Is it fair on the kittens

Chunkylover

Hey, 1st time poster here (normally in motorbike section), I found a kitten (lucy) in a field opposite my house a few weeks back, after a quick trip to the vets she was checked over and said to be fine so I decided to keep her, was talking it over with the girlfriend and then we ended up with 2 kittens (milo, a playmate for the 1st 1) the 2nd 1 is a nut job, in a good way and only has 1 eye
Now my question is Im out of the house for about 10 or 11 hours a day and the kittens are left in the spare bedroom with all their stuff, the girlfriend will be moving in at the end of the year so they will have more human company then, is it fair to leave them alone for that amount of time each day and even when I come home I only have enough energy to play with them for about an hour or 2
I can see lucy being adopted no problem but milo may be a different story, it takes time for him to come out of his shell and hes not the prettiest of things

Also, can anyone give some advice on having kittens around a pregnant woman, just have read some stuff that says its not the safest thing for the unborn child

Cheers

SMK

Hi,
They have each other for company and play and I don't think it's a problem. Cats are much more independent than dogs and I don't think they need as much human attention. My two are on their own for 11 hours a day although they are adult cats. When I come home from work I get a great greeting at the door!! I'm sure it's because they are happy to see me and not because they know they are going to be fed as soon as I come home!!!! The cats hang around me for an hour or so after I come in and then they go off for a snooze!

I know a pregnant woman has to be very careful around kittens and should not clean out the litter tray (unless gloved and great care is taken). I heard that the real danger from kittens is when they are under 1 year old but I really don't know how accurate that is.

MsFifers

Your kittens would be fine. You have to remember that most cats sleep up to 18 hours a day - so they'll probably be asleep for most of the time you are away anyway, and then they have each other to play with also. If they have a windowsill to look out from, they'll be v. happy watching the world go by, stalking birds etc.

Leave out lots of things for them to play with - boxes for hiding are a great favourite for kittens.

Re: pregnant women and cats - there is a risk of getting toxoplasmosis from cat poo if the cats are eating raw meat - but don't let that put you off cats. Really its more likely to get toxoplasmosis from handling raw meat/eating undercooked meat/gardening.

A pregnant women shouldn't clear out a cat's litter tray, or if that's unavoidable, they should wear rubber gloves and/or wash their hands. If the cats are being fed commercial cat food, there is little risk, and if they are indoor cats, the risk is lowered again.

kerrysgold

They will be fine, cats don't seem to want human company as much as dogs anyway, it's also great that there are 2 of them. if there is one of each though make sure to get them neutered before they start breeding :O

animalcrazy

Another thing, when the baby is born you need to keep it away from the cats. They love the milky smell from babies and the heat and will try and sleep on the babies head, the baby won't be able to cry or push the cat off and can be smothered this way so keep the cats well away.

hadook

animalcrazy wrote: »

Another thing, when the baby is born you need to keep it away from the cats. They love the milky smell from babies and the heat and will try and sleep on the babies head, the baby won't be able to cry or push the cat off and can be smothered this way so keep the cats well away.

Friends who've had babies and have already have had cats say that this isn't really true. They've found that the cat tends to want to stay away from the baby and much prefers the comfy pram/baby carrier etc when the baby is elsewhere.

animalcrazy

It happened to my baby sister when she was a few weeks old..except he was asleep on her stomach..my mother nearly had a heart attack!.. I just heard the head thing though.

animalcrazy

the same cat.. and she was a spayed female..insisted on pissing into the babies carrier even though she had a clean litter tray!

boomerang

Probably stress-related with the new arrival and things moved around.

MsFifers

animalcrazy wrote: »

Another thing, when the baby is born you need to keep it away from the cats. They love the milky smell from babies and the heat and will try and sleep on the babies head, the baby won't be able to cry or push the cat off and can be smothered this way so keep the cats well away.

That isn't really true! Cats like to sleep in warm comfy spots but there hasn't been any verified cases of them smothering babies! I have friends whose cats like to sleep on top of their dogs - they haven't smothered them either!

All pets & babies should always be supervised anyway whenever they are together.

http://www.best-cat-art.com/cats-and-babies.html

ValerieR

The kittens will be fine on their own for the day.

Good advice above for cats and pregnant women.

I would still watch the cats and the baby. Going by my own cat, there is nothing he likes better to do is to come up and curl up on my neck/face when I'm asleep ...
It could happen...

Enjoy the kittens !!!
ValerieR

bigpinkelephant

ValerieR wrote: »

I would still watch the cats and the baby. Going by my own cat, there is nothing he likes better to do is to come up and curl up on my neck/face when I'm asleep ...
It could happen...

My cat does this aswell, she gets up on my belly or my back. I'm just some sort of 37'C heated mattress for her!!!

animalcrazy

Ya I'd definatly would watch the cat and baby..even if the cat just sleeps on the babies stomach..I'm sure that wouldn't be very good for the baby!

BlackCat2008

MsFifers wrote: »

Re: pregnant women and cats - there is a risk of getting toxoplasmosis from cat Pooh if the cats are eating raw meat - but don't let that put you off cats. Really its more likely to get toxoplasmosis from handling raw meat/eating undercooked meat/gardening.

A pregnant women shouldn't clear out a cat's litter tray, or if that's unavoidable, they should wear rubber gloves and/or wash their hands. If the cats are being fed commercial cat food, there is little risk, and if they are indoor cats, the risk is lowered again.

yes I would agree hear I had 22 cats/ kittens when I had my first child the vet explained something similar to me as well as it is the worms in the Pooh that causes it. Make sure they are wormed properly and never worm them if you think they are sick and the vet says it's OK to go ahead.

Cats /kittens seek out heat and heart beat this is why they like to sleep with babies just make it clear to them they are not aloud into your room were baby is and double check that they are outside the room when you leave and close the door.

Hope everyone takes note of this the biggest risk is that the kittens will go into the dish washer and washing machine after the milk from the bottles. I lost one to the dish washer it had been acting up and I thought the noise was it just clunking along again. My poor mop a top was scalded to death I couldn't bring myself to use a dish washer for years after that so double check then check again before you put on a loud.

I never had a problem with cats and babies most of what you'll hear is old wifes tails.

Just be vigilant of were they are when leaving baby alone and let them snuggle up to baby when you are around ie. the bottom of pram or carrier it helps them bond with the new member as well as they will come to protect baby like family, my mammy's one and only gizmo didn't get on with my first child even 10 yrs on, one day he when for a friend of mine who was holding the baby I just managed to grab him I had never seen him act like that but always trusted his instinct and a week later I went for a few drinks at the friends place to meet his new pup who he grabbed by the throat and slammed into a corner because it was jumping up, so gizz was right not to want him near the baby. And I didn't leave with out the pup and a warning that if I ever catch him owning another animal I'd shop him in for it.

There's nothing better for a child to grow up with than a pet.

bigpinkelephant

BlackCat2008 wrote: »

yes I would agree hear I had 22 cats/ kittens when I had my first child the vet explained something similar to me as well as it is the worms in the Pooh that causes it. Make sure they are wormed properly and never worm them if you think they are sick and the vet says it's OK to go ahead.

Cats /kittens seek out heat and heart beat this is why they like to sleep with babies just make it clear to them they are not aloud into your room were baby is and double check that they are outside the room when you leave and close the door.

Hope everyone takes note of this the biggest risk is that the kittens will go into the dish washer and washing machine after the milk from the bottles. I lost one to the dish washer it had been acting up and I thought the noise was it just clunking along again. My poor mop a top was scalded to death I couldn't bring myself to use a dish washer for years after that so double check then check again before you put on a loud.

I never had a problem with cats and babies most of what you'll hear is old wifes tails.

Just be vigilant of were they are when leaving baby alone and let them snuggle up to baby when you are around ie. the bottom of pram or carrier it helps them bond with the new member as well as they will come to protect baby like family, my mammy's one and only gizmo didn't get on with my first child even 10 yrs on, one day he when for a friend of mine who was holding the baby I just managed to grab him I had never seen him act like that but always trusted his instinct and a week later I went for a few drinks at the friends place to meet his new pup who he grabbed by the throat and slammed into a corner because it was jumping up, so gizz was right not to want him near the baby. And I didn't leave with out the pup and a warning that if I ever catch him owning another animal I'd shop him in for it.

There's nothing better for a child to grow up with than a pet.

Really sorry to hear about your cat BlackCat... I have heard of similar things happening with washing machines.

Guzmo sounds very clever

BlackCat2008

bigpinkelephant wrote: »

Really sorry to hear about your cat BlackCat... I have heard of similar things happening with washing machines.

Guzmo sounds very clever

He is, I trust his instinct and if he doesn't like some one I stay well clear of them he went blind a few weeks ago from an enlarged heart (a lot to explain)but I swear there are times he can see and just lets on he can't I know he can see shadows but he hasn't lost the rule of the house yet and the others don't seem to notice he's blind clever little guy!!! He has a way of circling people he doesn't know then seems to make a decision as to sit and watch them the hole time there in the house (never a good sign) or look for a pet from them which tells me their OK he's been right on every single occasion he did it with one mid wive and just sat watching her when she was leaving she began to give out that there where three cats(that she new of) and started to tell me a bunch of lie's as to way they shouldn't be near the baby so I throw her out and made a complaint, turns out everyone with a cat or dog had to throw her out and make complaints. If Gizz could close a door he probably would have hit her with it.

I find nearly all my cats are like watch dogs most even got use to the times I use to come home from work and would sit at the door waiting for me. I find sometimes you have to stop talking and training and listen to what there telling you and you find harmony, I think we put to many bonderies on them we sometimes miss it.