To consider getting a rescue cat with a new baby

[QuietBatperson15]

Hi there

We moved into our house last year and were considering getting a cat at the time however I fell pregnant and decided to shelf the idea for the foreseeable. My partner and I have a 5 year old and now a baby who is a few weeks old.

Last night we discovered we have a mouse in the house which is a total nightmare as my partner is terrified of them. We will do all the measures (traps, sealing off gaps etc) to get rid of it but it has got me thinking about getting a cat again. I would like to re-home a rescue cat but worried it might be a bad idea with a new baby.

I'm just wondering if anyone has had experience of adopting a rescue cat with small children? Should I hold off until baby is older? Or best getting a kitten? Separately has anyone dealt with having a mouse and did getting a cat help keep them away? I'm also worried the cat would start bringing dead rodents home to us...my partner would have a meltdown!

Thank you for the further replies! Hmm there seems to be a good few cats that like to bring home rodents rather than keep them away. I personally am not scared of them (used to keep all manner of them as pets) but don't want wild ones freely roaming the house! Especially with a baby. Have just placed a couple of humane traps with peanut butter/chocolate biscuit as bait and have stuffed any holes with steel wool and taped over. There are no mouse droppings anywhere so hard to tell where it came in from. My OH said he heard scratching one night then it was him that spotted it last night. I've yet to see any signs! I'm half hoping he is imagining things.

He did say himself there we should get a cat but I will need to break it to him it's a bit of a gamble.

We waited until our youngest was nearly 3 before getting a rescue cat. It wasn't straightforward as many older cats aren't suitable for homes with small children. We had to wait a while and register with some different shelters but we were eventually approved to regime a 4 year old cat. she's amazing and I love her to bits, but she did bring me a young rat a couple of weeks ago that we had to chase around the house to get rid of

And yes the rescue centre might not have any suitable for being around baby/toddler. A lot of our neighbours have cats and it seems a good area for them, there is a forest and fields close by. Think we could give one a good home that it can come and go to as it pleases! That's the ideal.

That's lovely it worked out for you!

A rat though! Would perhaps mean goodbye OH.. he would never return home lol.

You didn't ask, but here's my fur baby being rudely disturbed from her nap.

Such lovely colour pattern she has! Very unique. The photos are really making me want a cat

Yes definitely not my intention :) she's a calico

Nope, I wouldn’t. I know far too many people who have been forced to give their pets away once they had a baby in the house. Too much stress, too exhausted, couldn’t offer the pet a good life etc. I also know people who have cats very set in their ways spraying/peeing/pooing around the house, not something you’d want near a baby!