https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 17 Apr 2026 22:24:49 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-cats-and-baby-humans#post-937471 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 03:32:56 +0000 Cherrybee 937471@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ElbieKay: My friend trained her two cats to use the toilet using that litter kwitter thing - it does really work. It's pretty gross though - it's not unusual to use the loo in her house and find a little poo floating in it (or a cat squatting over it, peeing!!) and I'm not entirely convinced it's safe from an infection perspective but it does mean she doesn't need to clean out the litter tray so swings and roundabouts, huh?! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-cats-and-baby-humans#post-937431 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 01:47:27 +0000 loveisstrange 937431@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Cats are very low-maintenance! We got 2 kitties when our LO was 4 mnths old and it was not an issue at all. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-cats-and-baby-humans#post-937399 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 00:30:21 +0000 Vegmama 937399@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ElbieKay: It'll be great!! Cats are so easy, and fun. It sounds like you'll have plenty of time for them to adjust to the home before baby. I think getting the two together is a great idea as well. They'll have a built in playmate, and it'll be a riot. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-cats-and-baby-humans#post-936811 Tue, 16 Jul 2013 19:01:07 +0000 blackbird 936811@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Cats are easy peasy! I have two purebreeds myself, no shame :) kittens are playful so just have toys and especially dangly things you can bounce while you hold the baby. My cats has zero interest in the baby, but they were 5 by the time I had her. I have two and they play with each other still. I also get mine groomed, which keeps the fur, allergens, and dander down </p> <p>There is a really cool cat box out there that washes itself and uses reusable litter. I would so get it if we had upstairs laundry hook ups </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-cats-and-baby-humans#post-936721 Tue, 16 Jul 2013 18:36:55 +0000 CupQuakeWalk 936721@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Eeeek! So exciting! I love cats. I got one when I was 7w pregnant and she was only 6w old. I had to feed her with a bottle-type thing for kittens.<br /> We did fine; it was super easy. You'll be glad you did it because your kids will grow up to love the cats. My 9m old son goes insanely happy when the cat even walks by:) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-cats-and-baby-humans#post-936694 Tue, 16 Jul 2013 18:29:44 +0000 Mrsjets 936694@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I dont think there will be an issue but I would start with 1, especially because you are in an apartment. Going from 2 occupants to 5 is a big adjustment. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-cats-and-baby-humans#post-936609 Tue, 16 Jul 2013 18:03:15 +0000 ElbieKay 936609@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Wow, so far I am 6 for 6 in favor of getting the kitties! Whew. I am feeling better already. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-cats-and-baby-humans#post-936590 Tue, 16 Jul 2013 17:53:56 +0000 anonysquire 936590@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>In my experience, cats are so freaking easy! We put out huge bowls of food and water and can leave them while we go on trips. My latest kitten took about 3 days to adjust to us and now she owns the place. Good luck with your kitten and your baby :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-cats-and-baby-humans#post-936458 Tue, 16 Jul 2013 16:45:42 +0000 Cole 936458@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would say you will be just fine, I agree that cats aren't that much trouble, training them isn't nearly as complicated as a puppy and it sounds like your dh is on board with tackling that himself. In the interest of full disclosure I am not really even an animal person although I have come around since we got a dog. We had cats throughout high school and both my brother and sister have them now and it has never struck me as problematic.</p> <p>Plus, as a nanny, I love getting to see the sweet relationships that (usually) develop between babies and their family pets so there is always that part to look forward to! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-cats-and-baby-humans#post-936450 Tue, 16 Jul 2013 16:43:54 +0000 honeybear 936450@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We got our cat a month before I got pregnant. :) He was about a year old and we got him at the shelter (where he had contracted a nasty case of cat flu...I was not impressed by their ideas about hygiene). After treating his infection and some unpleasant tests at a vet who was much more hygienic, he checked out free from parasites/toxo and immediately took up residence in my favorite chair. It was very cool to have him curl up at my feet while I slept all morning in the first tri! </p> <p>Most cats are easy to care for. I don't really like the idea of training cats to use the toilet for public health reasons, but other than housebreaking them, teaching them not to claw the furniture, getting their shots, and keeping them brushed and fed, there isn't much else to do. They are naturally clean and they hang out with you when they want to. I'd buy a ball and one of those fishing rod-like things with a feather on the end and then you should be set for entertainment. Enjoy your cats! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-cats-and-baby-humans#post-936407 Tue, 16 Jul 2013 16:24:20 +0000 ElbieKay 936407@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh, and my husband plans to toilet train the cats. Apparently this is a real thing. His coworker did it successfully. It took about 6 weeks. You can get a kit and train them to use the toilet instead of the litter box. But you can never teach them to flush because they will spend all day flushing and watching, ha!</p> <p>In case you're interested: <a href="http://www.petco.com/product/109888/Litter-Kwitter-Toilet-Training-System.aspx?cm_mmc=CSEMGoogleAdExtProd%20-_-Pet%20Supplies-_-Litter%20Kwitter-_-1226428" rel="nofollow">http://www.petco.com/product/109888/Litter-Kwitter-Toilet-Training-System.aspx?cm_mmc=CSEMGoogleAdExtProd%20-_-Pet%20Supplies-_-Litter%20Kwitter-_-1226428</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-cats-and-baby-humans#post-936391 Tue, 16 Jul 2013 16:15:25 +0000 LazyLightning 936391@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yay kitties. I have two myself. One's 4 and one's 2. I did not change the kitty litter during pregnancy (just in case - plus there was just no way - i was either too sick, too fat, or both!!) but other than that it was fine. Now that LO is here, still no issues aside from them always trying to sit on the baby furniture. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-cats-and-baby-humans#post-936390 Tue, 16 Jul 2013 16:14:51 +0000 MrsKoala 936390@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Cats are easier than dogs in terms of care so I really don't think you are crazy to do this before bringing a baby into the mix. In fact, my parents had cats/kittens in my household when I was born and I grew up loving cats and other animals. I'd continue to go for it if I were you!!</p> <p>ETA: Cats need much less attention than dogs as well. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-cats-and-baby-humans#post-936367 Tue, 16 Jul 2013 16:03:01 +0000 Dandelion 936367@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Kittens are so easy. I took in a stray kitten (after getting it shots and checked out by the vet) just a month after DS was born and I kept it indoors only. It was a non issue, but, I'm an animal person, so it would probably always be a non issue for me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-cats-and-baby-humans#post-936360 Tue, 16 Jul 2013 16:00:09 +0000 ElbieKay 936360@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My husband LOVES cats. I cannot emphasize enough how much he loves them. He freaks out in their presence and can barely contain himself. In the moment, I sometimes have to remind myself that he also loves cars and knows how to fix things while he is squealing over a cat. It's incredible and almost disturbing (but cute).</p> <p>That he married me in spite of my cat allergy is a testament to his love for me. So, in exchange I promised him that we would try to find a hypoallergenic cat.</p> <p>We did a bunch of research on and off across many months and settled on purchasing purebred Siberian cats through a breeder*. Siberians are hypoallergenic and very friendly and social cats. We selected a breeder who will allow me to allergy test an individual kitten before bringing it home. Since Siberians are social and we both have full time jobs, we decided to get two so they could be buddies and not be too lonely during the day.</p> <p>Ironically, we paid the deposit and put ourselves on the waiting list on Father's Day. (Now do you see where this is going?)</p> <p>.<br /> .<br /> .</p> <p>Of course, I got a BFP two days later. We had been trying for eight months and already experienced a miscarriage, so we had no idea when/if I would get pregnant again.</p> <p>Now, I did not grow up with cats. I am not used to them. I don't really know what I am getting into with the cats, though it sounds like it's a great breed. And they are so friggin' cute in the photos I have seen! And did I mention how much my husband loves cats? We have even purchased our first piece of cat furniture already.</p> <p>So, here is the question: Are we crazy to go through with this with a baby on the way? Given our spot on the waiting list, I expect that we will bring the kittens home at age 10-12 weeks, right around the 20th week of my pregnancy. So, they will have several months to adjust to their new home, and we can most likely leave them with my MIL for a couple of weeks when the baby comes home so that we have time to adjust to being parents. They will have to be indoor cats because we live in an apartment, so as far as I can tell there is not really any risk of toxoplasmosis unless we feed them raw meat. My concerns are centered more around having enough time to care for all of these new babies at the same time, and making sure that they interact with each other in a positive way. (FWIW, I did have my first scan yesterday and confirmed that my pregnancy is a singleton, and this will be our first child.)</p> <p>*No judgements, please. We would have gone to the pound if there was a bat's chance in hell that I wouldn't be allergic. I get that there are ethical issues with purebreds, but this is an extenuating circumstance. We actually found some Siberian mixes on Craig's List and tried to conduct an allergy test, but the cat freaked out and bit it's owner in a very violent manner and we were not comfortable bringing that particular cat into our home. </p>