises babies are prone to!

We had 3 cats when my second child was born and my midwife never even mentioned them. So I think your MIL is probably old school.

Infants, needless to say, should never be left unattended with an animal in the room but there does not seem to be any properly documented evidence of babies being suffocated by cats. Sadly, it's more likely SIDS and the cat is the scapegoat.

As for the kitten/cat thing that Pengi mentioned... check this out:

http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/catsuck.asp

http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/catsuck.asp

What a load of rubbish!  Sorry, but it is.  I have no idea where she's getting any of that from, and I hate cats so I'd be the first to cheer an excuse to not have them.  Of course I wouldn't give up my chickens--my midwife just warned to have my husband be the one to clean out the coop. No problem there sweetie!

I'm a social worker--the one who is responsible for taking children from an unsafe environment, and I think a referral to Children's Services because someone has cats would get laughed out of the room!!!  I mean think about it.  With all the violence, neglect, drug addiction, etc we see, do your really think we have time to follow up on every pet owner?  The only times I've seen pets being involved in a child being removed is when there are flagrant safety concerns being ignored, for instance a house that's chock full of pet urine and feces and hasn't been cleaned out in years.  Invariably with those cases there's still plenty else going on to justify concerns for the children's welfare.  It isn't about there being pets around, just if they are endangering children with their lack of care and supervision.

The reason you aren't finding anything online is because the very idea is absurd and unfounded.

When my daughter was pregnant with my first grandchild, the midwife was very interested in her three cats. She noticed that one was in kittle (professional eye) and asked if there was any chance she could have one of the litter. The cat gave birth 2 weeks after my daughter and she picked out a stripy one who is now 5 years old.

I just asked my Irish husband and he said brought up the toxoplasmosis thing, so seeing as your MIL is in the ROI now, that could be where she was coming from. I can ask a couple of friends who just had babies here to see if anything was brought up to them.

When my cousin had her baby they installed a screen door on the baby's bedroom door to keep the cats out! 

When my cousin had her baby they installed a screen door on the baby's bedroom door to keep the cats out! 

I did this-- I didn't want DDs door closed--- and didn't want to have to worry about where the cat was. A screen door worked well-- it left the room feeling open- and left me comfortable that I could easily hear her while keeping the cat out.