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By Dr. Chetan Ginigiri,MBBS(JIPMER), MD (PGIMER) Fellowship PICU (Kings College London), Head of Dept – Paediatric & Neonatal services, Aster CMI Hospital
It is common to experience family members staying together with a cat. However, during pregnancy, the scenario differs as certain infections can happen to the fetus if an expecting mother stays in close contact with the cat and not taking proper care. Apart from the baby’s safety, it is also noteworthy to keep a check on the cat as the cats are not too adjusting and need their own attention.
A lot of topics related to the cat and the baby needs attention. Some are in reference to the time when a lady expects while others are when the baby enters the family.
In many households, cats are considered a very significant part of the family. The important aspect is the health hazards which can happen due to a cat’s presence and so it is crucial that child safety is ensured and these health risks should be reduced. It is important to know the steps which should be taken to ensure the safety of the newborn baby. Few steps are mentioned as under:
Even though it is possible for the baby and the cat to stay together in the same house, however, there are many infections that are associated with the cat. Some of the major health hazards are given as under:
With slight precautions and care, the health risks to the baby can be minimized and the cat and the baby can stay together and be comfortable.
This is considered more like a myth from the old wives tales. Cats generally settle down with the baby and can cover the baby for comfort or the smell of the milk the baby has. This could be interfering with the breathing process but is mostly an accident which do leads to suffocation in babies; however, it is only accidental. The only supervision should be that the cat doesn’t cover the baby’s face.
Allergies could crop up in babies and will differ in the acuteness from one baby to another. In order to figure out if the baby is developing allergy due to cats, we need to keep a check on the reaction of the baby in response to a cat and the below symptoms should be watched out:
Once the baby starts walking, alertness is required if a cat is around in the house. A small baby crawling or waking in the house could be a scary sign for the cat, and it might show signs of anger like squatting, making hissing sounds, whining cries. If so, it is an indication that cat is scared and it’s time to keep the baby and the cat away.
Another safety measure is to keep the cat litter box
Cats are very possessive in nature and not very adjustable so it is of prime importance that special attention is focused on the cat before the baby arrives and post-delivery. The following can be done in order to give the cats, the attention they require.
Even though a cat and a baby aren’t alike, yet with proper care and vigilance, efforts can be made to make their stay happy, comfortable and loving. In families where cats are kept as pets, it is important to maintain hygiene and make it a positive experience for all. It is very much possible for the family and the cat to stay in harmony.
Dr Chetan Ginigeri is an experienced Pediatric Intensivist with national and international training. With 15 years of experience, he is one among very few Intensivists in India trained to take care of children who need/had organ transplants. He has been responsible for coordinating the Pediatric Organ Transplant program.Read more.
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MBBS(JIPMER), MD (PGIMER) Fellowship PICU (Kings College London), Head of Dept – Paediatric & Neonatal services, Aster CMI Hospital
A passionate Child Health Advocate, Paediatric Emergency and ICU consultant, Child Safety Expert, Author, and Teambuilder – Dr. Chetan Ginigeri wears different hats according to the role necessitated at the time.
Having trained in India’s best medical Schools (JIPMER Puducherry & PGI Chandigarh) and advanced training in Pediatric and Transplant Intensive care at Kings College Hospital London – Dr. Chetan’s journey has encompassed all setups in Indian healthcare to NHS.
He previously heads the Children’s ICU at Narayana Health Bangalore and was one of the co-founders of PeopleTree Hospitals Yeshwantpur. Currently, he heads a large multidisciplinary team of Paediatricians at Aster CMI Hospital Hebbal Bangalore.
Child safety and prevention of unintentional injuries in children is very dear to him. PLAYFUL – An ultimate Guide to Child Safety is a book authored by him and has already sold more than 10,000 copies. This online platform is an ongoing attempt to address this new Public Health problem.