Pregnancy and cats: can toxoplasmosis be avoided?

Reproductive age of a cat

Most cats can become pregnant and give birth before the age of one year. Most often, females reach sexual maturity at the age of six to eight months. But sometimes this can happen much earlier - at four months. However, veterinarians consider such a young age unfavorable for the first pregnancy: it is better if it occurs after a year.

From the very first heat, a healthy cat retains the ability to become pregnant and give birth almost until death. Animals do not go through menopause. True, everything depends on the health, living conditions, and general condition of a particular individual. The safest period for pregnancy is from two to five years. And the frequency of births is no more than once a year or at least after one heat.

The estrus itself (scientifically called estrus) occurs without visible symptoms. That is, you will not see “traces” of this condition - bloody discharge. But behavior changes noticeably. The cat becomes restless, obsessively affectionate, fills the house with inviting cries, and tries to escape outside the house. The estrus period lasts an average of a week. However, its duration varies from person to person. Periodicity also does not have a fixed frequency. Some flow every month, while others only flow twice a year. The classic frequency is once every three months, that is, every season. However, for nulliparous cats or cats that have not yet bred, this is not relevant.

First signs of pregnancy

Let’s immediately make a reservation that in the first three weeks you will not be able to get a definite answer to the question about your pet’s pregnancy. Even in a veterinary clinic they won’t help you with anything: an ultrasound won’t show it, the doctor won’t probe it. However, if your pussy walks on its own, then the period of the next heat ended happily (for her) or, rather, fruitfully. There’s no point in guessing whether there are any signs or not, and in nine weeks your house will be filled with the sound of newborn kittens squeaking.

And it often happens that the owners are simply not sure that the act of love has taken place. This especially often applies to those moments when the cat is specially taken to the cat for these purposes. However, experienced breeders have identified a number of signs:

Immediately after visiting the cat, the cat returned home resumes its love chants (asks to return), this indicates that the wedding night has taken place, one can hope for kittens.
If the calling cries resumed a week after returning from the groom, then nothing worked, the cat understands that she did not become pregnant and requires a second visit.
The estrus quickly stopped after communicating with the partner - offspring can be expected.
After the love rendezvous, she stopped giving any signs of her desire to become a mommy - most likely, the goal was achieved.

In fact, this behavior may not mean anything, but often these signs turn out to be true.

One more observation. If the owner resists adding to the cat family, then after the first mating your kitty will become pregnant. If, on the contrary, you want to see your cat pregnant, then your dreams will remain dreams for a very long time.

cats pregnancy mistresses

Now I am 52 years old, and at the age of 26 I had an abortion on the advice of my medical parents, I didn’t have my mind and there was a fear of childbirth... years passed and then one day I looked out the window and saw a beautiful couple of a guy and a girl, they were walking into a cafe, dressed in white, laughing...were happy...and something hit me in the heart...it could have been my son...he would have been just as cheerful and happy...a feeling of irreparable loss came...

Dear girls, God created us free, but if he knocks on your heart... remember my fairy tale... it’s about how you need to be responsible before God... because every child is a MIRACLE!!!

Here it is this fairy tale (((

Once upon a time there lived a little kitten (or rather a cat), at the time of our story she was less than three months old. She lived in a family that was wealthy by modern standards. I only ate fish and liver brought from the market, slept under a large plasma TV, walked in the garden among the roses and caught butterflies! There were always brothers and sisters and a loving mother nearby. It was fun and cozy, warm and light! Most of all, our kitty loved to watch the antics of four-legged animals on the large plasma screen.

One day, when she was three months old, a handsome young man came to her parental home with his girlfriend and took her to his home. He really wanted to have such a sweet friend at home. It is important that by this time she was trained to go to the litter box (a special toilet for cats). There are a lot of cute kittens on the street, but the young man’s friend advised him to take such a civilized cat.

For three months, Shipa (that’s what she was called) got used to her new home. She was very nimble and picky about food, but she was an exemplary cleaner, which won over her new owners. In addition to the handsome young man, his mother and grandmother also lived in the house. Shipa immediately fell in love with all of them, because she was kind and gentle, she loved without paying attention to who was who! She licked her owners' noses, expressing her affection, emitting a gentle purr..purr..purr.

But now Shipa has entered the age when cats and tomcats want to catch butterflies and roll on the grass together, spring has come! The instinct of procreation dictated its conditions. It's time...it's time...it's time...What time? Thorn did not understand, she meowed mournfully and rubbed herself against the walls of the apartment (the new owners lived on the 7th floor and it is clear that they did not let her into the yard alone). The owners realized what was happening to Shipa and went to the veterinary clinic, where they were advised to take special hormonal medications so that she would not want to go for walks!

But alas, the medicine had a bad effect and sterilization was required.

Shipa underwent surgery in the same clinic! The owner, who was younger, nursed Shipa for a long time after the operation - she bandaged her, slept next to her so that she wouldn’t jump off the sofa at night and the stitches wouldn’t come apart! And everything seemed to work out, but after a while Shipa began to cry again, she was in pain, in general, the doctors did something wrong (((. A modern ultrasound (a device that sees everything inside the body) showed an error, which means it was necessary again to perform an operation! The young man said, she (Ship) tortured us and all our friends advise us to put her to sleep, she won’t be healthy anyway! But the young housewife went to church and there a kind woman taught her prayer and gave her an icon with the patron saint of animals. And here is a new one The operation, by the will of God, brought Shipa health, and her owners joy and peace!!! Thank God for everything!!!

My unborn son, you have already guessed that this is not a fairy tale and its heroes at all, these are the people and animals who could be next to you - your failed mother, grandmother, your brother and Shipa!

As often happens in life... people care about the health of animals, save them, treat them, but consider the life of their future children not genuine, not real... rough (((.

You can ask me, your failed mother, how did it happen that you, like a kind woman, had an abortion??? AND I WAS NOT BORN!!!? FAILED!! NOT TURNED into a beautiful YOUTH, with his own unique life and destiny???

I could answer you, as many women answer in such cases: I had medical contraindications for childbirth, doctors did not advise me to give birth again, the first birth was difficult; This is what my parents, who were concerned about my health, advised me to do, or...it was an accidental pregnancy; we didn’t want more children or we don’t have the means or conditions to raise this child….

But all these are subjective reasons, and there is only one objective reason - in the hearts of such women there is no LOVE and there is no UNDERSTANDING that by terminating a pregnancy, they are committing murder!!! Exactly!! After all, give any of them a weapon and say - kill this person, they will be horrified, but for some reason they are not horrified when they kill their children by abortion!!? Who is to blame for this??? Maybe the country of the Soviets (USSR), which raised a generation of hard-hearted people, such people that even the women in this country were colder than the Snow Queen herself (there is such a real fairy tale).

Forgive me, I am in prayer next to you every day and every day I pray to God for your soul!!! My heart thawed by the will of God, but this repentance came too late, nothing can be returned, and you are there, and I am here all in tears!

I wrote this TRUE story for your sake and for the sake of many millions of children's souls, whose fate is in the hands of their unmerciful and darkened mothers! Maybe my pain and my suffering will stop them and the LIVES given by God will take place!!!

Clear signs of pregnancy

Pregnancy can be determined three weeks after conception. The very first, most obvious is a change in the color and size of the nipples. They swell slightly and turn pink. This happens towards the end of the first trimester of pregnancy, when the embryos already reach a size of one or two centimeters.

During this same period, the veterinarian will be able to palpate and determine not only the presence of kittens, but even their number. By the third week of pregnancy, the belly also increases slightly, but it is difficult to notice. The hormonal levels are already noticeably changing, so the pussy may suffer from morning sickness.

A sharp change in behavior also indicates an interesting situation for your pet. And an ultrasound performed at this particular time will certainly help you find out.

Only after half of the pregnancy do signs of an interesting position become visible to the naked eye. From the fourth week, kittens begin to develop intensively, so the belly of a pregnant cat grows quickly.

You can already feel the movement of the kittens with your palm, and if there are a lot of them, you can see it. True, in cats that bear only one or two cubs, the belly does not increase much.

Pregnancy affects the behavior of the animal. Many cats become calmer and more indifferent to current events. They sleep for a long time (longer than usual) and persistently demand attention and affection. Pregnant cats become more tender not only towards people, but also towards other animals living in the same house with them. Towards the end of pregnancy, the nipples begin to droop, the belly becomes noticeably larger, and the cat itself tries to find a place for the upcoming birth.

Some pets do not change their constitution throughout pregnancy. And in some long-haired breeds it is difficult to see not only changes in color and size of the nipples, but also the nipples themselves are difficult to find. Therefore, sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish a pregnant kitty from a non-pregnant one. Here, only ultrasound examination will help to dot all the i’s.

On a note

Human pregnancy tests do not work on animals.
You can reliably find out about pregnancy or its absence only with the help of an ultrasound examination.
False pregnancy in cats is very rare, and in veterinary medicine it is considered a neuropsychiatric disease.

Toxoplasmosis and pregnancy

If a woman has antibodies to toxoplasma in her blood, which means that as a child she played in a common sandbox, petted cats, and cleaned up the sand after them, then there is no risk during pregnancy, since these antibodies not only prevent re-infection, but also protect the child the first few months after birth.

However, if the infection occurred less than 6 months before pregnancy or after conception, there is a risk to the fetus. Moreover, in the first trimester the likelihood of infection is minimal, but the possible consequences are very serious - even miscarriage. If Toxoplasma first enters the mother's body in the second half of pregnancy, the risk of infection of the fetus increases - up to 60% in the third trimester, but the impact of the parasite on the baby is reduced.

In order to make sure whether the expectant mother has antibodies in her blood, special tests are carried out for the presence of antibodies - if they are present, then nothing threatens you or the unborn baby. Modern methods even make it possible to fairly accurately determine the period when exactly the infection occurred.

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Course of pregnancy

The gestation period is on average two months. Most animals experience this period relatively calmly. In the first month, no visible changes in appearance or behavior are observed.

By the end of the term, the expectant mother simply swells before her eyes. The abdomen becomes rounded, large and tight, and fetal movement can be seen. If by this moment the cat’s belly does not increase significantly, she is simply bearing a small number of kittens. But if you put your hand on it, you can feel the kittens moving.

About a week before giving birth, the belly of a pregnant cat takes on a pear shape, and the nipples noticeably droop and colostrum appears in them. If you lightly squeeze the nipples with your fingers at this time, a translucent drop of white or yellowish color will appear on them.

Even if there are no external signs of an interesting situation, then by the end of pregnancy the cat will definitely begin to show anxiety and look for a place for the upcoming birth. This is also a clear sign of pregnancy, and the behavior itself is called nesting.

It shows the natural instinct of a cat. About two weeks before giving birth, she begins to look for a place for a “nest” - a comfortable, calm, warm place where she will have to lamb and spend the first weeks of their lives with the kittens. The main criterion for selecting a nest site is safety. Therefore, it is possible that your pet will begin to persistently break into closets, try to arrange such a place on bookshelves and in other places that are difficult for you to reach.

This is a good time to introduce your cat to the birthing box that has been prepared for her, and also to reassure her that this box is best suited for her nest. If you don’t do this, she will independently arrange a “maternity ward” for herself, and it is possible that in your bed.

Possible pathologies

Even a healthy cat can have pathologies. During this period, exacerbation of chronic diseases, infections, and hormonal disorders is possible. Even if a pet is in good health, it is not immune from such pathologies as:

Primary or secondary ectopic pregnancy. Without treatment, the prognosis is extremely unfavorable, and everything can end in the death of the animal. However, a caesarean section or induced abortion will save the cat's life.
Abortion (spontaneous) or miscarriage. Firstly, it is impossible to stop this process, and secondly, it does not pass without consequences. Therefore, you cannot do without the participation of a specialist.
Post-term pregnancy can cause inflammation of the uterus and death of the fetus. The veterinary clinic will induce labor or perform a caesarean section.
Torsion of the uterus occurs when a cat falls or makes sudden movements. If your pet is excessively active during this period, be vigilant. This pathology is treated only by cesarean section.

Other possible complications during pregnancy:

cystitis;
renal failure;
intestinal disorders (diarrhea or constipation);
allergy;
arrhythmia;
obesity;
dystrophy.

"Cat infection" and pregnancy

There are many rumors that an expectant mother can become infected with toxoplasmosis from her own domestic cat.
What's true about them? Doctor of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Infectious Diseases at St. Petersburg State Medical University. acad. I. P. Pavlova Sergey Yuryevich Rudakov. – How can one become infected with “cat infection”? – Theoretically, you can become infected with toxoplasmosis while cleaning the cat’s litter box or working in the garden where the cat relieves itself. But most often the infection is transmitted during the processing of raw meat, especially pork. – Why is toxoplasmosis a cat infection? - Because cats eat mice. And toxoplasma lives and multiplies in their body. Not only wild, but also domestic representatives of this family can catch the infection. By the way, if an infected mouse is accidentally eaten by, for example, your dog, then the “cat” infection can quickly become a “dog” infection. – Is this infection dangerous for pregnant women? - Yes. The infection can cause damage to the fetus in early pregnancy, which in this case is most often terminated. To minimize the risk, many doctors still advise getting rid of cats as soon as a woman determines that she is pregnant. However, it is better to get tested for toxoplasmosis before you become pregnant, because if you have already had it, then the infection is not scary. The body develops a strong immunity against it. In this case, you won't have to part with your furry friend. – Can you get infected from a domestic cat? - Unlikely. The possibility exists, but so far there has not been a single case of infection of a baby before birth caused by contact with domestic cats. Doctors are still of the opinion that the real sources of infection with toxoplasmosis are contaminated soil and meat, and not cats. The only way toxoplasmosis can be transmitted from a cat to a person is through the cat's litter box. If you delegate cleaning of the cat's litter box to another family member or use gloves and thoroughly wash the litter box, this will virtually eliminate the risk. A pregnant woman should wear gloves when gardening to avoid contact with soil where stray cats might walk. If children play with sand, the sandbox should be covered. I must especially emphasize that it is impossible to become infected if a cat licks you, you stroke it or otherwise come into contact with it. If you follow the usual precautions, your baby is not at risk of becoming infected. – Is it possible to get sick again if a woman had toxoplasmosis before pregnancy? – This possibility is practically excluded. But you can still do a test to determine whether you have antibodies in your blood that indicate you have already had toxoplasmosis. If infection occurred more than 3 months before pregnancy, then transmission of the pathogen through the placenta is almost reduced to zero. – How can you suspect you have toxoplasmosis? – If the disease is mild, in an erased form, then in its manifestations it may resemble a banal acute respiratory infection. It’s worth thinking about only if this “cold” persists and lasts for a long time. In some cases, signs of liver damage may appear in the form of yellowness of the skin and mucous membranes, dull pain in the right hypochondrium, severe headaches accompanied by blurred vision. – What should women with chronic toxoplasmosis do? – If the expectant mother is sick with chronic toxoplasmosis, which does not manifest itself in any way, then transmission of the infection from the mother to the fetus does not occur. No special supervision is required. In this case, prevention is also not necessary. Although sometimes measures are taken to prevent miscarriage. – How can this infection affect the child’s health? – If a child is born with an active form of congenital toxoplasmosis, then all the signs will be the same as in adults. The same applies to the erased form of the disease. – Is it necessary to terminate a pregnancy if an infection is detected in the expectant mother? – No, neither antibodies to Toxoplasma, nor even proven infection during pregnancy are grounds for interrupting it. Only repeat studies are needed. After an accurate diagnosis, treatment can be prescribed to prevent congenital toxoplasmosis in a child. Tamara KUZNETSOVA

Caring for a pregnant cat

During pregnancy, a cat does not need special care: after all, pregnancy is not a disease, but a natural state. Therefore, there is no need to limit her mobility. Try not to overfeed her. A sedentary lifestyle can provoke obesity in an animal, even if not during pregnancy, then after childbirth. An excessively rich diet also contributes to this. If in its normal state a normal healthy cat is able to control its appetite, then a pregnant cat often loses this control and can eat too much. It is necessary to tame excessive jumping ability only in the last stages of pregnancy.

In the first month, the diet should be the same in volume and composition. However, veterinarians advise increasing the amount of vitamin-rich food. If at this time the cat shows interest in fresh vegetables and fruits, then try giving her carrots, zucchini, apples, and pumpkin. Although such changes in taste preferences are rarely observed. If your pet is accustomed to ready-made food, then switch her to kitten food, which is also suitable for pregnant cats. It is not forbidden to give vitamin supplements, but only after consultation with a veterinarian.

During the second trimester of pregnancy, increase the amount you eat by one and a half times. And during this period, she needs protein-rich foods: cottage cheese, sour milk, chicken eggs, beef. Just food should not be fatty, much less fried or spicy. Never feed your cat what you eat yourself: smoked and spicy foods are contraindicated.

Proper care means systematic monitoring by a veterinarian. Such visits are preventive and advisory in nature. However, at the very beginning of pregnancy, the cat needs to be examined by a veterinarian. This will save her from possible complications, and you from unnecessary hassle and expenses for treatment. Shortly before giving birth, it is also necessary to undergo another examination.

How can a cat be dangerous?

Are cats and pregnant women compatible? Medicine recognizes the fact that one of the main dangers for a pregnant woman is toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease transmitted not only by cats, but also by dogs and birds. For an ordinary person, this disease is not dangerous; it proceeds like a normal acute respiratory infection, but for the fetus, toxoplasmosis poses a mortal danger. If the child survives, then most likely he will be born with damage to the central nervous system.

However, everything is not so scary, because such cases are very rare.

If the expectant mother gets sick with toxoplasmosis before pregnancy, then this does not pose any danger to her or the child. Moreover, the cat has also developed immunity, so re-infection is not expected.

But in any case, it is impossible to categorically answer the question “are cats dangerous for pregnant women?” Therefore, you should undergo examinations, namely, have the pregnant woman tested for TORCH infections, and bring the cat to an appointment with a veterinarian. Then there are several options for the development of events:

You and your pet already have immunity to the disease, so there is no need to worry about your health.
You have a weakened immune system, and the cat carries toxoplasmosis. In this case, the cat needs to find a new home, since it cannot live with you.
Neither you nor your pet have immunity. A cat can live at home with you, but to do this, you need to constantly ensure that your beloved animal does not come into contact with other cats or dogs, often take the cat to the veterinarian, and ask other family members to clean the pet’s litter box - infection is most likely through feces.

Naturally, it is necessary that the cat is not a street cat, otherwise communication with it is contraindicated for a pregnant woman. The pet must be a pet only. Answering the question asked in the article, we can say that only a doctor can give a complete answer as to whether a cat is dangerous for the fetus and newborn.

Caring for a cat after birth

During the postpartum period, the cat needs rest. A day after giving birth, you need to show your pet to the veterinarian. The rest of your care comes down to proper feeding and hygiene of the animal. It is necessary to change the bedding in the box as it gets dirty, and it will get dirty because at first the cat continues to have vaginal discharge.

Feed her higher-calorie foods or special foods, give her dairy products, and do not limit the amount of food. She doesn’t need anything else from you: she is completely absorbed in her new condition, caring for her offspring.

How to prevent pregnancy

No matter how beloved your cat is, if you do not want to get offspring from her, you need to take preventive measures. The most radical way to rid her of the prospect of pregnancy is sterilization. Today this procedure is no longer very expensive, and it is performed in almost all veterinary clinics.

Sterilization can be surgical, radiation, or medication. The safest in terms of consequences is surgical. Surgical sterilization is carried out using several methods:

The fallopian tubes are pulled. In this case, the cat only loses the ability to conceive, but her estrus continues (as well as calling calls).
The uterus is removed, but the ovaries are retained. The effect of such an operation is the same as in the first case.
The ovaries are removed. The hormonal background of the animal changes completely, estrus stops, and there is no risk of false pregnancy.
The uterus is removed along with the ovaries. This method is already called castration.

The most favorable sterilization method for an animal is spaying, but its use is only possible for young (up to a year) cats that have never given birth. If she is already more than a year old, if she has given birth to kittens at least once, then the animal will have to be castrated. But the first two methods are almost never practiced, as they do not have very good consequences for physical and mental health. The veterinarian must decide which method to choose.

There are usually no side effects from a well-done operation. But spayed or neutered animals are prone to obesity. In all other respects, she remains the same, maintaining playfulness, general activity, and all instincts (except sexual).

Sterilization is the most humane and effective way to prevent pregnancy in cats. But if you are sorry to put your pet under a surgical knife, then you can stop at special injections - injections of hormonal drugs. Another (most common) way to prevent cat pregnancy is oral contraceptives. But this method does not always work and also has a bad effect on the physical health of the animal.