Reserved kitten - last minute doubts :(

[catconflicted]

Reserved a kitten a couple of weeks ago , paid small deposit.

Have 3 children - teen, almost 4 year old and 1 year old . I suppose I was thinking along the lines of those that have babies close together -when your in the thick of it (with preschooler/baby) what is another mouth to feed bum/litter tray to clean , I'm currently a sahm so I'm in a lot , we also only wanted one kitten for financial reasons ( food , insurance , spaying , potential holiday cat care etc ) and space (litter tray, bed) and thought that our 3 year old would have the endless energy needed to play with kitten in place of a sibling as I have read about kittens being easier in pairs , we have been around family cats and spend most days after nursery looking for neighbourhood cats and also thought just generally nice for them to have a family pet to grow up with.

A few days ago I was looking up kitten threads on Mumsnet trying to get best tips and advice for the new arrival but I came across a lot of kitten regret posts and countless stories of cats that destroy houses , pee and poo on beds/anything left on the floor and vomit everywhere , I wouldn't even say I'm particularly house proud but I do draw the line at my entire home being used as a cat toilet.

What do I do ? We are due to pick kitten up in a few days and have been going over and over this in my head , I would feel awful to change my mind this close to collection and for my children who I know would adore the kitten but if I can't accept the above is it best that we don't go ahead ?

Thanks for any input

Young children and kittens don’t mix. You are likely to end up with kittens that hide all the time.
Seriously, wait at least 5 years. Everyone will be happier.

I can only give you my experience. We had a kitten from cats protection. She was 40 quid and spayed for free. She has been an absolute delight. She's clean, independent and comes back for food and sleep. She's brought us a few dead mice and birds which is the worst bit, but otherwise she's an absolute pleasure. Have you tried cats protection? They spay for free. And also she was slightly older at 4 months so a bit more robust for the children.

I think you are wise to pause and think.
Personally I wouldn't choose to have a kitten with such young children. They are small and very few 3 or 1 year olds will truly appreciate the need for gentle hands. Kittens are also scratchy and bitey. There will be mess. Depends on your house and how much space etc you have. Crawling babies and litter trays are not a great combination.
I would say our kids have been pretty good with pets, we had a dog when DD was born. But no cats until she was maybe 6? Then one was terrified of her and the other one adored her and was very tolerant.
FWIW I think that the advice to get an older cat in your situation is worth considering. No toilet training, more robust, able to extract themselves from children better.
At the moment your kids are attached to the idea of a kitten but it's not yet arrived.

I wouldn't have a kitten by choice, and I don't have young children in the house. Kittens need playtime and are very active, in between sleeping. As gorgeous as they are, they require a lot of your energy. But, they're also great fun and a delight to have. If you've never experienced being a cat slave, you'll really be surprised at how much they need from you. Yes, they are destructive and can make a lot of mess, but when you love cats, you accept this as part of who they are, and you just can't help yourself🤣 Most of mine have been stray adults, but that's a whole other story!

I really wouldn't recommend a solo kitten unless you already have an older cat/s fit company.

Kittens have boundless energy and if they don't have a playmate they will attack your ankles and furniture instead.

I've had pairs, solos and a solo with adult cats and the solo kitten on her own was no doubt the hardest.

Two is really not much more expensive than one and when you consider the benefits of two (company when you're out, a playmate. socialisation) it's a no-brainer IMO.