Hubby brought home a kitten?!

  • Thread starter Thread starter JennyAnne
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
J

JennyAnne

Guest
I’ve been on and off about the idea of getting a pet for some time now, as many of you know. My husband is more into it than me. Originally I wanted a dog but then I decided against it because of the baby. Anyway, down to the point…
My husband brought home a kitten yesterday. One of his colleagues at work has a cat who had kittens, and he was giving them away. Hubby decided to get one without consulting me :mad: It’s a cute little kitty, and I have nothing against cats, but I’m worried. What if the baby is allergic? Maybe the cat will need more attention than we’re able to give?
I told my husband he shouldn’t have gotten it without asking me, and he said he’s sorry, but what now? Should I make him bring it back? 🤷
 
JennyAnne said:
I’ve been on and off about the idea of getting a pet for some time now, as many of you know. My husband is more into it than me. Originally I wanted a dog but then I decided against it because of the baby. Anyway, down to the point…
My husband brought home a kitten yesterday. One of his colleagues at work has a cat who had kittens, and he was giving them away. Hubby decided to get one without consulting me :mad: It’s a cute little kitty, and I have nothing against cats, but I’m worried. What if the baby is allergic? Maybe the cat will need more attention than we’re able to give?
I told my husband he shouldn’t have gotten it without asking me, and he said he’s sorry, but what now? Should I make him bring it back? 🤷
Click to expand...
The cat is there now so why don’t you give it a little time to see how it and the baby do? I read something recently that kids who grow up with pets are much less likely to have allergies later in life. If the baby turns out to be allergic now, you can deal with that but if not, great.

Cats don’t require much “attention” and will generally take what they can get, snuggling up to you if they feel they want more petting. As long as the kitten is already weaned, feeding is pretty easy too. So all that’s left is the litter box and that should be hubby’s job anyway since you are pregnant.

(P.S. I wish my husband would surprise me with a kitten. 🙂 I think it was sweet.)
 
I vote to give kitty a chance. Cats are much easier than dogs.
 
I never knew anyone who was pregnant to have health issues from a cat. Cat should be properly vetted of course with shots.
 
Luvz2travel said:
I never knew anyone who was pregnant to have health issues from a cat. Cat should be properly vetted of course with shots.
Click to expand...
There doesn’t seem to be any vaccine yet for cats for toxoplasmosis.

The kitty is mainly a danger to the unborn baby rather than to the mom–there’s a risk of blindness and brain damage to the fetus, as well as miscarriage or stillbirth.

People with cats they’ve had for a while generally hand off litter duty to the expectant daddy during pregnancy and that’s generally good enough, but the CDC says not to get a new cat during pregnancy.
 
I know a couple who had a kitten and a baby at once.

The baby tried to play with the kitten, and the kitten took a swipe at his eye with its claws.

If he hadn’t blinked…
 
He really should have thought it through better, but I would assume your husband was trying to do something sweet. Perhaps because whatever he took as your reasons for not getting a dog wouldn’t apply to a kitten, he thought he’d found a good compromise; I don’t know. In any case, I’d suggest forgiving him and giving it a chance, but also gently letting him know that you felt left out and disrespected because he didn’t ask for your (name removed by moderator)ut–and that in future, you’d appreciate him asking you how you feel about it before making a final decision on similar things.

Overall, though, I agree with Corki. As long as hubby is willing to keep the litter box clean (and you should probably talk about how often this should be done to be sure you’re on the same page here–if there’s disagreement, maybe check with your local veterinarian for recommended guidelines), I’d give it a little time and see how it goes. Of course, if he’s not willing to completely take care of litter box duty, then yes, kitty should go back or hubby needs to find it a new home.

Cats, even kittens, are pretty independent and generally don’t require a lot of attention other than food, water, litter box, and occasional snuggles (though it does vary by kitty). They can be very entertaining, too. The cats we’ve had usually liked to cuddle or simply sit nearby when I was feeding the baby or reading to a toddler (though our current cat prefers to stay outdoors, and mostly ignores the kids and the dog, lol). And if anyone happens to be allergic, you’ll discover it early enough and can deal with it then.

My kids have been raised with both dogs and cats (as well as a few other pets), and I’ve found that cats are usually much easier to deal with than dogs when you have little ones–but I do suggest making sure the cat has a place it can hide and/or climb up to when it wants to get a break from little grabby hands once the baby becomes mobile. 😉

Best of luck! :gopray2:

P.S. The risk is pretty small, so hubby keeping the litter box clean should be enough, but if you’re concerned about toxoplasmosis, you might ask the vet about testing your cat for it.
 
Since you’re pregnant, I think it would be safest to check with your doctor.
 
When my wife was pregnant with our first daughter we had two cats. My wife’s doctor told her she wasn’t allowed to do anything with the litter box, but other than that there was no concern. This was 12 years ago ( how did I get that old?) so more information may be available.
M
 
Babies that grow up with either cats or dogs tend to develop higher resistance to allergies so I wouldn’t worry about the baby becoming allergic. The likelihood is low. Also cats are much easier to take care than a dog. If you are busy and don’t have too much time, a cat is the ideal pet. I do agree that your husband should have asked before but I would recommend to give kitty a chance. Cats are very loving and very easy to take care and it is beneficial for kids to have pets. Now, I am pretty experienced with cats so I would give you some important advice:

First and most important: take the kitten to the vet! The kitten needs vaccination and needs testing. Ask the vet to test the kitten for feline leukemia, feline AIDS and toxoplasmosis. This is very important and please follow the entire vaccination schedule. It will keep the kitten youand your family safe and healthy.
SSecond. Ask the vet to trim the kittens nails. It is very cheap usually ten box and is important to keep nails trimmed. Also buy two or three scratching posts so the kitten have places to scratch.
Third. Always, please always keep the cat indoors! Do not allow the cat out. This is not only for the cat’s safety but for your baby’s safety. First cats may caught things like toxoplasmosis from being outside. Cats do not have toxo inside them. They catch it from eating mice outside or from the soil so if you always keep your cat inside and feed him cat food rest assured you are free from that disease. Keeping your cat inside will minimize any allergy issues. What causes allergies is not the cat hair instead the chemicals in the cat’s tongue that are needed to keep the cat clean. A cat that remains indoors is much cleaner si the chemicals in the tongue will be milder. As consequence the allergens get greatly reduced.
Fourth. Never ever use your hand to play with the kitten. Buy feather toys and get Tue cat used to play with the feather. In that way the cat will learn that the human hand is not a toy and will not bite. Also please buy toys for the kitten (and have your husband…he brought the cat to the house well have him take care of the cat) and have husband do playing with kittens. Kittens have a lot of energy they need to burn so playing is important. You want to teach the kitten good manners so playing is vital for that. If the kitten learn to play with cat toys he won’t be butting or scratching where he shouldn’t.

Finally and most important. How old is that kitten? This is the million dollar question. Is the kitten 11 weeks or older. If the answer to that is yes, wonderful you can keep the kitten and follow what I’ve just told you.

However, if that kitten is less than 11 weeks… Tell your husband to take the kitten right back to the mother. Kittens should never ever be taken away from the mother before the 11th week. Between the 6th and 11th week kittens go through a very important socialization process and they need to learn from the mother. If you take the kitten away during this time it is highly likely that the cat will grow with socialization issues. You have a baby, do not take a cat that is not properly socialized. Explain this to your husband and have him take the kitten back and talk to the mother’s owner about this very important issue (I would even suggest the owner to spay the mother after this litter) and have the owner keep all kittens with the mother until the 13 week. If this kitten has been taken away from the mother too early sincerely I would be worried to take a cat from this person as I would be highly worried about the kitten’s socialization level (again you have a baby and you don’t want a cat not properly socialized with a baby). In that case, I would suggest for you and your husband to go to a shelter and adopt an senior cat, 10 years or older as they tend to be much better with small kids, have a defines personality, their energy levels are not that high and they are much more docile; or go look for a cat breeder. There are many cat breeds that are amazing for babies and small children and professional breeders work hard on socializing kittens properly. I would recommend you to look into ragdoll cats, Maine coons, Siberian cats (they are hypoallergenic by the way), birmans, Norwegian Forrest cats and ragamuffins. All these breeds are very smart, very good with kids and highly social plus they tend to come with very good manners from the breeders.

Good luck with kitty and baby and hope my advice is helpful.
 
Love the little kitty and let your husband deal with the litter box for the duration.

When baby is born, supervise he/she and kitty at all times.

I worried about toxo when I was pregnant, but learned that you’re more likely to get toxo from gardening than cat feces.

We started with one cat when I was pregnant; now we have three.

My son has grown up with pets and deeply loves and respects all creatures.
 
JennyAnne said:
I’ve been on and off about the idea of getting a pet for some time now, as many of you know. My husband is more into it than me. Originally I wanted a dog but then I decided against it because of the baby. Anyway, down to the point…
My husband brought home a kitten yesterday. One of his colleagues at work has a cat who had kittens, and he was giving them away. Hubby decided to get one without consulting me :mad: It’s a cute little kitty, and I have nothing against cats, but I’m worried. What if the baby is allergic? Maybe the cat will need more attention than we’re able to give?
I told my husband he shouldn’t have gotten it without asking me, and he said he’s sorry, but what now? Should I make him bring it back? 🤷
Click to expand...
I have two but I would never have one around a baby or a toddler - they all scratch. If you keep it, make it an outdoors cat, I mean feed it at the door and never let it in.

Linus2nd
 
In my opinion, when deciding to get a pet, everyone has to be onboard. Your hubby knew you weren’t there yet, but he went ahead and got one anyway. Who knows? You may come to love the cat. But until/unless that happens, I’d make very clear the fact that it is 100% his responsibility. And if he does not assume that responsibility, he’s going to come home to find that Mittens has gone to Cat Rescue.
 
I had a talk with my husband and we’ve decided to at least keep the kitten for the time being.

The kitten is 12 weeks old. He’s a lovely little orange tabby.

We’ll be making a vet appointment to get him checked and given shots. I’ll also talk to my doctor about it to make sure there won’t be any problems.

The kitten will live indoors so he doesn’t pick up any diseases or anything, and also because I don’t want him to run away or be hit by a car. Hubby will be cleaning the litter box and everything.

Hubby just went out to buy some toys for the cat and a scratching post. We already have a cat bed for him and obviously food and a litter box. Anything else we’ll need?

Thank you, everyone. You’ve all been very helpful 🙂
 
In my experience, cats are mean and icky. I don’t like having them around my baby. They walk in their own pee, and then they jump up on the counter where you prepare the food. They scratch your furniture. They climb into your lap and pretend to want to be petted when they really want to bite you or scratch your face off. They seem to know when it is most inconvenient for you to have a cat in your lap and then demand to be there. They knock over your drink on purpose. They walk on/lick your sandwiches if you don’t keep an eye on them. It is hard to keep them away from the baby unless you lock them up in a room by themselves. If you get a two-colored cat, their hair will show up no matter what color pants you wear. I had a friend who had a nice cat. It was a purebread siamese cat and cost $700, but I’m not sure if that’s what made the difference. Every other cat I’ve ever met was a major pain. My step-mother’s cat scratched my sister’s eye and she had to go to the emergency room. I would avoid having a cat in your home, but that’s just me.
 
Linusthe2nd said:
I have two but I would never have one around a baby or a toddler - they all scratch. If you keep it, make it an outdoors cat, I mean feed it at the door and never let it in.

Linus2nd
Click to expand...
You mean make it your neighbor’s problem? That is what you do when you have an “outside” cat. That cat, your cat, then wanders the neighborhood, killing birds, using gardens as a little box, and driving dogs crazy.

This is not a solution! ! ! !

Either be a responsible pet owner or don’t own a pet.
 
Linusthe2nd said:
I have two but I would never have one around a baby or a toddler - they all scratch. If you keep it, make it an outdoors cat, I mean feed it at the door and never let it in.

Linus2nd
Click to expand...
Not all cats scratch. I had a cat who lived 21 years and never ever scratched anything besides the scratching post or anyone, including my newborn daughter who spent her first entire nine years with that cat and was never scratched by that cat. I also got another cat when she was two. That cat has never ever scratcher her or anyone either. I have and had other cats that do not scratch so it is not true that all cats scratch. The scratching issue depends on many other things as levels of socialization, age of separation with mother and I can give one page of things that cause cats to scratch. If she handles it the right way, scratching the baby will not be an issue…but for that she needs to handle it the right way.
 
JennyAnne said:
We’ll be making a vet appointment to get him checked and given shots.
Click to expand...
Just be prepared. Vets ain’t cheap.
Hubby just went out to buy some toys for the cat and a scratching post. We already have a cat bed for him and obviously food and a litter box. Anything else we’ll need?
Click to expand...
Sounds like you’re both onboard now. Lucky kitty.
 
“Either be a responsible pet owner or don’t own a pet”.

This.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top