to secretly get rid of our kitten and tell the DC that it ran away?

[SaggyBaggyPuss]

Have had kitten for around 6 weeks now. DC have wanted a pet for a long time and I gave in and got one for them. Cats are easier to deal with than dogs right?

Well today, I have had enough. I had have to scoop 3 lots of shit out of the litter box and there was a piece of shit on the floor that must have come off her paws and which means that the whole house, and sofa is now covered in cat shit germs puke!

It also runs up the curtains which are now all pulled. My leather --look- dining chairs have scratch marks where it keeps jumping up the back of them and it has pulled up the carpet on the stairs.

DS (6) is constantly chasing it round the house with an incessant cackle (over excited, not cruelly, the cat loves him) which does my head in and keeps taking it upstairs to lie on his bed.

Last week, it has a runny arse and I still have the wounds where I had to bath it, not before it spread kitty shit germs everywhere again.

As a side note, I also suffer from OCD. Not 'a bit' but actually diagnosed.

I love my DCs to bits but they also love the kitty a lot. I am not sure I can put them first this time!

WIBU to find a good home for it and tell them it ran off into the forest and I couldn't find it

Why are you wiping the kittens paws?
It's a really unkind thing to do unless a really specific reason (veterinary or actual lump of car shit on paws)
If it's just OCD and the germs then you need to stop doing it and speak to your therapist.

Oh, and don't lie to your kids about where it went. Tell them the truth otherwise they're just going to ask you for a replacement kitty.

You hate the cat you need to find a new home for it it deserves better than you.

'Beingatwat' (great name btw) I am not sure if you have noticed, but cats generally do not care where they live, as long as they have food, water and comfort. That is why cats just turn up in peoples houses, because they think they might get a better deal. The vast majority of them do not attach to humans as such, but will sit on a human lap because it is warm.
Therefore re-homing a kitten is fine....

Next time stick to a picture of a cat.
I stand by my earlier post.

DS (6) is constantly chasing it round the house with an incessant cackle (over excited, not cruelly, the cat loves him)

Changing the story somewhat now OP, if you're saying that actually he's running around with a toy.

Kittens can be quite demanding.

It does get better. Stick at it.

Being chased will be stressing her out though.

If you really don't want the kitten, rehome it now. Don't leave it though because older cats are much harder to rehome. You can probably return it to the RSPCA. Don't lie to the children though - tell them that your OCD means it's making you super-anxious.

Otherwise they're just going to hound you to get another one and worry about what's happened to this one.

Wilberforce: Op everyone makes mistakes don't worry about it, you got a kitten and have decided it's not for you so rehome and tell the dc's it ran away/escaped etc. A couple of weeks and they will have forgotten about it!

No, they really won't.

As other posters have said though, they're only manic for the first few months. Mine sleep all the time now and won't use a litter try - they go outside. They do still occasionally puke up furballs and leave fluffy detritus where they sleep so even when it grows up, it may still make you unhappy

We have an absorbent bed mat under our litter tray, it sticks out a bit so the cat walks over it when she gets out of the tray, this might help a bit? You can buy sticky strips which you stick onto furniture to discourage scratching. You might find once the kitten can go out and do its business outside, this will be preferable. Ours hasn't touched her litter tray since she was allowed outside (she's a bit older though). Kittens do eventually calm down so the chasing round the house won't last forever - being able to play outside also helps to burn off energy and they then tend to sleep more in the house.

Hmm, if you can't cope with scooping some poo you probably need to re-home it.

But stop wiping it's paws when it uses the toilet! That's not nice for cats and I'm surprised you've not been savaged. It's a cat, not a baby - they don't need or want their paws washing by humans!

It's very hard to know exactly how difficult something will be if you've no experience of it. Sounds like your expectations of getting a kitten are very different to the reality. Maybe you didn't research enough beforehand but that's irrelevant now.

You have the kitten and you have a responsibility towards him/her. You e been very honest about the issues and your OCD and in my opinion the kindest thing would be to re home the kitten
We all make mistakes but with this one you need to ensure that little creature is well looked after and found a good loving home. You made a mistake, chalk it up to experience, dont get any more pets but please please make sure it goes to a loving owner

rehome, own it and tell kids the real reason, dont get a pet again

am still hoping this is an ill judged 'funny' post tbh, bit distasteful how flippant some of your comments are about this situation if youre seriously considering it

Hunter - WTAF?! Your comment properly made me laugh out loud purely because it's such a weird/deranged thing to say

Op ignore all of the militant animal lovers and re-home the cat but have a heart and don't kick it in the face and dump it in the snow!

I have ocd and am shocked.
Why did you not think of this before you got one?
This is normal kitten behaviour.
My cats love the bed and ignore the scratching posts.
Stop bathing it!
Not All cats like it and you're probably stressing it out. If you keep it then when it gets older you are going to end up with seriously bad marks.
Cats can shit a lot.
My one can twice or three times a day, or not at all.
I don't think having a cat is right for you right now if you can't cope with this.
Contact a reputable agency to remove it, please don't put it on gumtree or facebook if you do get rid of it.

Please people stop with all the 'it's only a kitten' 'people make mistakes' there are enough unwanted animals and ones pts so people should really think before they get a pet.

Cats are never the easy option

They are hard work and their shit does stink. I think it's easy to underestimate that

Ywbu to not fully do your research before you got the kitten.

I would love to say persevere but if you really feel you can't cope with this kitten, then it would be easier to rehome as a 4 month old than a 4 year old.

However do tell your children the truth. Least they have closure that way

OP: AIBU?
Everyone else: Yes.
OP: No I'm not, because X/Y/Z.

Why ask if you're not interested in hearing people's responses?

I have read all of your posts but only some of the replies, so I'm no doubt repeating what some have already said, but the more times you hear it the better I feel!

You made a mistake, you thought you could cope with something to benefit your kids, it turns out you can't. We ALL make mistakes. It's a shame for the kitten, but it's a few weeks & it's still a very cute small kitten, with NO concept of a 'forever home'.

Do NOT be guilted into keeping the kitten.

It is better that you rehome it now while it's still a very small cute kitten, it's house trained with no issues, rehoming should be very easy.

Just promise not to get any more pets. Your kids will be just fine. Honest. Having pets is good for kids, but certainly not essential & definitely not at the cost of their parents well being or family harmony.

There is NO point in being a martyre for the next 18 years. Cats generally live long lives & often need a lot of care in their elderly years. This is NOT for you.

What to tell the children? I suppose it depends how old they are, who you rehome it to & what your kids are like.

AdaLovelacesCat thank you for the recognition of my totally awesome NN.

I did say earlier that I have never had a cat don't want one but I can imagine they do need some affection. Not as much as a dog would, granted but not complete frustration and hate like the OP feels towards her kitten.

hunter really sorry about your cat, some people really are scum bags x

op some cats actually can have milk!

a lot of 'millitant animal lovers' know how hard it is for charities left to pick up the pieces - while it's waiting for a new home it wont live on air - it's just sad - and I'm sorry but I hate seeing animals treated like disposable objects

Rehome kitty, someone will love her muchly.
Tell your kids the truth and don't get a pet again.
If you tell them kitth ran away they'll be searching.
Btw brains should be used in advance of having children or animals!

ghostyslovesheep some cats can get on with certain foods! I've found some of mine get on with different brands ( they have to be awkward )

Op, I'll be honest, I think you've made a horrible mistake. The kitten will eventually forget about you, but your son never will forget the cat (or what you did). I don't understand why you got the poor creature, your issues obviously meant you couldn't cope. You should have remembered it was a living creature before you brought it home, not a disposable item. I hope its next family remembers that.

militant animal lovers i hated seeing all the bloody strays in my area that people decided they no longer wanted.