Dear Doctor Lisa......

Hello, I  just had my 4th miscarraige yesterday, i have cats and i was tested for toxoplasmosis but it was Neg.

I am 35 and have had no succesful pregnancies......and im so devastated this has happened AGAIN!

I am O RH Neg blood and my husband is O RH Pos.....do you think this is why?? ive mailed the show asking for info.......ive asked Doctors here about Anti D injection but they havent ever given it to me?

Im a BritisH woman living in Cyprus, i dont know if its the  language barrrier, but i find these docs so unhelpful and im upset and frustrated, please advise?

thankyou x

Whether you love cats or not, your comments to the woman certainly sounded as though she should find somewhere for her cats. You offered no alternatives to her other than the easy way out. Without saying the words "Get rid of your cats," obviously viewers like myself were led to believe there was nothing else she could do if she wanted to provide a healthy and safe enviornment for her unborn child.

I would encourage you to make this right by devoting more time to the subject and clarifying alternatives for cat owners. Please STRESS to everyone that getting rid of your pets is not an option. They are a responibility you have for life including when you have children, move to a different state, change the color of your furniture, develop allergies etc. There are always options.

Dr. Lisa,

    I also implore you to correct yourself on air.  As a veterinarian I have to daily educate misinformed owners about the "danger" of owning a cat while pregnant.  It did seem as if you inferred that cats should not be around while the owner is pregnant-which I can only interpret as getting rid of the cat, or making it an outdoor cat.  Neither of these options is satisfactory. 

     First, the toxoplasmosis cyst is shed in the feces, NOT the urine of an infected cat.  It takes 48 hours for this cyst to become infective.  So if the litter box is changed daily, the chance of coming into contact with an infective cyst is miniscule.

     Second,  more women are infected each year with toxoplasosis by handling raw meat and gardening. Pregnant women should be made aware of this fact as well.

     Lastly, I would always recommend that a pregnant woman take her cat to her veterinarian to make sure that it be tested for other types of intestinal parasites as well.  These can easily be treated, but can pose just as much risk to the unborn baby and other small children in the house.

     Part of being a licensed medical professional is the responsibility to give accurate information.  As a DVM, I am frequently correcting the information that my clients have been given by their MD.  It can be very frustrating!

Dr. Kri

Please go on the air and clarify this issue about the cats.  The over population of pets in this country is serious.

Dr. Lisa,

As a responsible cat owner, I agree that you should go on air and correct your statement regarding removing the cat or cats from ones home when  pregnant. Many viewers will abandon their cats out of fear from your statement. I rescued a cat that was abondonded at an apt complex by a pregnant woman. The cat could have died or been kllled. I had two healthy pregnancies while caring for cats. The key is to educate viewers on proper handling of litter and washing their hands well. I kindly request that you clarify the statement with your audience.

Sincerely,

Kristy

Sorry Sinduhrella, I have to take issue with you on a number of fronts.  First of all

toxoplasmosis is a parasite that can potentially cause problems.  It is incumbent on a doctor

to know everything he or she can about anything that can affect human or animal health.  "She's only

human" is not an excuse.  If Dr. Lisa didn't know about toxoplasmosis 100% she should have just

said "it can be a problem in certain circumstances and you should ask your veterinarian if

you are at risk".  She even had a fundamental fact wrong about it: it's in the cat's urine?!  Please.

Secondly a cat gets the toxoplasmosis parasite by eating raw meat, dead birds and dead mice

infected by the parasite.  If you have an indoor cat that doesn't go outside, even if it walks in its feces

as you suggest, the chances of it getting toxoplasmosis is almost nil.  The most common way

that people get the parasite, by the way, is not even through cats.  It's through eating undercooked

meat.  The doctor never mentioned that.

Thank you Dr. Lisa for finally clearing up what was said on the show now maybe these people will stop harrassing you about a slip up on words which was proubley not cought when it was said.

I had a girlfriend who was pregnant and so she wasn't cleaning out the cat's litter  her husband did it while she was with child. SO IF ANY ONE IS OUT THERE READING THESE BLOGS AND YOU ARE WITH CHILD, JUST HAVE SOMEONE ELSE CLEAN OUT THE LITTER BOX DAILY AND THERE WON'T BE ANY MORE PROBLEMS. AND YOU WON'T HAVE TO GET RID OF YOUR LOVING FAMILY MEMBERS.

Dncnqeen!!

Sinduhrella, I'm glad you found that amusing. You're right, we are all ignorant on some level but you'd be surprised how many people take what a doctor says as gospel.

I hope that Dr Lisa also told the guest that she is far more likely to get toxoplasmosis from raw meat than from her cats. Was the woman told that she should not touch raw meat with her bare hands? I work in rescue and I have heard the stories about women relinquishing their cats because doctors have recommended it. Every doctor needs to be very careful to explain the situation thoroughly and emphasize that the cats should remain in the household. We already know that children raised in homes with cats and dogs are far less likely to have allergies and asthma than those children raised without cats and dogs.

Good grief, cats have been around longer than we have an mid wives have been around longer

than doctors. I don't believe any animal lover is going to get rid of there pets over this. I do

believe that Dr. Lisa should have been more clarified by her statement, she is only human.

We do not live in a perfect world, common sense is the reasoning here. If you are my age

or older, you know what I am talking about. Nothing is safe if you listen to all the professionals.

They are trained, think they know everything but, we didn't have these so called professionals

around in my early years, I had a baby, he was fine an I am fine. Everyone wants us to believe

that the food we eat can kill us, the medicines we take could kill us, it's all mind blowing. Well

that's my two cents on the subject........ Hurry up Yvonne an write that blog, I for one am

worried about you! Sludge.