my cats only walk around and look at our son, so why did the pediatrician flip out about 3 cats being in house?
mommy to a sweet little man asked:
I know that cats can suffocate a baby without realizing that they are doing harm, but all 3 cats just stroll around and watch our son. Occasionally they might walk up when we are holding him and smell of his feet or something but that’s it. Even after we explained this, the pediatrician still had problems with there being cats in the house.
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I know that cats can suffocate a baby without realizing that they are doing harm, but all 3 cats just stroll around and watch our son. Occasionally they might walk up when we are holding him and smell of his feet or something but that’s it. Even after we explained this, the pediatrician still had problems with there being cats in the house.
BTW, the cats are not allowed into our room where the crib is at.
March 7th, 2009 at 8:05 am
If there is no allergy.. what’s the big deal!! Your doc must be a dog lover!!! Don’t worry about it!! 3 cats is fine!!
March 9th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Because your pediatrician is an ignorant moron. Honestly. Find a new one. The cats won’t hurt the baby. Our babies doctor had NO problem with 7 cats being around our baby.
March 12th, 2009 at 2:17 am
B/c cats are animals and animals are unpredictable….when your baby becomes mobile you will have to watch your baby constantly…..I like having my house babyproofed so I can do the dishes while she plays in the living room. You won’t have that freedom.
March 12th, 2009 at 7:06 am
I would probably get another pediatrician.
It sounds like your cats have fine personalities and aren’t around the baby without supervision. Therefore, I think that your doctor is over-reacting.
March 15th, 2009 at 7:15 am
Some cats might not harm your babay but you just never know. You shouldn’t risk anything happening to your child, if I were you I would listen to your Doctor and get rid of the cat. Goodluck!
March 15th, 2009 at 8:04 am
I am not sure why your pediatrician is so upset about it, especially if you assured him that the cats would not be allowed near the crib.
We also have three cats and our pediatrician seemed very calm about it. He explained that being around cats from birth helps to reduce the chance of cat related allergies developing later.
His only suggestion was that we move the litter box downstairs (it already was) to avoid the possibility of Em playing in it.
I wouldn’t worry too much about it. It sounds like you’re doing everything correctly!
March 18th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
I don’t see what the problem is either. Cats are usually fine around kids and when the baby is a little older, they will be the ones in danger and keep their distance(pulled tails etc)
March 19th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
I have 2 cats and 2 dogs. My doctor asked and was very happy I had pets. Having him growing up around Cats will decrease the chances he will ever be allergic to them. I would not wory about it.
March 21st, 2009 at 12:39 pm
because of the risk of toxoplasmosis. it can make your baby very sick. read the article i provided. it’s in cat feces and can be spread among the house because they use a litter box and can step in their poo.
March 24th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
I have two cats who are 13 now. I have a 10 yr old, 7 yr old and 11week old sons. My sister also had cats with her kids and so did we growing up. Obviously if your cats have a tendancy toward aggression you wouldn’t want them around at all, but normally cats are fine around babies. My cats did the same thing with all three kids. My orange tabby stays clear… he hasn’t been in my room since our third son was born, lol… he doesn’t like the noise and movement of a baby so he just stays away. Our black one is a lil different. She was the original baby until we had our first son. She would normally sleep under my chin and arm but when the babies came she was pushed to our feet. Gradually… with all three… she would get closer and closer usually laying on their feet. With this son she is 13 now and is a lil jealous, lol… she has had her ’spot’ for 7 yrs solid and the baby has taken it, lol. So she will situate her feet between us and try to wedge herself there so she is closer than the baby. I just gently growl and nudge her with my hand and she retreats to his feet again.
Animals know the pecking order. I never had a problem with my cats in the crib. The tabby stays clear of babies and kids.. but the black one would jump in the crib. And lay as far out of babies reach as possible. My cats still have their claws and have free roam of the house. Whenever we catch one in the bassinet or crib we hiss at them and shew them out. LOL… the tabby is funny… while I was preg with all three he would lay in the crib and bassinet, the moment I would go into labor you wouldn’t see him in the same room as the baby. It was like he knew what goes in those beds and wanted nothing to do with it, lol.
I don’t know why docs have an issue. My cats have always been fine with my kids. I encourage them to lay by the boys and they are very comfortable yet know their boundaries with the boys and in turn my sons have no allergies to cats and respect them as living creatures. In fact, my third son was collicy and I would lay him on his side next to me in bed and pull the cat up against his legs and back and she would purr… my son would fall asleep instantly.
March 24th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
because of TOXOPLASMOSIS!!!
I am surprised your pediatrician didn’t go into detail with you, especially about this disease and how it could affect your infant.
This is a serious illness and should not be taken lightly. More than likely you are being very careful and your child will probably not be affected, but I still think that every cat owner and parent should know about this disease..and the fact that a lot of them don’t..is a little scary.
My parents had a cat when my mother was pregnant with my brother…they never thought anything of it…when he was 28 years old, his doctor found damage to his retina, as a result of toxoplasmosis.
March 26th, 2009 at 9:03 am
If your baby is showing no signs of being allergic to the cats, I don’t think there is a problem. My best friend’s daughter had a cat, that from the time her daughter was about 2 years old decided it was her job to put her daughter to bed. That cat died of old age when Sara was about six, and she now has another cat that does the same thing.
As long as you keep the house clean, and don’t let the cat in the same room unsupervised, I really think the doctor is over reacting.