Adopting a cat or kitten
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Anonymous
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DH and I really want to adopt a feline. Two concerns:
1) We want to do it soon, kind of as a Christmas gift to ourselves, but will go out of town for one day a week after the adoption event we want to attend. My mother lives in the same building and could feed it and check on it. She has her own cats, so I trust her. We may also head out for a few days during Christmas, so the same solution would apply. Should we wait till after Christmas? It feels like we keep putting it off. 
2) I am pregnant and do not have the toxoplasmosis antibody. (Got tested.) Is this really an issue so long as I avoid cleaning the litter? The doctor wasn't really concerned and said toxoplasmosis is rare as is. We also plan to keep the cat indoors, so it won't be feeding on anything beyond bugs and therefore wouldn't catch the virus from outside. Can you get a cat tested for it? I have wanted a kitty for so long, but have not been allowed due to living situations. Now, I feel like we are so close, but am getting cold feet from these obstacles. Any advice is appreciated. |
Anonymous
| Have you ever had a cat before? If not, I strongly urge you to wait until the baby is a little older. You have no idea what motherhood is going to be like and a baby is going to be hard wnoough. If you have had a cat before you can adopt one in a DC shelter the same day. We adopted a 9 year old cat from the one on GA avenue and she is the best cat ever. Very mellow and very loving. I knew others would probably go for kittens but I wanted a mature cat. We love her! |
Anonymous
| I haven't had my own personal cat as an adult, but have lived with them all my life. I also had a roommate with one and took care of her cat often when she would go out of town. |
jsteele
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Site Admin Online
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I suggest either getting an adult cat who is pretty mellow or two kittens. One kitten will require a lot of play time and/or destroy your home. Two kittens will keep each other occupied and provide you a lot of entertainment in the process. You will have your hands full once the baby comes and won't have time to give a single kitten the attention it will need.
As for going out of town, cats/kittens can survive a day on their own, especially with your mother looking after them. It would also be no problem leaving cats that are well adjusted to your home for longer periods if someone is caring for them. However, this might be problematic if that animal is still adjusting. A lot of that depends on the cat. |
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Anonymous
Have you read any of the numerous posts about how pets are neglected/resented after baby is born? I adored my cat until my baby was born and then....it was just someone else with needs that sucked away what little time I had to myself. Please consider waiting until after baby is born. If baby is fussy, colicky a bad sleeper you will want to murder kitteh if it wakes you up at 5am after baby was up from 2-4am for the 30th night in a row.... BTDT A baby is 1 million times cooler than a cat! |
Anonymous
| The local animal shelter here will not let people adopt a single cat/kitten, under most circumstances. They are just too active and lonely and tear up the house, and have other behaviors. They had too many returns of kitten when they were no longer kittens and much harder to rehome. As a breeder, I support this philosophy 100%. You will be very busy with your baby, and lucky you!! This is probably not the best time to get a cat. Wait until after the baby is born and you see how you feel then. Congrats on your baby!! |
Anonymous
| Hi there... as a mom who got kittens around the time her baby was born. Getting 2 kittens is the perfect solution. They are really social creatures and my kitties (now 4) love being with each other, playing with each other, and cuddling/grooming each other. They are very happy. They are also totally bonded to all members of the family. Having a second does not take away the joy or bond with the humans... it just gives them one of their own to entertain them. If you are getting a young kitten, please strongly consider getting a second for a playmate. It is no extra work and a lot of extra joy. Much happier household all around... and I have had a single cat many times in my life so I speak from experience. As for being away for one day after adoption, I would not give it a second thought. You might just want to put them in a smaller space with the litterbox so they don't have too much room to explore or feel anxious in. |
Anonymous
| Consider an older cat. Kittens can drive you crazy and two is sometimes just twice the trouble. I'm not a fan of the kitten phase myself. And my older cat actually likes kids. |
Anonymous
Yeah, that's exactly what I was trying to say. Mother is going to be hard enough so I would hold off until you know what you are working with. |
Anonymous
I vote for 2 kittens. 
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Anonymous
I have to agree with this. We got a kitten when my son was a baby, and it was very difficult. I did resent the care and attention it needed, because I really needed and wanted to give dc 100% of my attention. Not sure what we were thinking. We did not end up keeping her. We have a kitten now, about 4 years later, and it's great. |
Anonymous
Agree with all of this. If you go for the two cat option, when you go to the shelter look for a "bonded pair" one that already gets along well with each other. |
Anonymous
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I really agree with the people saying to wait for the baby to be born/get a little older. I have two cats, whom I loved dearly, and now I JUST. CANT. STAND living with them! if I had known I was going to get pregnant less than a year after adopting the 2nd kitten (unplanned pregnancy) I would have never ever taken the kitten. I do still love them and I wish that we were bether pet parents to them but with two cats, 2 adults, and a toddler living in a one bedroom apartment (they are indoor cats as well), it is just really not the ideal situation for the cats.
if you do still want to get one, please take info consideration where you will keep the litterboxes...do you have the space for the cats to have a safe place to retreat besides YOUR space (I long for another room with a window so the cats could hang there and we would have space for a cat tower and what not). the toddler is CONSTANTLY harassing the cats. and the G-D cats are always MEOWING as soon as the baby falls asleep over some stupid thing like they found a stuffed animal on the floor. and it's totally the worst when you wake up to the sound of cat puke after youve been up all night with a teething baby. on the other hand, they are nice, snuggly, the baby loves them (a little too much), they eat our bugs, they love us unconditionally, and you'll be fine as long as you don't clean the litterbox. I would just warn you that your motherly instincts towards the cat will drastically decline when you have your baby. |
Anonymous
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Older cats might be a good solution. Local shelters are having Black Friday specials - might be a good time to go meet some new furry friends. Ask for a cat that's good with babies and kids - the shelter will have a good sense which ones will live happily with your family.
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Anonymous
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Agree - please please please wait until after the baby comes to decide on whether to adopt any pet.
But, if you insist, let me know. I have a really cute, cuddly 12 year old cat who is great with kids (I know, I have 3 of them) that I can give to you b/c honestly - I just can't stand my cat any more. This is coming from somebody who absolutely adored her cat(s) (one has since died) prior to kids.... |