Feeling towards pets when have baby

[anotheronettc]

I feel slightly horrible writing this post and want to stress first, I love animals and would never do anything to hurt one. I wanted to know if anybody has been feeling the same though .
Before I had my son my cats were literally my babies and I adored them. Now, it's a completely different story, they wake me up in the night meowing and they wake my son up just when I've settled him. Whenever I lay anything out for my son to play with or any kind of activity mat the cats always get on it and sharpen their claws on things. I just feel so frustrated at them that sometimes I wish I could give them away but I know I love them too much to do that. Has anyone else found their relationship with their pets has changed since having a baby / children. X

yes... this worked with my kittens for a few weeks but this morning woke to one on the bed so depending on the cat it's no guarantee

I love my dog just as much as before. In fact I love my dog and DC equally but in a very different way (if that makes any sense to anyone).

No. My cats are still my babies

@Emmamoo89 that's goood. Can I ask, with keeping cats off babies toys/cot etc how did you do it? Feel like I'm always having to tell them to get off things. Maybe I'm worrying more as a friend of mine is blind in one eye from touching cat poo as a child, just worry cats might have something on them !

He's in his own room and they don't touch babas toys. Quite lucky they well behaved.

Yes it’s all a bit much! I don’t understand how people can’t fathom that people have different experiences (which doesn’t result in bloody animal abuse or neglect). Like you, still love my cats dearly, but my noisy one irritates me a lot more when it’s 3am and he’s meowing because sleep is much more precious commodity than it was before.

Like I said in my previous reply I do think you’ll love them even more again as time goes on if it’s anything like my experience, and you are obviously far from a horrible person!

Yeah, it is horrible 🤷‍♀️

People should take so much more consideration of the future when they get pets. So many seem to just judge it on their lifestyle at the time they want one.

I’ve found every cat I’ve ever had an annoying sod, to be honest.

Constant pestering for food.

Their shit stinks

Miaowing at night

Decimating the local wildlife populations

Then the bastards die and break my heart.

I once had a vent on MN about my cat and got flamed. It’s very strange, if I posted sometimes my child irritates the shit out of me I’d get nothing but support but am not allowed to feel like this about my cat!

@Anneofwindypoplars aww haha. That Made me laugh. And you're right, I'd be heartbroken if anything happened to them, going to cuddle them now haha!

@ILoveToads the Only thing I'd say to that is that we can't predict the future or our own feelings. Literally anything could happen. They'd have to put a lot of animals down if people thought .. oh I won't get a cat in case XYZ happens in 5 years. But get your point.

I never let my cats sleep with me and after complaining for a few weeks they accepted they had a BIG sleep overnight shut downstairs.

We have upside down door handles to keep one of the current hoard in.

Once they are used to it they ask to be put to bed for the night!

I didn't mean it to come across as harsh as it perhaps did. But I see so many people who treat their animals so well. Then a child comes along and the poor animal is treated like a nuisance. They didn't choose the life they were given, owners do though.

@ILoveToads yeah I totally understand. That's why I came on here, for solutions and advice etc. Want them to stay happy x

@anotheronettc my post wasn't directed at you. More the posters making comments saying their pets irritate them, they despise them or worse, "I wish they would run away. One did but unfortunately it came back.". Really cold

@Bbq1 well yeah I think if I was disappointed my cats weren't running away I'd try and rehome them for sure !

Yes. I got over it eventually.
Love my girl 😻

Yes absolutely! Feel so guilty, my cat was my little furbaby and he doesn't like our daughter (ran away for 10 days a few days after she was born!)

If we keep him in at night he meows outside her door and she wakes up crying and calling him noisy. So we keep him out, all good and well until it's getting cold and we don't know what to do now, it's such a stress. I get frustrated with him and it's not his fault, but he doesn't like kids and here I am preg with No. 2!

We're thinking about rehoming him but that feels evil, but then again so does keeping him in this life to live out his senior years!

Relationship definitely changed. It's a stress because kids are the priority but the guilt you have from also loving your pet is hard.

Having children never altered my relationships/ feelings towards any of my animals but I don’t have cats so maybe it’s a cat thing .

Awww some of this is sad.

My Cats loved my babies and one was the night nanny for my youngest for over a decade 💕

The table will turn once your babies are teens and the pets take centre stage again

@LittleLlamaMay bless you, this sounds tough. It seems that it totally depends on your cat as well. I don't think there is a person on this planet who wouldnt feel slightly frustrated at a cat meowing constantly when youve just got the baby to sleep and you're extremely sleep deprived. I am not too sure what to suggest for you but I hope
It gets better. You clearly love your cat! Xx

@allthegoodusernameshavegone haha! I can imagine. A cute cuddly cat vs a grumpy teenager ! X

Omg yes! Cats and dogs here, all very much loved and wanted before but feel completely irritated by them 24/7 now that I’ve got a little girl. It’s the hair, germs, noise, destroying things, extra things to think about when we want to do anything or go anywhere etc etc. Never ever saw myself as a person with no pets but now looking forward to one day being pet-free. I should stress that we still look after them to the best of our abilities, they’re not mistreated!! They do get much less attention than they did before though. Glad I’m not alone!

Feel so sorry for your pets. This makes me so sad to read.

@ILoveToads me too! If I thought I could find better new homes for them I honestly would but they’re all middle-aged mix-breed rescues, one with lifelong health issues, and with so many animals being put up for adoption every day I’m not sure they would ever be adopted. I can’t risk them going to a shelter where they might never be chosen by anyone. So I will just have to do my best feeling the way I feel - which I would rather not feel by the way! I actually have no control over it and could not have foreseen it as I was totally obsessed by having pets before having a child. I actually adopted them overseas and spent £4000 bringing them home, if that counts for anything. Feel free to judge, but it is what it is.