Do you have pets?

[Cinnamon]

I must say I'm worried about something, I have three ferrets and one crazy cat and I'm worried that when I get pg my mad cat will find the baby a threat. I have always had animals and have never wanted to live my life without them and also think that when you have an animal, it's not a toy and you can't forget about them when you feel like it. Obviously I won't let anything happen to my baby and would like to find a solution. What do you girls think. I also haven't had any experience with not very friendly cats (she is very friendly when she wants to, but other times she finds our hands are going after her and she gets a bit vicious)...

What experience do you girls have?

 

[Nyx]

I think that cats can always be temperamental and sometimes you don't know what they will do in certain situations. I've always had a cat around with my family and when I move out I want to have a couple of my own because it just wouldn't be the same. Our cat at home is very shy and she's confident with us that live in the house but any strangers and she finds the smallest place to hide. Sometimes we have my step nieces and nephews round and i can honestly say that our cat is never to be found until an hour or more after they have left the house and she knows it's all clear.
I'm not sure if it's possible to restrict the animals to a couple of rooms and outside and once arrives slowly introduce the animals to the different noises and eventually introduce your cat fully maybe? You won't know what to expect until you see what your cat is like when the time comes.
I know that I was brought into a house that had two cats (one stupidly friendly and the other temperamental) and it worked out ok.

 

[MaryJ]

2 big ass dogs. Boomer is a Shepard/Shar Pei mix and Lady is a Great Dane.

Boomer gets along beautifully with the baby. He's always coming over and giving the baby kisses. Lady acts like he has the plague half the time. She's starting to get a little better but she's pretty jealous of the him and the attention he gets from the DH. She could care less about me too though so I don't think it has anything to do with the baby - she's just a one man dog.

 

[calm]

I have 2 cats. I am quite sure they will be jealous, but I imagine they will adapt. I would not however leave them in the same room with my baby. Even if they didn't try to scratch the baby (which I can't imagine my cats doing), they might lie on top and suffocate it (this is suppose to be quite common as babies are small and hot and make nice cushions for cats or at least thats what they think).

Another issue is changing cat litter, not supposed to be a good idea when pregnant, oh dear, my husband will have to do it...

PS. My parents sacrificed their German Shepard Dog because of me being born. It was a very nervous dog and sometimes unpredictable and was said to look at me funny... very sad.

 

[Nyx]

I think dogs are more dependent on their owners than cats are, cat's will get jealous if their not getting attention when they want it but they're more capable of coping with less attention on them. I work in a cattery/ show kennels, and there are a lot of customers with cats that also have children/ babies and I only know of one that was considering getting rid of their two cats and that was only because their son was old enough to be opening doors and letting the cats out. Animals are easy to keep out of a room by shutting doors, so I don't see it as being a terrible problem.

 

[SpecialK]

I have a dog and two cats. The two cats are the most cuddly and flirty cats I've ever seen. They are awesome! I don't see them being a problem at all. But as someone on here said - even the most calm can react unepectedly to change if they feel threatened at all. Our dog will probably lick the babe's face off but again I don't see any threat there. However, there will be precautions taken and steps to prepare. I will record a baby crying and play it randomly to get them used to the sound. Friends of our also just recently had a baby, another friend has a 5 month old, and another a toddler. They come over and will continue to frequently and bring the kids so that the critters get used to it.

At the end of the day, as again someone said, cats are fairly easy to put in one room if necessary at the beginning. Our dog is crate trained as well so is quite happy to go into her crate if she gets too excited.

 

[Pops]

We have two cats of about 1 year old and are about to bring our newest member, a rescue Greyhound, home next week.

We wont know how they will react until the time comes but they are both really laid back easy going cats and Dogbert is the same from what we have seen so far.

xxx

 

[mikababy]

I have 3 cockatiels & a netherland dwarf rabbit, which are harmless. But my little Mika (South American Conure) is a worry to me. She is very cuddly, affectionate, and also clingy. If she gets frightened or she doesn't recognise me (wet hair!) then she can get really vicious - she flies at my face and sinks her beak into me. It bloody hurts, it's like being stung by a bee! She isn't nasty, just very protective!

I will have to make sure that she is never left alone with baby in case baby frightens her.

As far as cats are concerned then I guess keeping them in seperate rooms would be best. Also, toddlers can be unintentionally quite rough with cats, so in a few years it could go the other way!

 

[BritAcrossSea]

I have my fab little Lhasa Apso dog - Booboo and she's great with children/babies - mainly 'cos being a dog she loves food and babies/kiddies seem to always have some sort of food on them whether it be on their fingers or faces and they nearly always love giving her food. I would always be careful though 'cos although I know she loves them she is still a dog and has only a few ways to say back off.

One of my best memories is when my DH's nephew was a baby and was round ours, Booboo had been asleep and all of a sudden she stood up sharply and just stared at the baby. He needed a nappy change and she didn't relax again until he had been changed!

 

[Webbykinskt]

At home we have a dog and OH has two cats at his parent's house. I've always wanted cats but I think I would seriously think about waiting until after babymaking lol. Although, my aunt and uncle have always had two cats, and two girls after... and they don't seem to be bothered with each other tbf.

 

[Cinnamon]

Well, you guys cheered me up as Canela (means cinnamon in spanish) was my bday present from DH as I'd always wanted a ginger cat, he went mad looking for one until he found my mad hatter. I must say I've always had cats, animals in fact and there has never been a problem with them. I grew up with them just fine, but also I've never had such a vicious cat as her. She is massively scared of hands and thinks you are going to hurt her so if you try to touch her she bites... But not always, specially when she's very alert and maybe playing. When she wants to, she is so loving that she comes and sits on you (even on the toilet- sorry, tmi) and she even dribbles because she is so happy. She has calmed down now that she has been neutered and considering she is an indoor cat (I live on the fifth floor) she is now starting to wonder off on the same floor and seems more attracted to that and therefor concentrates on other things rather than us. She is very independent and playful (goes after an elastic band when you throw it and brings it back for you to throw again, like a dog) and doesn't complain when locked away. I will just have to keep an eye on her and hope for the best. Otherwise I will find a good home for her if necessary (I hope not). Thanks girls... I would also want a dog in the future, but right now with the three ferrets and the cat, DH and I and in the future a baby, the one-bed flat I own is full!!!! xxxxxxx