{"id":44198,"date":"2025-11-28T09:47:58","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T08:47:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dermoscent.com\/nos-conseils\/chat-et-grossesse-quels-sont-les-risques-pour-la-future-maman\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T11:15:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T09:15:22","slug":"cats-and-pregnancy-what-are-the-risks-for-the-mother-to-be","status":"publish","type":"nos-conseils","link":"https:\/\/dermoscent.com\/en\/our-advice\/cats-and-pregnancy-what-are-the-risks-for-the-mother-to-be\/","title":{"rendered":"Cats and Pregnancy: What are the risks for the mother-to-be?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Pregnancy<\/strong>\u00a0in a woman is a joyous event which comes with several constraints, starting with her diet!
\nHer doctor will talk to her about salmonellosis, listeria,\u00a0toxoplasmosis<\/strong>\u2026 and may ask her a very surprising question: \u201cDo you have a cat?<\/strong>\u201c.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But what is the relationship between a cat and a woman’s pregnancy?<\/h2>\n

The cat may be carrying a\u00a0parasite<\/strong>,\u00a0Toxoplasma gondii<\/em>, which is contracted while hunting animals (mice, birds) and lodging itself in the cat\u2019s intestines. The parasite is then\u00a0transmitted via cat excrements<\/strong>, which can lead to\u00a0contamination of the pregnant woman<\/strong>\u00a0through the cat litter, this is toxoplasmosis.<\/p>\n

Chances of a house cat carrying the parasite are minor, provided that he\/she does\u00a0not eat raw meat<\/strong>\u00a0or poorly cleaned food, and there are no mice in the home!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Toxoplasmosis: What is it?<\/h2>\n

Toxoplasmosis<\/strong>\u00a0is a\u00a0parasitic disease<\/strong>\u00a0that can be contracted throughout a lifetime, but it turns out to be\u00a0dangerous<\/strong>\u00a0during\u00a0pregnancy<\/strong>, so it must be monitored. Normally, the symptoms go almost unnoticed: a short-lived influenza-like illness. The person is then immune for life. However, in the case of\u00a0pregnancy<\/strong>, the\u00a0risks<\/strong>\u00a0are\u00a0greater<\/strong>\u00a0for a non-immunized-woman\u2019s\u00a0foetus<\/strong>. Toxoplasmosis may slow down the development or cause a malformation of the foetus.<\/p>\n

Pregnant women who are not immune to toxoplasmosis must adhere to a specific diet because the risk of contamination is much greater through eating inappropriate foods than through handling cat litter. Therefore, they should avoid\u00a0raw or undercooked meat<\/strong>\u00a0that could be carriers of the parasite and\u00a0wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly<\/strong>\u00a0before consuming them, especially vegetables from the soil (salad, carrots, etc.) that may be contaminated by cat faeces.<\/p>\n

A simple\u00a0blood test<\/strong>\u00a0makes it possible to know if the expectant mother is immune and if not, then it will be necessary to carry out this\u00a0control every month<\/strong>\u00a0to ensure a proper follow-up.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A cat and a pregnant woman: cohabitation is possible!<\/h2>\n

If the non-immune pregnant woman has a cat,\u00a0simple precautions<\/strong>\u00a0can\u00a0limit the risk of infection<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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  • In general, it is necessary to\u00a0avoid contact<\/strong>\u00a0with everything that is tainted by cat excrements. If she has to handle cat litter, she has to\u00a0wear disposable gloves<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  • It must not be forgotten that a cat covers his\/her stool in the litter. And even if he\/she lives outside, claws are in contact with earth or sand. It is, therefore, necessary to avoid contact with the cat, and especially\u00a0avoid scratches<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  • It is recommended to\u00a0wash one\u2019s hands thoroughly<\/strong>\u00a0after each cuddling session with the cat.<\/li>\n
  • Sleeping with a cat<\/strong>\u00a0is also risky. It is therefore advisable to\u00a0prohibit<\/strong>\u00a0this habit during pregnancy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    It would be unnecessary to separate a pregnant woman from her cat. Nevertheless, she just needs to be vigilant and\u00a0keep a bit distance<\/strong>\u00a0from her\u00a0fur bal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":44196,"template":"","categories":[],"categories-conseils":[262],"class_list":["post-44198","nos-conseils","type-nos-conseils","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categories-conseils-practical-life"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dermoscent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nos-conseils\/44198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dermoscent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nos-conseils"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dermoscent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/nos-conseils"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dermoscent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nos-conseils\/44198\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dermoscent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dermoscent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dermoscent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44198"},{"taxonomy":"categories-conseils","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dermoscent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories-conseils?post=44198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}