Danger of cats in pregnancy.
Contents
- Can I get a cat pregnant and live with a cat?
- Home cat in the house when a woman is pregnant: what harm can there be?
- VIDEO: Pregnant hostess and cat
Toxoplasmosis is a non-dangerous disease for adults and cats. But despite this, gynecologists recommend that all pregnant women give the cat good hands during pregnancy. In this article, we'll tell you what kind of ailment it is and how to deal with a pet.
Is it possible to get a cat pregnant and live with a cat?
You can live with a cat during pregnancy. However, it is necessary to comply with security measures. The most dangerous can be considered street cats. That is, if you live in a private house and you have a cat that walks by itself, then limit the communication with it. According to statistics, almost all street cats have had toxoplasmosis, pathogens may be in bowel movement for 2 more years after the illness.
If you want to have a kitten, be sure to vaccinate him from toxoplasmosis. You should not take a kitten from your hands. Do not start street cats, most likely they are infected. Buy kittens from trusted sellers with all the documents and necessary vaccinations.
Precautions:
- If you have a domestic cat, do not let her walk outside for the duration of pregnancy. Keep her at home. On the street, there is a high risk of getting sick.
- Make tests for TORCH infection at home. If you once suffered from toxoplasmosis, the analysis will determine it. If you find that you have had toxoplasmosis in the past, the risk of infection is reduced. You have immunity to disease. But, despite this, the fetus in the womb can get infected, and this is very dangerous.
- When purchasing a kitten, vaccinate him from toxoplasmosis and ask for information about vaccination of parents. This will protect you.
- If the cat is a domestic cat or you live in a private house, do not let the pet enter the house, do not iron it and do not contact excrement.
- Do not touch the bowel movements. If there is no one to clean up after the cat, use gloves.
When it's worth worrying:
- If your pet is very small and suddenly began to sneeze, feel unwell, it may be symptoms of infection with toxoplasmosis. If so, show the pet to the doctor.
- Take the tests for the TORCH infection. Basically, an analysis of venous blood is taken, according to which the number of antibodies is determined. If there are a lot of antibodies - it's dangerous, most likely, the infection is new. The fetus is in danger. Toxoplasmosis causes malformations of the fetus, and even death.
- If there are no antibodies to toxoplasmosis in the blood, it's bad. In this case, you should generally forget about contact with cats.
- The most optimal option is "seropositive" women. These are pregnant women who once had a toxoplasmosis, but are now healthy. They have immunity, so the risk of infection is not terrible.
Home cat in the house when a woman is pregnant: what harm can there be?
In addition to toxoplasmosis, cats are carriers of a variety of ailments. At the same time, diseases are quite dangerous for a pregnant woman and fetus.
Than you can catch from a cat:
- Worms. Cats are carriers of a huge number of parasites. It can be worms and unicellular parasites. There is a high risk of infection with roundworms, pinworms. Worms affect not only the intestines. Their waste of vital activity affects the nervous system. A child can be born with pathology of the motor apparatus and a developmental disorder. In addition, nutrients and vitamins may be missing.
- Chlamydia .This is a cat's disease, which is manifested by secretion from the eyes, coughing and sneezing a pet. In this case, a woman may not even know about infection. Chlamydia leads to fetal pneumonia. A child can be born with pathology of the respiratory system.
- Ringworm .This happens quite often with kittens and cats who live on the street. Therefore, if you live in a private home, do not let the cat into your home. Equip a booth for her or settle in a barn. But during pregnancy do not stroke it and try not to touch it. Ringworm can also damage the fetus. Therefore, the future mother must protect herself in every possible way from illnesses.
The effects of toxoplasmosis in pregnancy depend on the duration of infection. Doctors found that if a pregnant woman had had toxoplasmosis 1-6 months before pregnancy, then a high risk of spontaneous abortion.
Consequences of toxoplasmosis by gestation:
- 0-7 weeks. Spontaneous abortion, fetal death, premature birth, impaired development of internal organs.
- 8-17 weeks. If infection occurs at this time of pregnancy, then it threatens serious brain damage in the fetus. A child can be born with encephaly, ICH, epilepsy.
- 17-24 weeks. At this time, infection leads to violations in the blood. It can be anemia, clotting disorders. Jaundice or ailments of the spleen often develops.
- 24-39 weeks .At this time the disease is asymptomatic. The child is born absolutely healthy, but in a few years there are diseases of the nervous system. This is a violation of mental development, deafness, epileptic seizures.
As you can see, toxoplasmosis is a serious ailment that does not pose a danger to adults, but is very dangerous for the fetus. Accordingly, it is better to be safe and give your pet in good hands. If you do not want to part with the cat, do all the necessary research and vaccinations. Do not ignore safety rules and have less contact with the animal.