Most of you are already exposed to toxo anyway. Just walking barefoot on the ground can do it. I went to vet school and there is really very little to worry about as long as you wear gloves to clean the litter or have someone else do it. Certainly no reason to panic and give up the cat. Millions of cats are given up for reasons attributed to their owners, not themselves, and because of this, 3-5 million are euthanized every year. This is a very sad statistic. Think carefully about this the next time you get pregnant and want to dump the cat because you don’t know the facts or choose not to believe them.

Who cares what Nicole’s reasons are. Unless the cat was agressive, there was no reason to give it up. If she knew she was going to have children, then she shouldn’t have gotten a cat then in the first place. Some of us are grown-ups and make responsible decisions. I know I want to have kids in the future so, until then, I don’t think I’m going to buy a cat. It’s called personal responsibility. I’m not going to buy a cat, get pregnant, and then say “oops, I have to get rid of you now because you might make me sick.” ridiculous!

Hasn’t Nicole been away a lot with her bf while he is on tour?- maybe that is why the cat is with her father (if it is). Maybe she prefers to do that rather than put it into a cattery.

Give me a break. You don’t know the reasons why Nicole is having her father take care of her cat. Making judgements about her as a parent when you don’t know the circumstances is ridiculous. I think I’ve heard it all now.

I think the meaning of the posts of myself, jilliansmommy and a few others was simply to actually learn about something before you decide to give away an animal..if you have an indoor only cat, or if you have had outdoor cats before, your chances of getting toxoplasmosis and slim. I volunteer at a cat rescue and it’s heartbeaking to see so many wonderful animals who have just been given up by their owners ( and I am not talking about people who have had realatives(etc) take care of them, some people do have legitimate reasons when they are preggers) I am talking about people who use this disease as an excuse to get rid of their pet. BTW.. I have 3 kids, and cleaned my cats litter boxes with no gloves each and every time because I had a well informed Ob/Gyn who knew the facts about toxoplasmosis.

My advice was simply to educate yourself based off your personal situation. I did exactly that and learned where I stood in the sense of being safe. I never said it was something every pregnant woman should do. My exact quote was “Educating yourself is the best thing to do.” If that quote is followed each person will do exactly as the quote is meant to recommend. Some will find that they are in the same situation as me, and others will find that it is in their best interest to find another person to clean the box. I didn’t jump for joy each time I cleaned the box. I even used gloves now and then or used a head band to hold a paper towel over my nose to avoid the dust and smell of the sand. IMO a dirty box full of feces and urine is very unsanitary for everybody in the home. I didn’t want my cat going in there and then walking around the house or laying on furniture! Yuck!

Kel,
My cat was tested for toxoplasmosis by recommendation by my Dr. Instead of being rude and criticizing somebody, you should find out their exact situation. I didn’t realize that every post we had to find somebody to “criticize” to make our post interesting! I was actually under the impression that wasn’t allowed. I was simply posting what I did in regards to my cat. It in no way was meant to be the only way. I just stated that people need to be more educated before attacking other people’s decisions. My cat had never been outside. His parents and grandparents had also not been outside EVER! They are show siamese (we don’t show him) and actually had to sign contracts stating we would never let him out. My husband did most of the litter cleaning and some family also did it when over. When there is nobody home to assist I am not going to let it and get full which would be abuse to the cat.

As far as the puppy goes, I still feel horrible about giving him away. He is in a perfect home and we are lucky he lives two houses down, so we get to see him daily! I will never adopt another dog in fear of having one more child, and going through the same feelings again. I learned the hard way and am taking full responsibilty from it.

i guess i dont understand what the big deal is.. sounds to me like the cat is going to be taken care of for the near future……. maybe she knows someone who lost a child due to the disease you can get from the cats.. guess maybe we should not judge until we walk in her shoes…

LOL Sara my experience was much the same as yours. I have a siamese and he drove me up the wall during my pregnancy, very very clingy. He would insist on lying on my tummy.
My midwife told me it is very very common for new mums to suddenly develop a dislike for their cats.
I admit to having very confused feelings about both my dog and cat after the birth of my third child.
The dog began to mess in the kitchen, due to the attention being shifted onto the new baby. The cats hunting really upset me, and I could not bear him near me.
I’m sure it was purely hormones and I am happy to report a happy balance has been restored in our home
However I do confess to mad moments when I thought it would be much easier without them, but I’m convinced it was hormones.