Conference misery::feline_v1

    Bells won't do much good.  When our outside cat brings home a present
    I take it away and walk outside and throw it in the bushes, making
    sure that kitty is watching.  She has gotten the idea that I don't
    want the kill and that if she wants it she shouldn't bring it in
    the house.  Cats will instinctively hunt wildlife, even if they
    are stuffed to the gills.  However, I have seen cats let mice go after
    catching them because they weren't hungry enough to eat it and were
    tired of playing with it.  So it is a good policy to keep you cats
    well fed.  You should talk to your doctor (and vet) about
    toxoplasmosis.  My understanding is that it is carried in the digestive
    track, so you should not do can pan duty while you are pregnant,
    nor probably should you clean up cat vomit.  My wife talked herself
    out of those duties when she was pregnant.  It just occurred to
    me that she hasn't been pregnant for 7 years.  Oh well.

    The only way to stop 'em is to keep 'em in!  I've had 4 cats
    over the years, and all have been indoor/outdoor cats.  All
    (inc. current 2) love to bring presents.  One of them used
    to leave pheasants on the neighbors steps because it was too
    heavy to drag home.  It's just their natural instinct to hunt.
    Whether it's chipmunks, shrews, rabbits, birds, bugs etc. They
    do leave them outside though, never had one bring something in
    the house.  Our cats eat whenever they are hungry, so I can't
    blame it on a lack of food.  Sometimes if I see one of them
    in the process of a hunt or kill I will interrupt and bring
    the cat in, because they do get tapeworms often from eatign
    (eating) the creatures.  It's probably a good idea to check
    with a vet about your concerns during your pregnance.  Good luck.

    Toxoplasmosis is not very common but it is still something you should
    be cautious of, given your condition.  You are more likely to contract
    it from undercooked or improperly cooked meat, especially pork and
    lamb.  Something your vet is likely to tell you but not your gyn.
    is the fact that it takes 24 to 48 hours for the bacteria to become
    infectious to humans after it leaves the cat's body.  So as long
    as your sure to sift/clean the litter every day, you should be safe.
    The safest thing to do is to delegate the task entirely (but still
    clean it daily).
    
    One pregnant cat owner to another...
    
    P.S.  Just another bit of common sense - be very concious of keeping
    you hands clean after handling the cat (given their method of
    grooming).

    All of the previous replies are right. First off, putting a bell
    on a cat never works - they can hunt perfectly well with them on.
    In fact, the only benefit of a bell is that you will know when they've
    finally caught something. As for Toxoplasmosis, you are perfectly
    right to avoid litter box duty while pregnant. In fact, toxoplasmosis
    is not all that uncommon, but is not usually serious enough for
    people to know they have had it. However, it can be VERY serious
    for pregnant women. Also, as pointed out by .3, if someone else
    is conscientious about cleaning the litter box every day, you should
    not have too many worries. Just always wash your hands and avoid
    the dust from the litter box. In fact, there is some new litter
    (can't think of the name)  that claims to be 99% dust-free. You
    might want to look into that, because that is how the spores are
    transmitted to you.
    
    /regina
    
    PS - as also pointed out by .3, don't eat raw meat or drink raw
    milk while pregnant as well, since that too can cause toxoplasmosis.
    Be careful, and I hope you have a happy, healthy baby!
    

    I'm aware of all the dangers of toxoplasmosis - had many talks with
    my vet and the o.b. who's keeping an eye on my blood tests.  I haven't
    been near the litter box in a year.  Max and Nik don't use it much
    anyway.  
    
    For some reason in the past few weeks, the dead bodies aren't around
    as much as they used to be.  In fact, it's been a couple of weeks
    since I've seen any.  Maybe it's the prematurely cold New England
    weather.  They ARE eating a little bit more these days.  I'm afraid
    I feed them whenever they want to.  
    
    Thanks for the help.  Now I have to train them to avoid the new
    bed they've discovered (the crib!!).
    
    SHL
    

    regarding your cats new bed. don't worry. one of my many cats was
    the best babysitter I could have asked for. She used to stay at
    the foot of the crib while the baby slept. As soon as the baby awakened
    or stirred as if uncomfortable, the cat would come looking for my
    wife or me. The baby, now five, has suffered no ill effects from
    her associations with cats. That cat, however was taken by a hawk
    three years ago.