toxoplasmosis

In ,
Rob wrote:

*like i said, its an academic argument. she works in the childcare field and
*is often involved with expectant mothers. she told me about her friend's
*husband who has been changing the cat litter for 4 years now (her friend
*told her husband that she's not supposed to change the litter while breast
*feeding either, and has had three children right in a row).

Academics aside, my husband has been changing the cat litter for five
years in a row merely because he knows I HATE CHANGING CAT LITTER.
Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

That being said, I'd like to point out that I've been working with cats
since I was in the sixth grade, including several years as a professional
veterinary technician and more as a student and then as a graduate
veterinarian. I have worked with many cats in intensive care settings with
documented, active cases of toxoplasmosis. My last toxo titers were drawn
when I got pregnant with my now-19 month old, and they were NEGATIVE for
exposure, recent or historical. I will be having titers drawn again next
week at my first prenatal visit for this pregnancy, and I have no reason
to believe they will not still be negative.

-h.

--
hillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net
"uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est."
not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large

libbymom04 wrote:
Yes I put the cat outside. I wasn't about to put my child in any danger!
Not to mention I didn't want to have a cat in the house with my baby in it
also. Don't get me wrong, I love my cat, and took good care of it outside.
She is fine, I think she likes it better.

That's pretty extreme, your child wouldn't have been in any danger from
having a cat in the house, whereas your cat is definitely in danger
living outside. I'm not a fan of totally indoor cats, cats that come and
go have the best deal imo, but a cat that lives outside is definitely in
danger, from predators, the elements, traffic, neglect etc.. Maybe you
should see if someone can adopt your cat?

"Ericka Kammerer" wrote in message
...
libbymom04 wrote:
Yes I put the cat outside. I wasn't about to put my child in any danger!

And with appropriate precautions, you wouldn't have,
even with the cat inside. Now the cat, on the other hand,
is in much more danger outside. Outdoor cats have an
average lifespan of only five years.

Best wishes,
Ericka

While the average lifespan of an indoor cat is 15-20. Hmm, let's see, 5
years for an outdoor cat, or 15-20 for an indoor cat?

I'm sorry for your cat, that you kicked him to the curb. Of course you want
your baby to be safe, but cats aren't automatically dangerous to babies or
small children.
--

Jamie & Taylor
Earth Angel, 1/3/03

Check out Taylor Marlys -- www.MyFamily.com, User ID: Clarkguest1,
Password: Guest
Become a member for free - go to Add Member to set up your own User ID and
Password

Check out our Adoption Page at http://home.earthlink.net/~jamielee6

In oMJvc.40539$eY2.25666@attbi_s02,
zolw wrote:

*Most (if not all) pregnant women have a blood test at the beginning of
*their pregnancy to check for toxoplasmosis (cause it can cause defects).

Of course, a positive IgG is comforting in early pregnancy, whereas a
positive IgM is greatly concerning, and believe it or not, there are
obstetricians who do not understand that.

*What many women don't realize is that it is safer to test even before
*conception. Also, when I had my dog, I had him checked for toxoplasmosis
*at the vet. (it is somewhat expensive, but better safe than sorry)

Why on earth would you do that? Dogs do not shed toxoplasma oocysts.
Unless you were planning on EATING your dog (and eating him undercooked at
that), I do not understand how you would contract toxoplasma from your
dog. The cat is the definitive host for toxoplasma, and the parasite can
not form the oocyst stage outside of the definitive host. Can you
elaborate on why exactly you spent money on a toxo test for your dog? I
hope your vet didn't recommend you do this...

--
hillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net
"uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est."
not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large

"Ericka Kammerer" wrote in message
...
libbymom04 wrote:
Yes I put the cat outside. I wasn't about to put my child in any danger!

And with appropriate precautions, you wouldn't have,
even with the cat inside. Now the cat, on the other hand,
is in much more danger outside. Outdoor cats have an
average lifespan of only five years.

Best wishes,
Ericka

This really is quite sad. Not to mention the message this sends to the kids
about pet responsibility. When I look at my dear cats who love me and trust
me to look after them, the idea of putting them outside to fend for
themselves in the face of traffic, other people and disease breaks my heart.
When I agreed to have them in my life it certainly was not a short term
thing until they became inconvenient or incompatible with my lifestyle. I am
going to go and hug them now.

jacquel

On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 08:47:09 -0400, "libbymom04"
wrote:

Yes I put the cat outside. I wasn't about to put my child in any danger!

What danger?

Not to mention I didn't want to have a cat in the house with my baby in it
also.

Why not?

Nan

Wow! I feel like I am being attached. Someone said they wouldn't get rid of
their cat unless it intervened with their lifestyle, well I wasn't being
cruel to our cat it was just my life changed and that happens! I did try
to find someone to adopt our cat, nobody would take on the responsibilty.
Is there anyone from the US in here? It seems everyone talks and thinks
differently then me.

On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 13:43:09 -0400, "libbymom04"
wrote:

Is there anyone from the US in here? It seems everyone talks and thinks
differently then me.

I'm in the US, and I cannot imagine getting rid of my furbaby, or
banishing her outdoors just because we have an infant.
There has been no danger to the baby at all.
In fact, the cat seems to regard the baby as terribly un-interesting.

Nan

Ditto. I'm in the US, and we had one cat when we brought out daughter home
from the hospital. That cat, unfortunately, died when Taylor was a month
old. We had a semi-feral cat living outside, who came in that day, and has
been with us ever since. We took her to the vet to have her fixed, but it
turned out she already was. We had her declawed, but that was more for the
furniture than the safety of the baby. Cat has little or no interest in the
child, although the child now has a lot of interest in the cat.

You aren't being attacked, just disagreed with. You could probably bring
your cat back inside the house, now that you know that your child isn't in
any danger, and the cat is.
--

Jamie & Taylor
Earth Angel, 1/3/03

Check out Taylor Marlys -- www.MyFamily.com, User ID: Clarkguest1,
Password: Guest
Become a member for free - go to Add Member to set up your own User ID and
Password

Check out our Adoption Page at http://home.earthlink.net/~jamielee6


"Nan" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 13:43:09 -0400, "libbymom04"
wrote:

Is there anyone from the US in here? It seems everyone talks and thinks
differently then me.

I'm in the US, and I cannot imagine getting rid of my furbaby, or
banishing her outdoors just because we have an infant.
There has been no danger to the baby at all.
In fact, the cat seems to regard the baby as terribly un-interesting.

Nan

You know, an indoor cat, lives on average for 15-20 years. That's a long
time -- hell, that's a lifetime commitment. Having kids, or moving, to me,
aren't reason enough to ditch the cat. You have kids, and unless the cat is
really terrible and threatens the safety of the child, you don't get rid of
the cat. Most cats are not a threat to babies or children.

My biggest pet peeve, no pun intended, was friends of mine, when I was in my
early 20's, who got a cat, then later had to move to a new apartment.
Rather than take the time and effort to search for a pet okay apartments,
which do exist, they just took the first/best apartment they could find, and
ditched the cat, either with friends, relatives, or worst case scenario, in
vacant lots.

Your life changes when you decide to have a pet, and it's often inconvenient
and annoying, but that is the commitment that you made. Cats are not place
holders for children, to be discarded when the real thing comes along. If
you didn't think a cat and a baby was a good mix, you shouldn't have gotten
the cat, or shouldn't have gotten pregnant, or should have found a good home
for the cat once you knew you were pregnant.
--

Jamie & Taylor
Earth Angel, 1/3/03

Check out Taylor Marlys -- www.MyFamily.com, User ID: Clarkguest1,
Password: Guest
Become a member for free - go to Add Member to set up your own User ID and
Password

Check out our Adoption Page at http://home.earthlink.net/~jamielee6


"libbymom04" wrote in message
lkaboutparenting.com...
Wow! I feel like I am being attached. Someone said they wouldn't get rid
of
their cat unless it intervened with their lifestyle, well I wasn't being
cruel to our cat it was just my life changed and that happens! I did try
to find someone to adopt our cat, nobody would take on the responsibilty.
Is there anyone from the US in here? It seems everyone talks and thinks
differently then me.