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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Did having kittens prepare you for DC?

30 replies

Bobcatcornea · 14/03/2019 11:39

I read the thread on all the things that are bad about being a Mum (I think on the Relationships board) A lot of the things on there are my life now - lack of spontaneity with trips as we constantly have to think about the cats even down to a spontaneous night out after work (I can't get home so they'd be left and not fed for over 24 hours), being woken up at 6 am and every other blooming day of the week, the constantness of things - scoop litter trays, feeding, playing with them etc

Having DC is bloody hard (I know, I have a DSD). But do you think that maybe the transition was just a tad easier if you already have pets such as cats or dogs?

OP posts:

Prokupatuscrakedatus · 14/03/2019 18:01

Well, I had kids before cats.
They (the cats) tend to behave like eternal 2 year olds.
Try to get into everything, try to eat everything, need to be part of everything, whine and cry if they do not get what they want and can be incredibly cute if they feel like it.

WitchDancer · 14/03/2019 18:14

In a word, no.

Cats can be left to do their thing, don't need care in place, don't need you to drop work and go and pick them up because they have just thrown up, don't outgrow their clothes with alarming regularity, don't have temper tantrums or tearful moments....... shall I continue?

On the other side, cats don't utter the words 'I love you mummy, you're the totally best mum in the whole world' 😊

Wolfiefan · 14/03/2019 18:16

Erm no.
I can guarantee feeding a cat isn’t as constant as a cluster feeding baby.
And cats generally don’t need you to take time off when they’re unwell.
Oh and it’s frowned upon to leave out food and water and leave the baby at home when you go to work.

SinkGirl · 14/03/2019 18:18

Hahaahaha! Sorry but that made me genuinely laugh out loud.

I don’t think I could leave my twin toddlers at home while I go to the shops, with a night’s worth of food, or pay someone £12 to pop in every day and feed them while I’m on holidays.

I imagine a dog is closer to the level of responsibility but still not even close.

Haffdonga · 14/03/2019 18:20

Don't be ridiculous.

Original poster

Bobcatcornea · 14/03/2019 18:23

Don't be ridiculous.

Sheesh that's a bit rude. It was just a question from somebody who has a DSD since she was 2 but no newborn experience.

OP posts:

HJWT · 14/03/2019 18:24

@Bobcatcornea ah your fine then, newborns are easy compared to toddlers other than the whole no sleep thing 😁

Tavannach · 14/03/2019 18:28

Not even slightly. I think the biggest problem with a newborn is the fatigue, while you're trying to learn how to cope with the baby

reetgood · 14/03/2019 18:33

Hahahaha

No. Although my cat did make the effort to wake me up early, it’s a sight different to waking every 2 hours. I also don’t breastfeed my cat. And you can leave cats for hours at a time (did you know you can get timed feeders for cats?).

I did have to handfeed my cat when we got home from hospital. Sometimes I call the cat by my sons name. So there’s that.

But no.

PlatypusPie · 14/03/2019 18:41

Cat owning friend dropped around the day after we got back from hospital with DD, so 3 days old.

‘Aw, she’s got her eyes open already ‘
‘Yes, they sleep a lot, but not all the time’
‘ No, I meant ..... wait, do humans have their eyes open from the beginning ?? ‘

(To be fair, before having a baby myself, I’m not sure I knew much about newborns - baby or kittens. )

LittleKitty1985 · 14/03/2019 18:46

I do think that my ability to keep my cats alive and healthy has made me feel more confident about looking after my newborn. When they were kittens I was worried that they would randomly die somehow (eg. drown in the loo, chew on a wire, choke on something) but they didn't, so now I'm not scared of freak accidents occurring with DS. Obviously I still take precautions to keep him safe though.

SpoonBlender · 14/03/2019 18:48

Dealing with shit up close is good prep for babies.

Crockof · 14/03/2019 18:50

Yes and no doubt I will be flamed but I had some kind of depression after getting my dog. I had this dawning realization that it was up to me to keep him alive and do my best by him, the responsibility seemed immense. Having kids is different but I'm sure I coped better as I'd faced some of my fears with the dog.

MiniMum97 · 14/03/2019 18:52

No. Having kittens is nothing like having children. Children are way harder. There is no comparison. There is more comparison between having a dog and a child but even that is ridiculous.

tabulahrasa · 14/03/2019 18:56

Cats are the lowest maintenance pet I’ve ever had... I mean in theory fish should be, but they try and die all the time.

So, um, no, not at all like having children.

AmethystRaven · 14/03/2019 19:03

Having kittens is a minor adjustment, but a baby is like having a hand grenade thrown into your life (in my experience). Looking after a baby is relentless but you can leave the cats to get on with it. So while it's helpful having to be responsible for another being it's quite a lot different.

MutantDisco · 14/03/2019 19:04

No. Imagine the responsibility of kittens x 100000000 and you're a millionth of the way there. There is no comparison.

outreach29 · 14/03/2019 19:05

This Has to be a joke - right???

No - having kittens is not like having a child. But your post did give me a good laugh...

outreach29 · 14/03/2019 19:06

ps I have 3 children, 2 cats and a dog.

sar302 · 14/03/2019 19:09

I love it when my friends tell me they know how hard parenting is, because they have a pet and it's basically the same thing. Oh how hard I'm going to laugh to myself when they actually have a baby!

LilQueenie · 14/03/2019 19:15

Well babies aren't as fluffy but don't generally get fleas so that's a plus. You don't need a litter tray either but you do need a strong stomach for multiple nappy changes!

No they are not in anyway the same.

SinkGirl · 14/03/2019 19:24

I’m still chuckling about this. We got kittens cats very quickly, within a week of each other. I now have 2.5 year old twins with ASD, one has other disabilities. I can honestly say having cats didn’t prepare me for children - maybe it even gives people a false of ability caring for something else!

TheLongRider · 14/03/2019 22:57

The non-verbal toddler stage is a bit like having cats. The point when you can see them thinking about doing something they shouldn't before they do it.

Otherwise, no comparison.

hazeyjane · 14/03/2019 22:59

No.

A million times.

TheVanguardSix · 14/03/2019 23:06

I've always had cats and dogs growing up and as an adult.

Cats played NO part in preparing me for the white knuckle ride that is first time motherhood.

The goldfish however...

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