I have an 8 year old boy and a 9 month girl and we have had 3 cats in our house since I was pregnant the first time. Our first cat was a female siamese that my husband got from a shelter as an adult cat when he was in college, the second was a female kitten that had wandered into a coworker’s house as a stray(We still have her), the third was an elderly male manx that had been my husband’s grandfather’s. The manx died when my son was about 2, and we got a female kitten from a shelter. Unfortunately that kitten died from colon cancer just shy of three years old. We weren’t going to get another cat, but some friends started having allergic reactions to their cat so we got an adult female. Our siamese died shortly before I got pregnant with my daughter, and we got a male kitten from a friend who had taken in a pregnant stray.

All five of our cats have always been wonderful with the kids. Our oldest current female will let any child do anything to her, just about. She tolerates tail-pulling, fur-pulling, ear-grabbing, tail-eating, ear-eating, being picked up every which way, and she will stay where she is a allow a toddler running at her screaming KITTY at full volume to “catch” her. The other cats are also very good with the kids, they just don’t tolerate as much. Most cats will just run and hide when they’ve had enough. The male kitten really banded with my daughter after she was born. He sleeps on the floor in her room, and before she was mobile he would curl up next to her anytime she was on the floor. Now that he’s mobile he keeps more of a distance, but he is always nearby.

My best suggestion is to talk to the people at the shelter. Try to find either a very young kitten who can grow up with your kids, or an older cat that is used to kids. An older cat who has never been around kids before, would likely not be a good fit. I have never seen a cat hurt a baby. Even my grandmother’s cat who hated almost everybody, would just ignore the babies or go hide. The litter boxes aren’t bad and Addie is old enough to take on some of the cat chores, although she will probably need reminding. My son started feeding the cats when he was 4, giving them water when he was 6 and he started scooping the litter boxes this year.

I just had to have my pug of 12 years to put sleep. Never again will I own a pet. I have had that pug longer that I have had the 7 year old that lives in my house!.
The said 7 year old would really like a cat. My son (grown and does not live at home) is highly allergic to cats and can not even sit in a chair that a cat has graced without Benadryl.
My Dear Mother has 3 Chichuahua’s and called me (privately) to see if I would let the 7 year old have a fully grown 3 pound male Taco Bell dog. NO! absolutely NO WAY! We will not have another animal. I have a hard enough time getting a babysitter for a child that can go to the restroom,walk and talk by herself why, would I want to BEG someone to watch my dog that needs constant care – not to mention bathed, watered, fed, walked and groomed while I go on vacation?

And what do you think my DM did behind my back? Why she went and told the 7 year old that I would not let her get the dog! I still have the crying,sobbing upset 7 year olds voice mail on my phone begging for the dog. Really? yeah, so now I am the bad person. But I still stand firm.

NO ANIMALS!!!!!!

I agree with talking to the shelter. Shelter animals usually go through fostering, or are animals that have been given up by owners who know they can no longer care for their animals.

Also, I’m more of a cat person, than a dog, though I will melt into a puddle for a dog, depending on it’s temperament. My daughter grew up with a cat. We got him about 10 months before we found out we were pregnant. He adored our daughter, and we were heartbroken when he disappeared (we prefer to believe that he found another home, and that’s the ONLY thought we will consider ;)). She is still asking for another cat, though both kids know we don’t have space right now (nor can we truly afford the extra $35 a month, per animal, PLUS an extra non-refundable $200 deposit if we did get one [because we would get TWO cats/dogs so they have a friend when we leave the home]).

I’d say cats, much less maintenance. We lost our family dog a couple of winters ago and while I miss HIM terribly I do not miss having a dog – or animal at all for that matter. At some point though we will get another because I think it’s part of life to have one, gives you the circle of life emotions.

Kids and pets can be the best combination or the worst. It depends on the pet. And the kids.

We’re dog people, but unfortunately just had to let go of our two mutts. It’s a sad story, one that’s hard to understand as an adult and even harder as a kid, I imagine.

If there’s enough room in your hearts (and home) I say go for it, dog or cat!

I am a dog person, I treat my dogs like kids. Having kids and dogs might be a little hard. For someone with young kids, a cat seems like the better choice. I am a volunteer for a few animal rescue groups, and I think fostering a cat for one of those groups would be a good way to test the waters. That way you can see how it fits without making the commitment right away (and you would be helping a rescue group at the same time). If you end up loving the cat, and wanting to keep it, you can adopt it! Go to http://www.caws.org, and read up about becoming a foster parent, and you can also see a list of cats in need of foster homes.

If you decide to get a cat in the near future (um, next couple of weeks), I know a great older cat who will be looking for a home. My sister moved to Boston at the beginning of September and moved into an apartment that does not allow pets. She had someone all lined up to take the cat, Isabel, and that person backed out the day of her move. The DAY OF. No notice. Can you believe that? My fiance has put the kibosh on any more pets in our house (he had a cat when I met him; a year and a half later he has two cats and two dogs), so Isabel is living with my mom for the moment, but my mom’s lease is up at the end of this month, and poor Isabel is going to be homeless (the reason for that is a whole different story). We’ve had Isabel for about seven years, and she’s always been a great cat. She’s quiet and keeps mostly to herself, but she does curl up next to you and purr, and she loves lounging in the sun. I hate the thought of taking her to a shelter, but our hands are tied at the moment.

We have a puppy. And a baby. We have been called crazy on more than one occaision. I was so afraid of how the puppy would react when we brought the baby home from the hospital that we stayed an extra day. I CHOSE to stay in the hospital an extra day. Craaaazy. But my fear? Even crazier. The puppy curls up next to me when I’m nursing the baby. He lays under her swing and runs to the nursery door when she starts crying. The baby pulls the puppies ears and sticks her fingers in his eyes. In return, he licks her hands. She laughs hysterically. So now, the puppy is our fur baby, the baby is our real baby, and to each other – they are destined to be best friends. Love it.

When our son was born we had three dogs and a cat. We didn’t plan for three dogs, but my husband and I each had one when we met. Then we took in the neighborhood stray (we’re suckers for a sad story). Then we had a baby. I feel so guilty about the lack of attention we gave to our dogs after our son came. Those first few months, they were fed and let in and out of the house, and that was it. We’re down to two dogs now, and our son is three and a half. Things are much easier because he interacts with the dogs and they LOVED watching the food rain down when he was learning to eat.

The cat? She was just fine. Nothning changed. I am not sure she knows we have a baby.

We always had cats and dogs, and they were always indoor/outdoor. The only time I had a strictly indoor cat was when I lived in New York City and that cat adjusted very nicely to the indoor/outdoor existence in the suburbs. All of the dogs we had (usually 2 or 3 at a time growing up) got along great with all kids. They were never an issue. Since we lived on a farm and the dogs pretty much roamed 700 acres at will, they didn’t get walked but they sure covered a lot of ground as companions. Whenever one of us kids (4 of us) went off on foot, by bike or even by horseback we always had company. In retrospect I think my mom kind of thought of them as our protectors. The cats varied in tolerance of kids. If they didn’t tolerate us they skedaddled and if they did they were really great. I don’t think I was ever scratched outside of the playing getting a little rough (mostly kittens who can’t control there claws) and the wild barn cats (most definitely not let in the house).
My husband and I currently have 3 cats and I am pregnant with our first child. We have no worries in how the cats will treat the baby. They wither won’t anything to do with it or they will love it. Either reaction is possible but them attacking the baby is so highly unlikely that we haven’t even considered it as a possibility. 2 of the cats disappear when kids come to the house and the other one tolerates attention for a short while then leaves when he has had enough.
As for losing a pet, it can be a hard thing to deal with and I have lost many over the years. I think that it has helped me deal better with the loss of family members and friends because I know it gets better and that I can look back on the memories in time and feel happy about them. It made losing people I was close to a little easier. Having the companionship of a pet is something I would never change.