Why do people keep telling me to get rid of the cat?

[mylittlesandwich]

I'm getting sick of it. DS is 7 months now and I can't even count how many times I've been asked when I'm getting rid of my cats.

When I announced my pregnancy I was asked by 2 separate colleagues when I was getting rid of my cats. I was then asked by more people when DS was born. I bumped into a friend yesterday who asked how DS was, I was saying he's great, rolling all over the place and practicing his sitting. Her response? You'll need to get rid of the cats before he starts crawling.

Why? Why will I. I have a Hoover, the cats were there first and DS thinks they're fascinating. Why is it perfectly acceptable to abandon family members because you've had a baby?

We have 3 cats and heard quite a bit of this in the run up to having DD. I perfected the eye roll quite early on. No I won't be getting rid of my cats. No I'm not worried about them 'stealing the babies breath' . My mums gran told her when she was having me that they 'wouldn't let her take the baby home with all them dogs'. I don't know where people come up this stuff. I really don't.

Since DD was born, one of the cats tolerates her. Just. The other two stay out of her way. None of them ever tried to sleep on her or go after her milk. She was far too noisy and smelly for them so they avoided her at all costs.

Ugh I had the LOADS when pregnant with #1

It's the most ludicrous question.

I just scoffed.

If they pressed I'd then ask if they thought people with older children should give up the older kids when they were having a new baby.

Sounds funny but my girl cat always protected my baby. If he cried she would check him and on the sofa would sleep next to him. He is 14 and misses her dearly since she died two years ago

It's madness, I wouldn't leave a cat alone with a baby but I would certainly not get rid of it!

Eh? People do that? Our old cat is staying. He's so scared he still won't even enter the room my chinchilla (a rodent) lives in. Chinchilla has lived here for 6 years so not a new thing. He's also scared of the wind blowing, strange people, water, hedgehogs and larger species of birds (anything bigger than a tit). I'm more anxious that he will be too scared to enter the house with a baby crawling around tbh.

Heard it back in 1992 when up the duff for the first time. Apparently, I was to tell MIL and my mother they had to get their cats PTS. 'Why would I want to do that?' As they'd 'steal the baby's breath because of the milk', apparently, as well as 'scratch the baby to death because they'll hate it'.

So, despite lots of history, I asked my mother if there was anything other somebody thinking The Lady and the Tramp was a serious programme about animal care. My mother laughed, said she'd been told exactly the same in the 50s. And ignored it.

It's bollocks. If you have somebody to delegate litter trays to, take advantage. If not, wear Marigolds and wash your hands afterwards. You can have a blood test to see whether you've come into contact with the parasite that they're worried about - I grew up with unvaccinated animals by the bucketload, in a dirty, dirty house, stray animals visited all the time, and I had still never come into contact with it.

It's all idiocy.

@mylittlesandwich i'm going through this right now, 32 weeks pregnant and people keep hinting to get rid of my cats because they will 'definitely' cause harm to the baby. It's very frustrating but as long as you know you have to be cautious it's fine.. that and tell everyone to piss off. But like previous posters have said i also stare them blank in the face looking confused and say 'why would i get rid of them?' 😻

I had this from my MIL when I was pregnant. Totally stupid comment, usually from people who've never had cats.

Growing up with animals is good for children. Both my dcs' first word was "cat". As babies they were fascinated by watching the cats playing, and the cats soon learned to keep out of their way when they were crawling.

Just ignore the comments.

Probably sometime to do with the old wife’s tale of “the cats will sleep on your babies face and suffocate them”

The cat used to sleep in my cot with me. It was the mid 70s though so things were probably a bit lax then!

I did Rehome a cat during pregnancy, but we had 3, and the Tom was already stressed and struggling following a house move and took my pregnancy as the last straw, started spraying on me and all the baby furniture we bought. I loved him to bits and cried my eyes out, but ultimately he was already unhappy with the living arrangements and a baby was making things worse for him. The 2 girls were fine, kept out the baby’s way and were no problem.

@AltogetherAndrews I think thats fair enough, if the cat is unhappy then i totally understand that one!

But ...But ...they EAT babies and inhale their breath don't cha know

My PFB is 20yo , I had people asking when I was going to "get rid" of our old cat (she would've been 11 , we got her in 1990 as a 2yo)

The DCat didn't really like DS (too noisy and why hadn't I weaned and re homed him at 6 weeks like she had her kittens before she came to live with me )

I know for a fact she was on the worktops (pawprints) .
I had to keep her face away fro the microwave and always wash my hands after touching her .
Maybe the concern was the litter?

When I had DD "What another one ??" she was older , less enamoured .
She knew how to scare DD by jumping through the bannister and landing beside her then walk off smirking .

We were asked when we adopted DCat if we were planning DC -at the time I wasn't- because the advice back then was to get rid of cats .

I dont have any kids but my gran would always say this to people and a friend of mine also goes on about it. Apparently cats will sleep on top of the baby and suffocate it. Never once heard of this happening in real life or on the news, etc. People are mental!! Just ignore them

I love those photos. How lovely 😊

we had two cats already when my first was born and the B&W one was mostly outraged at my rudeness in having babies. He did used to drape himself over the bump and when I was feeding he would cosy in, over or under the baby!

Once they got mobile he really ignored them...he'd managed to ignore the dog pretty successfully for two years before, so as far as he was concerned it was still just me and him, and some others.

After three children and when DS2 was about 3 (so pretty much a total of six years solid ignoring) he suddenly decided they might be alright, mainly cos he was able to entice them to feed him bits of yummy stuff

His partner in crime never really liked anyone but LOVED sleeping in the moses basket and cot especially with a cosy baby. He never went near their faces. He used to sleep on their beds too when they were bigger, but any handsy stuff and he'd be off!

Try again... My Mum and MIL whittled on about cats ' trying to smother babies:they go for the milk' and they were cat owners

I was also not impressed recently when I found out someone got rid of their two year old cat when pregnant when they couldn't cope

Anyway here's my two old cats desperately trying to suffocate my toddler

They were rubbish at smothering, I bet he made it to adulthood didn’t he?.

Totally the wrong end on the one picture.

This one is 14 and still not managed to be smothered. Ive got another one who is nearly 34 and try as he might still manages to escape smothering

Yeah you’ll need a bigger cat for a 14yo. Or a pair of cats who work well as a team.

My 6 cats were here first! 2 children both survived growing up around cats and are real animal lovers now!

@Gellert my mum is cat daft too. She always had cats and when she was able to got one when I was about 5. My sister was a baby. We survived too and he was a big boy. He absolutely loves watching them going about. They won't be going anywhere. I'm starting to work from home next week and I think they'll like that.

Just ignore anyone who suggests this. I have always had cats, even when my 2 DSs were babies. I now have 2 enormous sons (19 and 17) who will date only girls who like cats; They reckon it's a good way to weed out the dodgy ones!

This is just weird. No need to get rid of a cat for a baby!

DS2 is allergic to his own shadow. He sneezes and has itchy eyes for a few days when we get a new cat, then the symptoms go completely. That is apparently quite a common pattern.