Best time to get a cat - before baby or how soon after?

foreversomeday

Hi all,

I am looking for a bit of advice. I've been really, really missing my (mum's) cat since I left home and although the first flat me and DF moved to didn't allow pets, we're now in a house where we can have them and I'd love to get a kitten or adult cat - but now I'm pregnant!

We know of some people who let their cat have kittens continuously but the mother cat always looks skinny and malnourished and I'm not sure it's fair on her - or that the kittens would be healthy, flea free etc. We could also get a kitten from the paper (although may encounter similar problems) or the Cats Protection League (if we do this we could get a kitten or an adult cat and I'm debating which would be best.) I assume cats from the CPL would have all vaccinations and be microchipped and neutered, which would save us the cost of doing it, and we get to rescue an unwanted cat. Where I live they don't have cat shelters, they have foster homes, so they told me they interview and then match our lifestyle to a cat they have waiting for a home and we go from there.

I've been advised to get an adult cat because kittens "get less cute", but I don't know if I agree with this as you never notice your own pets (or children!) growing up, do you? I certainly didn't stop loving my mum's cat when she grew up from a kitten. On the other hand I'd imagine adult cats have a harder time being rehomed so we would really be rescuing it. I think our landlord is less keen on us getting a kitten rather than a cat as his brother had a kitten and let it run and climb up the curtains and scratch all the carpets and furniture and he doesn't want everything getting spoiled. I remember from experience that it doesn't take much to discourage them from this though, especially as they eventually get too big!

The other question is that I'm having a baby and I realise we've left it a bit late now as he's due in September and that only gives me about 2 months to prepare. So I suppose the question ought to be how long after baby should I wait to get a cat, but I will put in how soon before baby arrives, as it may help someone else reading this thread.

So my questions:
1. Where is the best place to get a cat/kitten from, ethically (for the cat) and financially (including cost of neutering, worming and vaccinations etc.) ?

2. Is it best to get an adult cat or a kitten, with a baby/toddler?

3. How long should I wait until after the baby is born before I get the cat?

4. How long ago should we have got the cat before I was pregnant/due in 10 weeks (:eek:)? - I would have thought 10 weeks is not enough time for a cat/kitten to settle in before disrupting them - please add thoughts if you think I am wrong about this though!

Barneysmom

Hello, and congratulations on your impending arrival :cool:
Personally, I think you should wait a while. A new baby is a lot to cope with and I think your feelings will change once the bab is born. Give yourself a year or so.

louisdog

I recently got three kittens from the local paper, they advertise lots in there at the moment anything from free to good home to about £100. I went and visited mine and ensured they and their mum looked healthy, they were well-socialised and were reared in a house not a shed or outhouse. Ethically you might be better going with a rescue I guess.

I would consider the cost of jabs, neutering (cheaper for males) etc. The jabs can be as much as £40, worm tablets were less than £2 for milbemax kitten, need doing every month.

I would guess that a kitten might be less set in its ways and find it easier to get used to a baby/toddler - but my sister in law's cats were fine with her baby after an initial scared period. I have a lovely pic of baby and cat laying on the floor next to each other, cat is as big as baby!

Kittens will be more destructive but we don't let ours in the lounge unsupervised for that reason.

I got our kittens 3 weeks ago and they are really well settled in, they were unused top dogs but quickly adapted to them and their new environment, have also been really clean.

But I don't know whether you'd want the extra hassle of a new cat as well as a new baby - I haven't got children so can't really comment.

Best of luck whatever you do. It'll be lovely having your little one grow up with a cat, whenever you end up getting it.

Cheers

Glad

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f1re_cr4cker

id say give it till your baby is approx 6months when its a bit easier and you'll be a bit less tired- the first 6 weeks or so are hell !

SparklyPrincess

Hi
Just wanted to say I got a kitten 8 weeks before he birth of my daughter and it was hard work as my cat is so nosey always wanting to sit under the baby bouncy chair or scratch the moses basket.
We didn't let the kitten go upstairs and they were never left in the same room as each other on their own.
1 year on and my daughters favourite word is cat and they love following each other around.
Its hard to say what to do...think my hormones were all over the place when we got the kitten, we got her from a friend. Not sure I would have got a cat at that time if it weren't for the fact of our frined having to find homes for kittens.
xx

stephvetnurse

right
as has been said having a baby is a hard time in itself so personally i would wait until you are in a bit of a routine with baby,
I would go through a rescue place as you will have 1st lot of vacs, chipping and at least a voucher for neutering if they havent already been done.
adult or kitten....down to personal preference if you go for an adult you need to make sure that they are ok with small children, kittens are more easily adaptable in situations like this, and you can easily train them not to do things.
adults do have a harder time finding homes as they have lost the "cuteness" factor which is why all the rehoming places are full of adult cats and very few kittens- ppl get kittens and when they grow up into adult not so cute cats they are abandoned.
If you had got cat earlier i would have said prob about the time you found you were pregnant so you had 6 months for cat/kitten to settle in and get to know you first.

MrsTinks

And ofcourse there is the slight hitch that you shouldn't be handling cat "mess" whilst pregnant at all... so anyone looking to get a cat or kitten and trying to get pregnant should really think twice about this...
I have 2 cats - about 7 years old now - and we're trying to get pregnant. However both mine go outdoors to do their business so it's not as much of a problem for me...

stephvetnurse

MrsTine wrote: »

And ofcourse there is the slight hitch that you shouldn't be handling cat "mess" whilst pregnant at all... so anyone looking to get a cat or kitten and trying to get pregnant should really think twice about this...

As long as you wear gloves and wash your hands thoroughly after dealing with it then you should be fine-I know several vets and nurses who have been fine throughout their pregnancies as long as they have followed proper h&s guidelines above.
I certainly wont stop dealing with my cats and my patients should I become pregnant, i shall just wear gloves and wash hands.
It isn't a fact that you shouldn't handle it at all its that you should be extra careful when handling it, although many midwives cant seem to get their heads round this fact:mad:

Rummer

Hello

I got my kittens from the cats protection league a couple of months before I had my daughter and everything was fine. They gave us kittens that had natures that they felt would suit our circumstances. We have adopted other cats from them since then and they always take time to match the cats and families to each other. They also only request a donation so you pay what you can afford for the cat/kitten. If you can afford to keep two I would recommend getting two as they will keep each other company.
Good advice Stephvetnurse the parasitic infection you can get from cats can be serious during pregnancy but you just need to follow basic hygiene guidelines. Make sure you do the same when gardening in-case cat mess is in the garden.
My cats have brought great joy into my life and I wouldn't be without them. Good luck with your impending arrival and I hope you find the cat/kitten for you.

moggylover

At the time that I had my first baby I already had 18 cats, 2 of which were kittens!

No advice in this - just that they are not a problem together. OH worried that they could scratch the baby - but they seemed to love him to bits and would lay close to him and let him pull tails, ears and fur and just move away when it got too much for them. TBH, at first I would get up and stop the baby and move the cat - but they went back for more so must have thought of it as love:rolleyes:.