Would you get a (rescue) cat while pregnant?

[VinegarDrinker]

Is it fair on the cat?

We have wanted to get a cat for ages, but for various reasons not got around to it. My Mum's moggy lived with us for 6 months and DS (2) still misses him. He worships our neighbour's cats and is very good with them.

DC2 is due in about 10-12 weeks. We would love to get a cat now but is it fair on a (rescue) cat to have that much upheaval with a newborn appearing just as he/she settles in?

Thoughts much appreciated

No, I wouldn't, because a newborn is enough to deal with. Just seems really silly to add a complication/potential problem into the mix. There will still be rescue as around in six months time, you can be sure of that!

Your DS may love cats but really, it isn't a good time IMO.

We did! We took on our friends cat who was supposed to be leaving the country (but didn't!) Our cat Toby was very young himself, only six months old. He got very attached to me when I was pregnant and loved sleeping on my bump! He was quite boisterous with my husband and would leap at him and play fight a lot but would be a little too enthusiastic much of the time and end up hurting him. We spent a lot of time trying to train him not to bite and scratch but without a lot of success.

When our little girl was born he hated her. Right from word go he swiped at her and anyone carrying her. If she was lying on the floor he would hunch down, wiggle his bum and pounce at her. A few times he clawed her feet, I literally couldn't leave the room without shutting the door as I felt he couldn't be trusted, but then she would scream blue murder as she was left on her own. It got to the point where me and the baby would be in the living room and he would be locked out as I found it really stressful having him around us. He hated that All our family kept on telling us to get rid of him and shamefully I really came close to it.

A year and a half down the road and he is so amazingly tolerant of her attempts to stroke him. I'm not sure whether he does love her in his own way if he just refuses to give ground but he puts up with a lot and she adores him. He still swipes every now and then but not without provoking and she needs to learn to be gentle!

I wouldn't change him for the world, he's a lovely boy but with hindsight I would have looked for an older cat who was used to babies or waited until she was older. But it did work out for us in the end, we just had quite a lot of stress along the way!

Thanks for your replies, and your honest account Hoot - that is what concerns me tbh. We would have to be looking for an older/more placid cat that was used to children anyway, in view of the toddler, but don't want to deal with awful "sibling" jealousy x2 come the summer! Hmmm.

DH is being uncharacteristically optimistic and is convinced it will all work out but he hasn't ever had cats, and has only ever known older more placid ones.

We just did. First baby due in 13 weeks. We lost one of our two cats to FIP a few months ago and his brother was desperately lonely. We've just got a 9 month old kitten on the basis that we'd rather get him in and settled before the baby comes. The cats are both British Shorthairs so pretty placid anyway and will hopefully keep each other company. So far so good....