worried about toxoplasmosis

[luckymum1]

hi everyone!
i just got my bloods done (yesterday) and the gp didnt include a test for toxoplasmosis i have an indoor/outdoor cat and i was in charge of the litter untill i found out i was pregnant.. i have heard some horrible things that can happen to your bub if u have it. does anyone know, is it easy to get? ive been driving myself nuts with worry that i might have it and cant get into gp until weekend i am 5.5 weeks pregnant

[[M]umma[M]ia]

awww hunni i was worried about the same thing. Chances are if u have been around cats and dogs ur whole life u have prob caught it already. Its harder to catch the second time. Also alot of ppl get it when they arnt pregnant and it does nothing to you. I was also in charge of the kitty litter before i found out i was pregnant. I have an inside cat so there was lots of poo and frequent cleaning. Also ur cat has to be a carrier. Cats get this from eating birds and mice and all that bad stuff. I am pretty sure u wouldnt have caught anything. But from now on get ur hubby to clean it and everytime u pat ur cat, just give ur hands a good wash. Try and keep ur cat indoors more than outdoors as then there is a lower chance of them catching anything. Its also something that can be caught from soil and unwashed fruit and veg.

As i said there is an extreamly good chance u have caught anything. But to keep ur mind more at ease just follow them guidelines.

I know its scary but try and enjoy this part of ur pregnancy.

congrats aswell!! mwah HTH xoxoxo

[Jakabella]

My GP told me that if you have cats then you are most likly amune to Toxo anyway. I have had cats all my life and the GP said I would have already built up an immunity to it.

I have also been told my a vet that you can only get it if the cat scratches you and has been diging in their poo - may not be 100% correct - but one of the lovely ladies here will let you know Im sure.

I would not worry your self about it to much - easier said than done I know!

Kate

[Arimeh]

I have two indoor cats, and I was in charge of their litter trays until falling pregnant. My OB never takes any bloods to do that test either.
As far as I know, you can only catch it if your cat has it in the first place, and you touch their poop with your hands and then put your hands in your mouth.

So unless you are planning on doing that - I'd think you would be fairly safe.

[luckymum1]

thankyou so much for ur advice! really appreciate it

[Shannon22]

Hi Luckymum

Congrats on your pregnancy!
I have two indoor cats and was the sole kittly litter changer until i fell pregnant, and was also told i would have built up an immunity to toxoplasmosis. I still had the bloods and everything was fine, good luck!

Shan

[Shan]

i have also heard that if you already have cats then you are immune to it. I wouldnt worry too much about it, i am sure it will be fine.

[puppies]

I had a cat that lived outside during the day and came in at night. I was in charge of her litter and when we decided we were going to try for a baby I didn't want to risk it so we re-homed her. 3 months later when I got a BFP I had all the tests including the T test and it came back that I had no immunity to T and I have to say I thought I would have since I had a cat for years! But alas I am glad I made the decission to re-home her as she wasn't the cleanest cat. I have to be very careful with raw meat and vegies need to washed very well and I dont go visit my mum anymore as she has a cat. I would rather be safe than sorry although I am sure many people think I am paranoid! I know I can sleep at night and thats more important to me than what other people think of me.

My advice go back and ask for the test and give yourself piece of mind. Its just another ***** off a needle and worth it if you ask me.

[Babyfever2007]

I have an indoor cat and not sure if she has it or not, But, I have a mask and gloves I use when I change the litter box. If you cant have anyone else change it use gloves and mask & make sure your wash hands afterwards. But other than that I think you should be fine..

I never even knew there was a test for that...

[luckymum1]

thanks everyone for your help im going tonight to get referal for test and they said they can test the blood they already have so thats good news. kitty hasnt had much attention from me and now he's following me everywhere i go! poor kitty! but better safe than sorry

[nadia]

Hun, I wouldn't worry too much I have 4 cats and had 2 althrough my pregnancy, you only can get it if you literally have to rub cat poo on your face.

Honest hon it's a really hard to get it.

[sportychick]

I also had a cat through both pregnancies - an outdoor/indoor cat (ie outdoor during the day and indoor at night) - she used to lie up on my front, over my bump when I was pg - I think she liked the warmth. If I ever changed her kitty litter i always wore gloves and washed my hands afterward. For the second pg I had the toxo bloodwork done, becaue I thought if I had already been exposed (I thought likely seeing as I had had cats for 10 years!) I could go ahead and eat all the rare meat I wanted (I hate my steak well done). The doc told me most of the people in France are immune because of all teh steak tartare they eat. Anyway, to my disgust I wasn't immune - which just goes to show what all the others are saying is certainly true - it's not all that easy to get - just don't go eating cat poo, or gradening without gloves and eating dirt etc! ROFL!