Hi Tara,

Its ur choice hun at the end of the day...having ur first baby is hard enough without a Kitten but it depends how well you cope. My friend had her baby 4th July and she has two border collies (dogs!!) I really don't know how she does it..but she does!!

Don't be too hard on urself though if you do decide to give kitty up....we had our cat from the RSPCA just over a year ago, and although the RSPCA places look horrid, the animals do go to good homes!! My parents dog is from same RSPCA & my friend with the two dogs, they are from the RSPCA too!!! So there are plenty of people out there with a lot of love to give if you do decide that option.

Had my cat when he was 1 & half and my son was 2 & half at the time...I got lucky that he was already litter trained & once he settled in (about 2 weeks) he has been easy peasy to look after!!

Good luck with baby xx 

you do have a dilemma and here's my 2p worth

- cats are not likely to be a risk to your baby. I had all sorts of worries about my 2 but since LO arrived they've actually taken very little notice of the baby at all. The one or 2 times they tried to jump into the cot they got roundly told off and never tried it again. You can get a cat net if you are really worried

- I would think that an adult cat (assuming one of them could be separated easily) would be a better prospect than a kitten as kittens are still a bit silly up to about a year old. Also you'll have a better idea of an older cat's temperament (you will want a pretty placid cat that won't freak out being chased or having its tail grabbed by a toddler).

The litter training shouldn't be an issue- most 6 week old kittens know what to do if you give them a tray and put them in it after every feed or sleep (when kittens are programmed to toilet). Consider a covered tray mainly so it's harder for your crawling baby to get into it (horrible but true)

Remember to keep any cat wormed monthly (some of the prescription flea spottons do this) to minimise any risk of roundworms.

Hi,

My little boy is now 5months and I had 2 4year old cats when he was born. I was adament I'd be fine as I loved them so much and they were no bother. But, when Oliver was born, my priorities totally changed and I never had time for them. I had to rehome them last month.

They were house cats and totally litter trained but I found it difficult to give them the attention they needed.

Saying this, they never went near Oliver and were no threat at all. I think when people say cats smother babies it's a bit OTT and a bit of a myth.

Good luck with the birth!

Katie x

Hi Tara

Don't know what you decided in the end with regards to kitten...but it wouldn't really be fair on the kitten to take him somewhere with no other cats for company.  This is particularly so when you have a noisy baby on the way (which can tend to scare cats!) and when you'll have little time to give kitten lots of fuss.  They can be as clingy as babies when they're little!

Hope it all worked out for you. 

Louise + four cats