Why do people still believe that cats are dangerous to babies?

[Bushtuckrman]

1. Toxoplasmosis

While toxoplasmosis can be spread by cats, it generally does not effect humans negatively unless they have HIV/AIDS. Symptoms rarely show up in humans and you're twice as likely to get it from handling raw meat or digging in the dirt than you are from cats.

You have a chance of getting it if you're exposed to cat feces infected with toxoplasmosis gondii, but this shouldn't be an issue if you have a baby because 1) you should be cleaning your cat's litterbox daily and 2) shouldn't have your cat's litterbox anywhere near your infant.


You would either have to be an extremely bad parent or an extremely bad cat owner (or probably both) for the mere possibility of your baby getting toxoplasmosis arising.

2. Cats Sucking Oxygen Out of Babies

I can't even believe that people still believe this. I won't even try to explain this because this is so outrageously stupid.

Because some breeds/types of cats sit on their fucking faces because of the warmth. Like my ragdoll did to my baby so I got rid of it. Go fuck yourself you smug know it all smartcunt my cat almost killed my baby so fuck you for acting high and mighty, typical brain dead millennial.


/here comes the infraction.

So has your cat done it to your baby? Oh wait you don't have one so why the fuck are you trying to tell us with kids any different?

[Techno-Druid]

Because some breeds/types of cats sit on their fucking faces because of the warmth. Like my ragdoll did to my baby so I got rid of it. Go fuck yourself you smug know it all smartcunt my cat almost killed my baby so fuck you for acting high and mighty, typical brain dead millennial.


/here comes the infraction.

So has your cat done it to your baby? Oh wait you don't have one so why the fuck are you trying to tell us with kids any different?

Nice trolling attempt, I'll give it a 7.5/10

[Self Inflicted Wounds]

Because some breeds/types of cats sit on their fucking faces because of the warmth. Like my ragdoll did to my baby so I got rid of it. Go fuck yourself you smug know it all smartcunt my cat almost killed my baby so fuck you for acting high and mighty, typical brain dead millennial.


/here comes the infraction.

So has your cat done it to your baby? Oh wait you don't have one so why the fuck are you trying to tell us with kids any different?

I wonder what the statistics are on things like this? Or are you talking out of your ass.

[Techno-Druid]

I wonder what the statistics are on things like this? Or are you talking out of your ass.

Well they could only find like one recorded incident where a cat was thought to have suffocated a six-week old baby by sitting on it, but later revealed the child died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

[Loupy]

My great grandmothers sister was smothered by a cat when she was a baby. It is true, cats will smother babies. They lay across the babies face and smother them.

Your great grandmother's sister died of SIDS, back before anyone knew SIDS existed, and your superstitious family blamed it on the cat.

[Khadgar]

Cats actively seek the recreate their lost feline empire, seeing babies as their mortal rival, they quickly spring into action against any sign of rebellion from the mystical race of infant.

Many casualties on both sides...

or there those's cats that put themselves in danger to save a child that's being a viciously attacked by dog.

[Lyrrim]

The belief that cats smother babies is _very_ old. Check out Mare_(folklore) on Wikipedia (I can't link, not enough posts yet). This is the original meaning of the word nightmare.

As for toxoplasmosis, absolutely stay away from litter boxes if you are pregnant. And clean bites and scratches really well with disinfectant.

[Bushtuckrman]

Nice trolling attempt, I'll give it a 7.5/10

Not trolling m8. My 4 year rag doll did and I promptly gave it away to an old lady who was more suited for him.

edit: pic related when he was a kitten 5 years ago



- - - Updated - - -

The belief that cats smother babies is _very_ old. Check out Mare_(folklore) on Wikipedia (I can't link, not enough posts yet). This is the original meaning of the word nightmare.

As for toxoplasmosis, absolutely stay away from litter boxes if you are pregnant. And clean bites and scratches really well with disinfectant.

Yeah when we had our ragdoll when my wife got pregnant I did all the litter changing. We still have a cat but he is a mostly outdoor cat who goes to the toilet outside and is super clean.

[Snowfunk]

Not trolling m8. My 4 year rag doll did and I promptly gave it away to an old lady who was more suited for him.

edit: pic related when he was a kitten 5 years ago

Yeah, it's rough. My pet hippopotamus kept sitting down on my infant baby, had to give it away as well :/

[Bodakane]

Just lingering prejudice stemming from being brought up during the Great Infa-Feline Wars.

[unbound]

Same general reason that some people avoid black cats.* Old tales stick with people, and they will just avoid the situation altogether rather than actually research into what is real or not.


* - Black cats are still the hardest for shelters to find homes for

[Noradin]

It is a culture thing.
Germanic and Slavic tribes used to have snakes (grass snakes) in their homes to get rid of parasites, they even used to feed them milk and believed they bring luck and protect children and lifestock.
In the Roman Empire ferrets were kept instead. When the Romans expanded and tried to spread their culture one of the things they condemned was the keeping of snakes since it was a sign of the family keeping to the old traditions in secret. The spread rumous about snakes stealing children and sneakily harming humans without their notice.
It wasn't before the end of middle ages that cats began to spread across Europe and displaced the use of ferrets (this was because increased trade spread house mice and other prey of cats). Originally they came from Lybia and Egypt.
As the looked the same as wild cats from around the countryside (that cannot be domesticated!) and the common people did no understand how these imported ones were different despite looking the same they got connected with witchcraft and the old rumous about the other pets connected with witches (snakes) were transfered to apply to them, also. This is also why people think milk should be used to feed them.

Incidentially, similar superstitions arose all over the world where house cats spread (China and Japan for example).


And yes, cats, just like all animals are potential risks to small helpless humans.

- - - Updated - - -

Your great grandmother's sister died of SIDS, back before anyone knew SIDS existed, and your superstitious family blamed it on the cat.

People always knew SIDS existed, they just didn't have an explanation how it happens.

[Serath]

Can you site some evidence where people actually people this? Never heard of a single case.

It's an old wives tale. I think the idea is that the cat could curl up with the baby and accidentally smother the kid. Always seemed pretty unlikely to me.

My wife and I are expecting our first and have 2 cats. What we HAVE been told by sane people is that cats like to sleep in cribs with babies because it's box like and the baby is warm. Issues can arise if your cat is a dick, like one of ours, and bites things that hurt or irritate it. We intend to oversee all interaction with the baby and the cats at least until they are 6 months old or so. Cats are touchy and introducing a new creature into their habitat, particularly one that doesn't know how to interact with the cat is a recipe for an angry cat and baby with claw marks.

[Bushtuckrman]

Yeah, it's rough. My pet hippopotamus kept sitting down on my infant baby, had to give it away as well :/

I lol'd, i r8 8/8 m8

[Deleted]

Regarding point 1 Toxoplasmosis this page sums it up http://www.earlypregnancy.org.uk/inf...ion.asp?iID=27

1 in every 500 pregnant woman in the UK catch Toxoplasmosis which can cause miscarriage or severe birth defects.

[Techno-Druid]

Yeah, it's rough. My pet hippopotamus kept sitting down on my infant baby, had to give it away as well :/

Here's a real picture of Snowflakesz hippo

[Bushtuckrman]

Here's a real picture of Snowflakesz hippo

Fucking hell I just bursted out laughing. I need to stop drinking

- - - Updated - - -

Regarding point 1 Toxoplasmosis this page sums it up http://www.earlypregnancy.org.uk/inf...ion.asp?iID=27

1 in every 500 pregnant woman in the UK catch Toxoplasmosis which can cause miscarriage or severe birth defects.

That is rather high considering the consequence

[TwoNineMarine]

Because cats are fucking dickheads.

Lol.

[zenkai]

1. Look at all these people who don't have kids, the first thing an obstetrician will tell you is, to watch out for cat scratches and that she can't change the litter box any more, and that you can't eat raw fish, bye bye sushi.

2. It's stupid but the logic behind it was that cats would sleep on a babies chest because they are warm and suffocate the baby.

[Deleted]

[QUOTE=That is rather high considering the consequence[/QUOTE]
I agree it is one of them unspoken rules that most UK mums to be are informed about