Teenage rejects - cats being rehomed

[Rosie]

Regarding pregnant women wanting to rehome I think this is down to the warnings issued by doctors and hospitals about cat poo and pregnant women. They are warned not to touch cat litter etc. Also when my daughter had her second child the cat had to be watched all the time as she wanted to sit on everything that smelled of the baby, any clean clothes towels and tried to get in the pram/cot etc with the baby. It became totally intollerable in the end as you had to makes sure the doors were closed all the time therefore the cat could not have the run of the house anymore. She eventually rehomed her to one of my friends.

[Julie84]

I think it's very sad.

I love kittens and I do often regret that perhaps I didn't appreciate my boys when they were little kittens because they so quickly grow into bis boys. But that doesn't mean I love them any less, I love the cats they have grown into and I probably didn't sit and appreciate the kitten stage because I was trying to stop them climbing the curtains and shredding toilet rolls!

Unfortunately, kittens and puppies are still be sold in lots of pet shops. When I went to Blackpool in October we passed a pet shop that had about 30 puppies in cages in the window (with people banging on the glass - grr!) all different coloured mongrels, cute admittedly, but very small (barely weaned), very scared and a bit sickly looking (they were being kept on sawdust!). They also had kittens apparently but I refused to go in the shop as I was so disgusted. I'm rather anti pet selling pet shops anyway.

Doctors do advise of a risk of toxoplasmosis from cat faeces but cat owners are already likely to be immune to the infection (and good hygiene practices should make the risk minimal anyway) and pregnant women are at far more risk from other things. Most doctors and midwives do seem to over emphasize the risk and can seem to encourage people to rehome animals - I know of quite a few women with small caged animals (like rats) who have been told the animals need to go and they pose no risk at all!

My cats are part of my family and when we decide to have children we will all have to adjust but the cats won't be leaving. If I already had a child, and then had another one, I would have to make time and love for both of them so I don't see why I won't have time or love for the cats when children come along (and the cats are here first! )

[CJK]

all my midwife said when I was pregnant was if possible get hubby to change the cat litter, if not wear gloves,w ash hands and be carefull.
Never herad of midwives saying get rid of animals (not saying it doesnt happen but how ridiculous is that?)

like u say, if you follow basic hygeine rules there should be no problem. My cats used tog et in my baby's cot when he was little, so we simply put a cot net over it, kept clean laundry in the cupboards etc instead of leaving it laying around, and made a few tiny adaptations. No reason at all, in my opionion just an EXCUSE to rehome an animal cos of pregnancy.

[Julie84]

Originally Posted by CJK

No reason at all, in my opionion just an EXCUSE to rehome an animal cos of pregnancy.

My sentiments exactly, especially as so many people are able to be responsible pet owners as well as loving parents. I'm sure sometimes there are valid reasons why new parents might need to rehome an animal (if the child was born with a severe allergy to pets or something maybe?) but I think the majority of cases new babies or pregnancy are just an excuse and it is so sad for the animals.

[CJK]

granted there are GENUINELY people who have allergies or kids turn out to have asthma etc, but other than that i think it's a bit of a lame excuse really.
Even when i had my stroke and my mum said "oh you'll ahve to get rid of all them bloody cats (we had 2 then) and rabbits (we had one)" I said now ay, i would keep them for as long as i possibly could.

The only time i will ever re-home a cat would be for severe health reasons, mine not thiers!

[Rosie]

No one said the midwives or anyone else said they had to get rid of their cats but some women get very protective when they are pregnant and fear any potential threat. I think we need to have a bit of leeway here and not condemn people out of hand.

[Julie84]

I don't think anyone else did mention it Rosie, just me - I heard from quite a few people who have their midwife/doctor/health visitor has suggested getting rid of their animals. My mum fell pregnant last year (but miscarried) and her midwife tried to convince my mum she shouldn't look after my rats while I went on holiday (I don't live with my mum, so it would have been her popping in once a day to check they had water, food and for a quick run about) which is nonsense!

I wasn't try to condemn anyone and I suggested that sometimes there are valid reasons but I don't think as a cat lover I could condone people 'getting rid' (which sadly also involves PTS for some animals) just because they get pregnant and have kids. I personally can't understand how you could share your life with an animal and then choose to get rid of it because of a potential risk (which is fairly small and can be minimised) or simply because you can't be bothered?

As CJ said, sometimes situations do dictate that an animal might need to be rehomed but I think this should be when it is in the best interests of the animal, such as severe health problems for the owner.

I expect it is me being narrow minded but I just can't understand.

[Rosie]

I have a dog and a cat who I love dearly and have had for many years and would personally not "get rid" of them in those circumstances but at the end of the day the welfare of my child(ren) would always come first and if I suspected that they could come to any kind of harm through my animals they would have to be rehomed (which I would make sure was done properly). If I had lost a baby and there was the slightest doubt that my cat/dog could in anyway have caused it (through parasites etc) then I most certainly would not take that chance again.

[Snoof]

When I was pregnant my (then) husband took care of the litter tray. Dishrag adopted my son during the first day (the day after he was born when I came out of hospital) and was hugely protective of him from the start, but he never ever went into the cot, just hid things under it (he would hunt for my mother-in-law's soft toys, rip them to bits and put them under the cot she had about 500 all in a heap in the spare room) and sat by it looking accusatory when the baby cried

My uncle did have to rehome his cat Rommel when my cousin was born as he was forever attacking her.

I think an animal should get a chance to adapt to the new situation, under close supervision, until the owner knows how they feel and whether they're ok with in. In some situations supervision may remain necessary and there the potential safety issues need to be thought about - but rehoming an animal without giving it a chance or the tools to show you that it can adapt to the new situation is irresponsible pet ownership, in my opinion.

Health issues like asthma/allergies/whatever may force your hand and that's fair enough - my son will always come before any of my pets. But I do think that very often, people are either looking for an excuse to rehome or giving up at the first sign of trouble.