Is my cat dangerous to my newborn baby? Can they spread diseases?

Hello, as in any occasion, you should make sure that you're washing your baby's hands immediately after touching Saffie. Majority of the infectious diseases we worry about are transferred via fecal to oral route, hence why washing hands is so important. To further ensure that your kitten is safe to be around your baby, keep up on her physical exams and you can have your veterinarian test a stool sample for any parasites or giardia. Eating birds particularly may expose your cat to foreign bodies and parasites but does not directly expose your baby to these same infections. Hope this helps and best of luck.

In my opinion, with the proper precautions it can be perfectly safe. The most common time for the baby to be at risk for transmission is during the women's final trimester, so right now would be your home stretch. However, all information that I have ever learned indicates toxoplasmosis is passed only through the feces (maybe the urine too, I'd have to check on that!) and has nothing to do with the hair, saliva, or blood. Keeping that in mind, the only way you are likely to get in contact with the microorganism is by coming in contact with the cat's poop. Best ways to avoid this are the following: -If you must handle cat litter. always wear protective gear around your face and hands. -Always wash your face and hands after handling soiled litter. -Always wash your face and hands after any extensive handling of your kitty. -Avoid sleeping in the same bed as your kitty. -Don't let your cat rub his butt on you! Hope this helps. Don't get rid of your cat. While the risk is there, I think it is blown completely out of proportion. Then again, I am a male veterinarian. Perhaps a female might answer your differently. I am just giving you the facts. Let me know if you have any other questions.

This should not be a problem, as a matter of fact, this kind of close contact with animals at a young age can help your baby develop a strong immune system and be less likely to develop pet allergies. Always keep an eye on them just to be safe, but if they love each other I say let them enjoy each other's company and companionship.

Thank you for submitting your question. A newborn can be stressful for cats (and parents)! Unfortunately, it is possible for the cat to smother the infant. To keep your child safe, the cats will need to be kept out of the bedroom where the infant sleeps at all times. Be sure to provide each cat with attention and affection during waking hours to ease this transition. I hope this information helps!

Nothing can happen through the skin please don' t worry. However, you always need to wash your hands and wear gloves when you handle his litter tray or your clothes which have diarrhoea on it. Make sure the house is clean etc normal hygiene rules. I would recommend to have him checked over so his diarrhoea can be treated, and he can be neutered, wormed so that everything is in order for when the baby arrives.

There really is very little risk having a cat around during a normal, healthy pregnancy. Just wash your hands after petting her, & if you can have anyone else clean the litter box, this would be a reasonable precaution. Otherwise, good, common sense is all that is needed. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Cats may contract salmonella or toxoplasmosis from eating birds (especially wild birds). Tapeworm infection is also a possibility if the bird has fleas. Quail chicks will likely not pose any hazards though. It would be recommended to keep them separated and secured in a cage to prevent the cat from getting at them.