Sometimes, it is really saddening when people come up to me and ask 'So, have you got rid of your cats yet?' Like it meant nothing. Before I found out I was pregnant, there are those who told me to get rid of Tot and Chet so that I could conceive.
Well, the reason why I wasn't pregnant a year ago was because Da-da and I wanted to fully love and understand each other, before anything else. We firmly believe that one of the most basic foundation in a good family is a loving and fulfilled parents. To be honest, it is better to focus on ourselves first and have you than focus on ourselves AFTER we have you. Would be selfish, innit?
Even Atuk, Mak Tok and your Grand Auntie; Tok Nah and Tok Nobi told me not to rush. You wanna know what they said? 'Have fun, enjoy, travel, go on a wild adventure, make love like mad. You're still young. Baby can wait. Life, on the other hand....can't. And regret will chase.' Your Tok Nah was 74 then. She was and will forever be my favorite Auntie. Atuk had your Mak Long after 3 years of marriage. (Within that amount of time, they used to own a cat too!) And I have never seen anyone else more loving than your grandparents. They are my epitome of love. Da-da and I wanted to be that for you.
BUT but but my point is, it was never because of the kitties.
Of course, I don't really bother to explain further when people ask 'are you pregnant yet?' and then told me to send my kitties out when i answered 'no, i have not.' Little fella, never explain yourself to people who won't bother listening or people who knows only half of what they are saying. It is better to have logical reasons than listening to remarks that just don't make sense.
And hey, here I am, carrying you in me. You know what that means? It means, God is great and He knows it better. Praise to God. Alhamdullilah.
People have concerns. And it does mean that they care, lot or less, for me. I understand. But I can't help but to question back 'why would cats cause harm to the baby i'm carrying? and how? is there anything that I could do to prevent it?' rather than getting all panic and blindly throw Tot and Chet out the door the instant people asked me to.
It's all about a little planning and know-how (and some googling), me thinks. If we look at this matter scientifically, Tot and Chet are two strictly indoor cats, very clean, vaccinated, eat only dry or wet kitty food and don't eat raw meat such as mice, birds or rodents. Not really their type. We have them detox every night. And most importantly, I never clean their litter.
Because toxoplasmosis can cause birth defects in children, the kind of birth defects that is caused by cats. Its a disease caused by a parasite that can infect your cat if she eats prey already harboring the parasite and this can be transmitted via cat feces. Toxo-thingy is rare among indoor-only cats. So to prevent The Tox, it is advisable for pregnant mommies to not clean the feces or to clean themselves thoroughly after cleaning them and must wear glove when cleaning it, aite! One study in 2000 of several large European studies actually found that the largest risk of toxoplasmosis in pregnancy was from eating undercooked meat, and cat ownership was rarely a problem.
Every night, Da-da will detox Tot and Chet. They hardly come around me nowadays and I hardly pet them. If I do, I will clean my hands thoroughly. Actually, I use Antabax with just about everything, anywhere and all the time. We take every precaution to keep you healthy before and after you are born.
Do I sound that I don't love you? Does acquiring scientific reasons and believing in God's willing make me sound like an ignorant mother?
I certainly hope not. I love you more than anything else in the world. But I also want to be the mother who knows what she's doing. You can only listen so much to people but in the end, its your life. Doctor told Atuk that I'm gonna die or turn retarded after I was born but here I am, having you quite healthily. Never say never, kan? So, I hope what I'm doing everyday after this, for you, will help me to raise you beautifully, happily and healthily.
One day, our kitties Tot and Chet will be your guardian angels, hunny bunny. They will take good care of you and give you lots of nose kisses.There will be people who will think that I am nuts for not getting rid of my cats for the sake of your health, but little fella, you don't throw away your family, do you?
Well, the reason why I wasn't pregnant a year ago was because Da-da and I wanted to fully love and understand each other, before anything else. We firmly believe that one of the most basic foundation in a good family is a loving and fulfilled parents. To be honest, it is better to focus on ourselves first and have you than focus on ourselves AFTER we have you. Would be selfish, innit?
Even Atuk, Mak Tok and your Grand Auntie; Tok Nah and Tok Nobi told me not to rush. You wanna know what they said? 'Have fun, enjoy, travel, go on a wild adventure, make love like mad. You're still young. Baby can wait. Life, on the other hand....can't. And regret will chase.' Your Tok Nah was 74 then. She was and will forever be my favorite Auntie. Atuk had your Mak Long after 3 years of marriage. (Within that amount of time, they used to own a cat too!) And I have never seen anyone else more loving than your grandparents. They are my epitome of love. Da-da and I wanted to be that for you.
BUT but but my point is, it was never because of the kitties.
Of course, I don't really bother to explain further when people ask 'are you pregnant yet?' and then told me to send my kitties out when i answered 'no, i have not.' Little fella, never explain yourself to people who won't bother listening or people who knows only half of what they are saying. It is better to have logical reasons than listening to remarks that just don't make sense.
And hey, here I am, carrying you in me. You know what that means? It means, God is great and He knows it better. Praise to God. Alhamdullilah.
People have concerns. And it does mean that they care, lot or less, for me. I understand. But I can't help but to question back 'why would cats cause harm to the baby i'm carrying? and how? is there anything that I could do to prevent it?' rather than getting all panic and blindly throw Tot and Chet out the door the instant people asked me to.
It's all about a little planning and know-how (and some googling), me thinks. If we look at this matter scientifically, Tot and Chet are two strictly indoor cats, very clean, vaccinated, eat only dry or wet kitty food and don't eat raw meat such as mice, birds or rodents. Not really their type. We have them detox every night. And most importantly, I never clean their litter.
Because toxoplasmosis can cause birth defects in children, the kind of birth defects that is caused by cats. Its a disease caused by a parasite that can infect your cat if she eats prey already harboring the parasite and this can be transmitted via cat feces. Toxo-thingy is rare among indoor-only cats. So to prevent The Tox, it is advisable for pregnant mommies to not clean the feces or to clean themselves thoroughly after cleaning them and must wear glove when cleaning it, aite! One study in 2000 of several large European studies actually found that the largest risk of toxoplasmosis in pregnancy was from eating undercooked meat, and cat ownership was rarely a problem.
Every night, Da-da will detox Tot and Chet. They hardly come around me nowadays and I hardly pet them. If I do, I will clean my hands thoroughly. Actually, I use Antabax with just about everything, anywhere and all the time. We take every precaution to keep you healthy before and after you are born.
Do I sound that I don't love you? Does acquiring scientific reasons and believing in God's willing make me sound like an ignorant mother?
I certainly hope not. I love you more than anything else in the world. But I also want to be the mother who knows what she's doing. You can only listen so much to people but in the end, its your life. Doctor told Atuk that I'm gonna die or turn retarded after I was born but here I am, having you quite healthily. Never say never, kan? So, I hope what I'm doing everyday after this, for you, will help me to raise you beautifully, happily and healthily.
One day, our kitties Tot and Chet will be your guardian angels, hunny bunny. They will take good care of you and give you lots of nose kisses.There will be people who will think that I am nuts for not getting rid of my cats for the sake of your health, but little fella, you don't throw away your family, do you?
mommy xxx
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And to all pregnant mommies out there with cats, I have some interesting reads online. Knowledge is key! :
When you are expecting.
The Tox
Did The Tox really cause you your miscarriage?
Birth Defects
stumble upon ur blog while doing some research on Dr Delaila.
ReplyDeletei too have cats, so is my bro-in-law who was married before me and my husband and still till today no pregnancy in sight.
before i got pregnant my Father-in-law suggested that probably me and my 'besan' both were still not pregnant because we both obsess with cats.
Well that was about a year ago. Exactly after about a year we got married i got pregnant. While sleeping with Tapir(my cat) every night, i still got pregnant.
and btw, my tapir now do his business elsewhere since i got pregnant. im about 13 weeks now and both of us r still clueless as to where he does his business. I guess Tapir is just concerned about his baby bro/sis so he too wants to lighten mommy's burden hehehe
=)