GCD, I can't believe you were given such misinformed advice (hmmm, correction, I CAN believe it but YKWIM lol). I was also told that my cats (we have two) would, without hesitation, try to kill my baby (by sitting on her and suffocating her, or by trying to scratch her - territory thing I think they were trying to get at...).

Anyway, during the pregnancy I just stayed clear of the cat litter (got Shel to change it hehehe!), and always washed my hands after patting her... no harm done. As for now, well my cats have never so much as tried to sit on her! They pretty much steer clear of her as she makes too much noise for them PMSL. If you take safe precautions you'll be right (best not to let the cats in the room while you are sleeping at night, thats pretty much all we do, I am always nearby when Jazz is sleeping during the day, and no cats in at night means I don't have to worry that they'll try to snuggle her lol).