But to be fair, while I wouldn't say you need to get rid of your feline companion, there are some health concerns you should be aware of, especially now that you' re pregnant. Fleas, ticks carrying Lyme disease , irritant oils from poison oak and ivy, and infectious fungus like ringworm can be carried into your house on your pet's fur. Washing hands frequently is one way to limit your exposure, but keeping the animals from roaming through the woods helps too. Try to avoid being scratched by your cat as well. Cat scratch fever is a disease caused by a bacterium, Bartonella , marked by swollen lymph nodes, joint pain and fever.
Treatment usually consists of heat applied locally and the use of analgesics.
As someone who's pregnant, you should know that it's especially important for you to assign responsibility for cleaning the litter box to another member of the household to avoid infection with toxoplasmosis, a protozoan parasite found in soil and animal feces. Developing fetuses are especially at risk for severe disease, and abortion may ensue if infection occurs early in pregnancy. Infection after the first trimester may result in miscarriage or stillbirth or the birth of an infected baby. Other parasites such as hookworm and intestinal roundworms can be passed from animals to humans through feces, too. Although less serious than toxoplasmosis, infections are not uncommon when there are puppies or kittens and young children in the house.