Can owning an indoor cat affect a young woman's health or fertility?

No, this isn't true at all. I have three cats and have had two kids. Now cat poop can carry toxoplasmosis, which causes miscarriage in humans, but that is why pregnant women should not scoop or change the litter box.

No, there is absolutely nothing wrong with her never having a litter. Health risks to her not being spayed, such as mammary masses and pyometra (uterine infection), exist whether she ever has kittens or not. If you don't want her to have kittens, that is just fine! Hope this helps.

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.

Wash your hands before and after handling Minu. Have someone else manage the litterbox. If you have to do it, wear gloves and wash hands afterwards. Make sure she is current on all vaccines and is on monthly preventatives against intestinal and external parasites.

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.

It should be fine getting a kitten with having a toddler in the house, but you will have to work with the baby on gentle touch with the kitten. I personally would recommend getting a ragdoll. They are laid back cats, and from my own experience, very good with kids. I have a young son, and when he was learning gentle touch with animals, the ragdoll never once swiped or hissed at him. They are also very loving cats. Living in London, I would not recommend allowing the cat outside. There would be too many chances the kitten could be hit by a car, taken by another family, or attacked by another cat. It's also recommended that ragdolls be inside only cats due to their gentle nature. If you do decide to let the kitten outdoors, I would make sure to be with it outside especially when it's young so that it doesn't wander off.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Your Doctor can test you. If you are negative then you should avoid gardening or doing things with the soil as toxoplasma lives there as well. Then I would have your husband clean Cecile's litter box or you do it wearing gloves and wash your hands. I would also keep your cats indoors. As a Vet, I have been exposed, who knows when or how, and I had a normal pregnancy. Below is a link to the CDC's page on toxoplasma. It should answer all of your questions! I hope this helps and I wish you the best! https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/index.html