A bit of a rant this morning: some friends came over to see my 4-month-old last night. I was holding my son when my kitten (5 months old) hopped onto the sofa and started rubbing against his little hand, purring away. And then – shock horror! My friends started judging: "Are you really letting the cats get near the baby? Why don't you put them outside? They'll smother him in his sleep!"
I already had so many comments like that during my pregnancy. "That kind of myth is dangerous!" I told them. I'm not going to get rid of my cats just because doctors in the past used to blame their own professional failings on our poor little four-legged friends!
I'd love to know if you've had these kinds of remarks too, and if so, what did you say to all these idiots?
Translated from French
The forum content is sometimes translated from another language, and posts may concern countries with different animal laws. Do your research before making any decisions.
Since the forum is translated by AI, the translations may contain errors.
Yeah @nimiss, you've definitely got to be careful with any animal, as your rabbit proves ;) My cat is quite playful too and sometimes goes over to see my son, but since he's still a bit heavy-handed when he tries to stroke him, my cat pins his ears back pretty quickly and shows he’s getting a bit annoyed. So I move the cat away straight away to avoid a nasty scratch; it can happen in the blink of an eye.
Definitely, you always have to be careful whether it’s a cat, a dog, etc. etc. :)
When I was little I had a dwarf rabbit and I loved giving him kisses and cuddles; one day he’d had enough and scratched my face, not even an inch from my eye :s
Anyway, it could have been much worse, but it just goes to show you really have to be careful even with small pets.
I’m currently pregnant and, yeah, I’ve already had plenty of comments about my cat, especially regarding toxoplasmosis... It really winds me up and most of the time I just avoid the subject because I tend to get on my high horse when people start making those sorts of remarks ^^
Mind you, you still have to take a few precautions like Lylyrose said: for example, I’d never let my cat into the baby’s room if I’m not there... Actually, at the moment the door is always kept shut and Dipsy knows full well he’s not allowed in (it’s the only place in the house that’s strictly off-limits ^^)
Basically, as you can see, during pregnancy cats always tend to want to snuggle up to your bump, so there’s a risk that once the baby arrives, the cat will want to curl up with them too (it’s a bit of an instinct; it’s sweet but very dangerous).
You also have to be careful with claws. Even though I know my cat never scratches (or hardly ever), children don’t always realise they’re causing pain (pulling tails etc.) and the cat might react badly as a reflex.
On the other hand, I’d never stop my cat from giving my child a little kiss or a cuddle :) but always under my supervision.
Ultimately, all those comments go in one ear and out the other just as fast ^^
Well, they’re family friends, but the 5-month-old kitten was born when I was seven and a half months pregnant, so he knows perfectly well that the cot is strictly off-limits—he’s never even tried to get in there anyway. He’s allowed in our bedroom (my son sleeps in with us) because I think it’s so important for a child to grow up with animals! My other cats aren't allowed in the room and they know the rules; sometimes the baby is having a nap and they’ll just sit by the door even if it’s left wide open.
I’d really like to find some solid arguments to explain things to them. They can say what they want to me and it won't change anything, but if they say the same things to other pregnant women, I wouldn’t want them to end up giving up their cats.
(I was already immune to toxo, so there was no problem—my cat used to sleep right on my bump! ^^)
Well, my son is 14 now and I let my very first cat sleep in the Moses basket while he was napping. He didn't smother him even though I wasn't watching – for me, it's definitely just a myth!!!!
Yeah, generally speaking, people who live with cats are immune to toxoplasmosis. When I was a kid we had cats but I’m still not immune, and I had to have monthly blood tests throughout my pregnancy. (It’s dangerous for the baby if you catch it while pregnant). Don't pay any attention to what people say.
"Mind you, unless I'm not there, my cat doesn't have access to my son's bedroom."
I messed up lol, I meant "unless I'm there, otherwise my cat isn't allowed in my son's room."
