A few years ago has been popularized a new excuse for abandoning cats, toxoplasmosis and dangerous in pregnancy.
The information provided by doctors to prospective parents is very poor and obsolete, in the majority of cases, without further transmission of disease mechanisms. From here I'd like to clear some myths, providing information about the disease and testimony of families that have lived with cats during pregnancy.
Pregnancy, children and cats: Real testimony who better to know the reality.
“My name is Laura and I have 7 cats, that they were coming to my house from the neglect and abuse. They are part of my family, thing that my environment does not seem to understand, as well as that they are not with me because I like my collecting animals, not even because cats like me. They are with me by moral, because at the time I could look into other side. The day I decided to be mother the first thing I got from my environment was the typical phrase of "and now that you are going to do with cats?”
I write this text in the hope to help many expectant moms and their cats, to remove many false myths circulating out there. Is for you, don't try to explain it to those ignorant people who don't want to attend reasons, and who think that cats will make the child burst or something like (because no is who think that they can make you). Or you try it because talking with these people is like talking to the walls. That Yes, rest assured that cats are not only not harmful for a child, but they are good for your health and psychological development (reinforce him against allergies and also help you to educate yourself on responsibility and love).
I am a graduate in psychology, Assistant Veterinary Clinic and I have many years in the world of animal protection, so do not speak alone. I studied child psychology, I know the cycle so dreaded toxoplasmosis and also is enough from ethology to understand cats, that by far the most to strive to have them as if they were decorative vases, they are living beings.
I hope this helps you, Don't let anyone scare you with lies, and much less you leave do you abandon your cats based on tales of old without any basis. Share your pregnancy and then your family life with their new Member with your cats and happy thirst.
FIRST PHASE: THE EMBARAZ0
Nothing else get pregnant the first thing I did was call my family full of illusion. The good news went on to become various discussions with almost all of them, with phrases like that cite it before or "now you'll have to donate to cats" (leave, It is said to leave…), "now you have cats to remove" (If, I wrap them, I leave you in the attic and then later return them to remove…) and so on. Removed me the desire to call them more. I told them one and one hundred times that went absolutely nothing, as a veterinary assistant era he knew as that of toxoplasmosis was, explained the cycle…How to talk to the wall. If there was any family celebration, that there was enough until I gave birth, they did not let pass the opportunity to return to the issue of cats, lend me accusatory eyes of "you're a bad mother", and I stayed bald say that not passing anything…
I explain the issue of the toxoplasmosis:
The first thing is to get the analysis (many gynecologists say that cats would be without or bypassing this step). If you are positive, you've already spent, and there is no any risk.
If you're negative, You must test the cat (never say that, directly the cat out, they are milk). Only a 2 % the feline population is positive to toxoplasmosis. If your cat is negative, There is no risk not.
If your you are negative and your cat is positive (thing that is difficult), you have to see with an analysis of the cat feces if it is eliminating oocysts or not, or is, If it is active. This is important because the cat catching toxoplasmosis only eliminates oocysts for two weeks after having caught, and then it happens like to us, that gives positive because it has already passed it, but nothing happens. So it can be that if your cat is positive you've caught it years ago when it was a puppy, Maybe I was in the street and hunted some mouse, but now does not eliminate oocysts already, and therefore there is no risk.
In any case, If you're negative, is your cat positive and fair in those two weeks (that is something incredible that pass, and if we take into account most of household cats don't go out and do not eat raw meat but I think and some mini-can, because when caught it it by eating raw meat infected), do not be alarmed, because for that toxoplasmosis can affect you to you the caquitas must be more than 24 hours in environment, or is, that with which your guy clean the poop a couple of times a day, There is also no risk.
Apart from all that, is transmitted only through the caquitas if your arrive in ingesting oocysts that there has, and I think that also quite unlikely . So don't worry, Let your guy to clean the sand a few months (that is the best, lol), relax and don't make a case of gynecologists who have no idea or passing to give you appropriate information if you have it, getting a lot of unnecessary dropouts, pregnant women with anxiety (that is a real danger, Lords gynecologists) and situations of sadness.
REAL DANGERS:
Little made flesh, sausages, poorly washed fruits and vegetables.
Not bad, knowing all this I went first to the gynecologist willing to deny that he had animals at home if I wondered, If I played any of those sadly so prevalent uninformed gynecologists. Asked to confirm my suspicions about the issue of toxoplasmosis, It had rennet from answer me (all this without having made the first analysis still and not knowing if it was positive, and therefore there is no risk) I crossed of sidewalk if I saw a cat on the street and that it could get purple inlay and serrano ham.
Now is when many you wonder: and because many gynecologists say this? Something will be…I explain it to you: Gynecologists study Gynecology, No veterinary. They teach them that toxoplasmosis is harmful to fetuses, and nothing more. It is in your will find out a little more, in the cycle of toxoplasmosis know to avoid dropouts of animals (that having been in a protective I can tell you that they are a very high for this reason number, and that the poor pregnant women who call us are desperate and asustadisimas fault that your Gynecologist has not wanted to inform and prefer to give them know everything instead of telling him to "toxoplasmosis is harmful, If, "but better ask your veterinarian to assess that risk"). In fact, I had a conversation in a series of talks with the President of the College of physicians, She knew well that there was no danger, and is surprised to say that gynecologists recommended to get rid of pets.
In fact they do not only with cats, as they have no idea of veterinary indicate pregnant women to leave any animal, cats, dogs, rabbits…When toxoplasmosis is only developed in cat feces.
So you can see what "dangerous" that are cats: as I told you at the beginning have been many years in the world of animal protection (more than 15 years), cleaning up cat poop (sometimes even had to get a monkey of disposable plastic if I was going to clean the protective, cat poop just to the ears!), cats that are supposed are risk group because they come from the street, where you can eat a mouse and take the toxo. And as I said unto you live with 7 cats.
Not bad, to get me the results I gave negative. A lifetime cleaning up cat poop, thousands of different cats, and I never caught the toxoplasmosis. And that without taking any precaution. So the gynecologist who instructs a woman who has a cat home to rid of the should learn more and let take deaths of animals on their backs.
Another point that influences this theme is the "argumentum ad hominem", consistent in that when you say that you aid in a protective always there is someone who tells you "and why not help the children of Africa?”. That person tells you from the couch, without helping anyone, of course. And it is the same that if you help would say to the children of Africa instead of the cats that why don't you help children in Spain. But it seems that with the theme of animals rages this argument even more, giving rise to an absurdity in which it seems that you are hurting people by helping the animals. And that they move to advise that you desprendas your cat, because if they did not they would be hurting the baby following her absurd reasoning.
My pregnancy was not only developed happily, but it also my cats knew from day one that she had become pregnant and devoted themselves to protect me, to go behind me, to maximise your care without going running around my, for example, treating me gently.
When I gave birth to a perfect child and my family it was actually not passing anything, far from swallow their words and stop throwing puyas who made me hurt, they went to the next round…
SECOND PHASE: BABY AND CATS
The times of the middle ages in which cats were burned or killed in any other way (which contributed, Incidentally, the spread of the plague because of the increase in rats) his relationship with witchcraft passed through to the story physically, but in the minds of many, seem to be there, and it lists the cat as an evil animal, It hurts knowing, and that of course will to attack baby. These people have not had a cat in your life.
To birth my child, my family came to see him at the hospital, or they called me by phone. And most (those who had already said before that not passing anything during pregnancy, and they continued to get off donkey) continued with the theme, It was now that according to them a baby was impossible that it together with animals (I wonder how the human race has survived since the times of the caves). Again I told them again and again that not passing anything…This time without arguments not because anything happen, but because there was not any argument to refute! Would presumed that it passes a child who lives with cats??
"It's that there are hairs": If, but I clean my house, the vacuum cleaner I spend almost every day and brush my cats every few days. In my house there are fewer hairs than many other non-animal. Another thing is that you're a little desaseada (to be diplomatic) and not to clean your House, then going to give equal to have cats or not.
"It's that the child gets everything in the mouth": and back to the topic of cleaning before.
"It is that cats have jealousy and attacking the child": or rather they will protect you…that Yes, If you try to your cats like to vases and you ignore them, do not be surprised that your cats have behavior problems, caused by you, and so many end up abandoned (other than the owner may have to spend a penny in an ethologist or simply treat their cats as a living part of the family…). My cats don't even put in the cradle of the child, that was assembled months before his birth, I bought an educational spray which detect movement and sprinkled them if they got in the cradle and I had to remove it new, without one-time use, because neither they loomed to wedge nose. They knew that it was the child's. That Yes, I took the "annoyance" prepare this spray to teach them that there are it came. My cats, as members of the family who are, they have their scrapers, their toys, their whims and their needs covered. They do not need to draw the attention, they are happy. If ever something happens I bother find out the cause and help them put you remedy, not to punish them or to abandon them corro. All came from the street with their traumas and all overcame them here, leaving behind all the bad. People say to me when he comes home that looks like I have no cats, and they are surprised, because I have 7…but educated.
"It is that cats are going to go for the child while having no jealousy": Another lie. The cats are going to theirs, and what will happen is that when the child starts to walk it will be he who pursues them, It will try to shoot them from the queue, and we're going to have to teach your child to respect cats, not in reverse. And cats are having gala of his infinite patience with child letting themselves to do everything, the poorest.
"It is that cats transmitted diseases": LIE. Cats can only transmit toxoplasmosis pregnant women ( and under the points described earlier, very unlikely), fungi or parasites. If your cat is healthy and wormed, not going to happen absolutely nothing, Another thing is that your cat is completely neglected, in which case it is your fault, not of the animal. It is a thousand times more likely than your attempt something on your son, and even your cat, Since you can bring you any feline disease in your same shoes Street.
There are people who should not have or children or cats. They should not have children because they will have selfishly, they won't think of them, not going to watch that they do not take something from the soil, they will plug them a pacifier so that they remain silent and let them cry even if something should happen to the child, because they want to sleep. They should not have animals, because they also have them for selfishness, they will not have covered their needs, they will not understand them, they will even abusing them (which tend to do well with their children).
These people will let that child will get in the mouth a cat caquita because they won't be there and not to keep clean the sandbox or enable barriers to the child do not access the same. These people are not going to bother to treat their cats with sweetness when got home baby. And for all these reasons, even having no animals, they should not have children, since they are not prepared for this, they don't know what empathy, they don't meet anything other than your own navel.
When I arrived with my baby at home I showed it to my cats inside the cuckoo. They are surprised and came to take a look and smell him from afar. Baby unfazed is. They have spent months and live together, in perfect harmony. My son has just received from my cats mimitos (When dared to approach a little) and protection. Whenever someone comes home to see the child they go to watch the stranger does not damage to the baby, even two of my cats that never appear (by fear) When come visits. And when the visit is going them again to leave Salon.
That Yes, Despite the fact that the reality hits and it is evident that indeed absolutely nothing happens to have cats during pregnancy and then with a baby living with them, my environment is repeating again and again that "if I still have the cats, "that view that I am going to do" and blaaa blaaa blaaaaa. What the child was born perfect and see that it is sanisimo and happy? Nothing happens, they must continue pounding because they believe cats are evil beings that must be eradicated from the face of the Earth. Or because simply they are those little animals funny throwaway that once you have a child you must "Donate" because you do not need, as if the child would replace them.
Don't let that they win you the battle, ignorance is very bold, and they will continue to. Feel it bad, feel it powerless because they do not hear, because do not accept the truth even though time you reason a thousand times. They will try to make you believe that you are a bad mother.
But as I say: being a good mother is shown with your actions, not trying to get along with the family. And there is no act more deplorable that abandoning an animal. My child will not learn that from my, never, you will not see pictures of a kitten and I'll have to invent a lie to avoid having to tell him to leave it when I was pregnant or when he came to the world. And those who advise leaving should consider why they would need to lie to his son about Kitty's photo.
My son will learn to live and love the animals and therefore people, you will learn what is empathy. You will learn to be a better person. Be happy, enjoy your pregnancy and your maternity, Let your animals you care, thing that does not make those who you just trying to make feel bad. And above all, inform you of everything before you do any silly.
And old tales, the wind to carry them.
