Cats and Cleaning

[barabella]

I have two infant DC (1 and 3) and two long haired, indoor cats (with litter tray indoors).

Litter tray is changed fully twice weekly, and scooped daily. Laminate flooring is steam cleaned daily, stair carpets brushed daily and hoovered a few times per week. Leather couch wiped down daily with disinfectant spray, and obviously kitchen counters disinfected regularly and before any food prep.

Despite this, my mother makes constant comments about how my house can't possibly be clean enough for infant DC with two cats living with us. She doesn't like animals - cats particularly - but I'm starting to get a real complex!!

Surely others have small DCs and cats. Should I be doing more specifically?

No.

And you are doing far more than I ever did.

That's a lot of cleaning already! I grew up on a farm though so probably have a rather relaxed attitude to animal germs. Wash hands before eating is the important one (though we did used to share ice creams lick for lick with our ponies).

What does she think indoor cats are going to do? They don't bring in anything, they just eat their food and that's it really! Very odd. You do a hell of a lot of cleaning with 2 young children, way more than I get done and I've got a outdoor cat who brings in dead stuff all the time. My daughter has 'helped' my cat with her half eaten mouse before 😂😂 your kids will be exposed to way more germs at nursery and school!

Thank you! I wasn't sure if it was just me.

@YouAndMeAndThem She's mainly going on about them being in their litter tray, and either ending up with bacteria on their paws or fur and dragging it over the house.

I'm honestly killing myself trying to keep on top of all this stuff with two tiny kids and she's still giving me grief that my house is essentially unhygienic / unsafe. It's driving me nuts as I don't know what else I could do!

They’re. It just cats though. They’re cats that walk across your kitchen counters. And I’m afraid that’s where you lost me. Its rank. Really rank.

You can't keep cats off kitchen counters.

You can shut them out if the kitchen, or train them not be on the counters when you are there but that's as good as it gets.

Sounds like you are being very sensible about it and cleaning really thoroughly.

your MIL sounds a total pain. Sorry you’re having to deal with that. Let’s hope karma deals with her eh.

But it doesn't matter if you spray and wipe the counters before prepping, does it?

Children need a certain amount of exposure to bacteria to help develop their immune systems. Don't over clean. You're doing your children no favours in the long term

Do you think I'm over-cleaning in this circumstance? I honestly have no idea what's normal, I feel like I'm not doing enough because my only reference is DM constantly telling me I can't possibly do enough!

We don’t have little kids, so it’s different, but our cleaning routine is MUCH more relaxed! Our cat toilets outside in our garden so although we have litter trays she doesn’t use them, but she does come in with muddy feet. She’s not allowed on work surfaces in the kitchen, and we have throws on sofas/chair in the living room which are regularly washed. Hard floors are swept daily and mopped weekly, hoovering done once or twice a week.

She's brushed every day but still sheds a lot of hair. We have a utility between the kitchen and garden so can intercept anything she brings in, and she’s not a massive hunter anyway.

And that Is why I’d never have a cat @Octavia64

I think not liking cats who’ve just trodden through a litter tray to be on your kitchen counters is unreasonable. I would hate it. It makes me gip just thinking about it and I am honestly no clean freak.

cat lovers seem to overlook this kind of thing because, quite understandably, they love their cats.

but maybe they shouldn’t be surprised when others aren’t so keen.

Yes you are over cleaning.

Your mum thinks cats are dirty and she will continue to think that no matter how much cleaning you do. You could clean the floors every hour, she'd still think of cats, and by extension any household with cats in as dirty.

You can never clean enough for your mum so stop trying.

I think this is DM's view, and therefore probably nothing I do in terms of cleaning will ever be enough.

So wonder what others with cats do that is generally acceptable!

I presume most people with cats (26% of UK households!) have cats who walk on kitchen counters 🤷🏻‍♀️

I had2elderly Persians when my DD was born & I just hoovered & wiped sides & brushed hair off sofa!

My 2 lovely midwives both had numerous pets & said they’re good for children & their immune system! & not too worry too much about being extra clean.

I would say take no notice of your mum’

Mine were too old to jump on the worktops but had they have done, I’d have wiped with antibac & worried no more.

My friend has her home like a show house & her cats walk over work tops! She does lift them down then wipes but she’s not horrified by it.

My DD has spent her 7 years of life with our dog/cat & (touch wood) is rarely Ill - and she kisses our dog!

Maybe they do @barabella but I don’t. And i Don’t want to live on a household that does. Presumably like the other 74% of the population that includes your mom.. I’m with your mom I’m afraid. And the fact they are indoor cats does not make it better for me. No amount of cleaning would erase from my mind the littery cats paws on my kitchen counters

you undoubtedly do more cleaning than me. That’s not the issue.

I think 100% of houses with cats have cats that walk on kitchen counters! It’s impossible to stop them. I spray before food prep - and wipe the footprints off if I’m expecting visitors.

I think the poster above was right - your mum thinks cats are dirty and no amount of cleaning will change that. You on the other hand think it’s healthy for your children to have pets and get some exposure to microbes. Plenty of evidence supports this. Ignore your mum (easier said than done, I know) - it’s not her house, not her problem.

I “wipe the footprints off if I’m expecting visitors.” Have you any idea how grim that sounds. Ugh.

This is the equivalent of dog owners all thinking their houses don’t smell 🙄

@BitOutOfPractice I wonder why you keep posting on a thread about cats when you clearly don’t even like them? Luckily my friends are normal people, not snobby judgmental freaks so they probably wouldn’t care if I didn’t bother cleaning off the paw prints.

@MerelyPlaying oh I don’t know. Maybe because I’m trying to suggest what on EARTH the OP’s mom could have an issue with since all the other posters (who happen have cats and used to cats paws on their food prep areas, unlike the OP’s mom) cannot imagine in a million trillion years what her issue might be. Maybe I’m just suggesting that not everyone is happy about cat paws on kitchen work surfaces. And that’s ok.

@BitOutOfPractice - I do get the issue. Some people don't like animals in houses. Some people specifically don't like cats in houses.

I'm not sure what I can do productively though, and just wanted to see if I'm genuinely not doing enough cleaning, or what others (with cats) do.

I'm assuming the only answer for you (and maybe also my mother!) would be to re-home the cats, which I'm not prepared to do. In which case I'm maybe over-cleaning for nothing!