Toxiplasmosis can give pregnant moms grief! It is one of the very few diseases that is transmittable between humans and cats. However, the chances of contracting it from your cat are minimal. (People are more likely to get it from foods, such as pork.) Nonetheless, it is good to be aware that cats can carry it. You can have your vet run a check on your cat through a stool sample. (It seems that the highest risk for this parasite is in cat feces older than 24 hours.)

It is easy to avoid getting toxiplasmosis, and you don't need to give up your kitties during pregnancy. It just requires that you have minimal contact with your cats' stools. Have your spouse, a neighbor, or someone else change the litter box while you are pregnant. Not only will this make your risk of contracting this disease virtually nil, but it will also prevent any complications caused by breathing in the clay dust and residue from the litter.

Note: Bird feces contains a parasite that is dangerous to pregnant women! So definitely get someone else to handle cleaning the bird cages if you keep birds.

There are a couple of genes that can cause blue eyes in white cats. (This does not apply to Persians alone.) The most common gene is called "dominant white." It is a masking gene - most white cats are genetically a different color, but you can't see that color because of the "white paint." Sometimes these cats will have colored eyes (copper in Persians), other times blue, and on rare occasions one of each.

Blue-eyed cats are very often deaf. Copper-eyed cats are less frequently deaf. Odd-eyed cats are just deaf in the "blue-eye ear." Interestingly enough, they are not born deaf, but go deaf gradually because the hair cells that help hearing degenerate. White kittens who are born with a "skull spot" (spot of color on the head that fades by adulthood) usually have sound hearing.

The other gene that causes blue eyes is the Himalayan gene, which is part of the albino series. There is no deafness associated with this gene. Often, the eye color is a more intense blue with this gene. If you can find a breeder working with whites and Himalayans, you could get a "white point." There are several breeders working with this combination.

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