Mad Medicine

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The Cat's in the Cradle

Debunked: Cats shouldn't be allowed near newbor babies, as the cat will "steal the baby's breath".

In Dispute: There have been isolated reports of babies being smothered by cats. These reports have been disputed by some.

Michael Kearney reported such a case in the BMJ (1982, Vol 285, p777). A five-week-old girl died after allegedly being found cyanosed in a pram with a cat over her face. Paul Heaton (NZMedJ, 1995, Vol 108, p 62-3) subsequently reported a similar case in which cat hair was found in the pharynx of the smothered 24-day-old infant. Heaton concludes that there is a very small but definite risk that young babies can be smothered by domestic cats.

References:

• Kearney article (large image)
• Heaton article (large image)