New House & New Friend For Kitty
For those of you who have been reading this space for awhile you'd know that my cat (Fay) is the closest pet to me at home and we've been super close for a long time, that is until Kayla's born. I honestly thought I'd never neglect her even when I have a child because she's totally like my baby! But oh how things spiralled out of control, and to make matters worse some of my family members are super against kitty coming anywhere near baby. So everytime she tries to run over to us to say hi and the baby is there, it'll be followed by screams of "CAT!!" and then she'll be hauled away by the helper and banished outside. This went on for months and I'm just glad she didn't just fall into depression and run away.
So anyway, I'm really touched that D actually took the initiative to bring Kayla near kitty recently for them to get to know each other. He was actually really against animals coming near babies at first, and was also never a fan of fay to begin with. I've never told him before but I think that is one of the best things he's ever done for me in our r'ship and I hope one day he might read this and know how truly thankful I am for that. I guess I've always just assumed that its okay for babies and pets to live together since I grew up with lots of animals at home, so this was an aspect I really struggled with. Not to mention, I keep seeing heartwarming pictures of animals becoming best friends with babies on instagram, and wish that Kayla and Fay could have the same experience ♥︎
Back to the cardboard house.. I'm sooo happy I found this! It's so so cute and the perfect alternative to a regular scratchpost! Fay used to have a 3 tier scratchpost but its so old and dirty we decided to get rid of it heh. Hopefully she feels a little more loved now that she has a place in the house to call her own again :D
Life is too short to wake up with regrets....
ReplyDeleteYou do have a very very beautiful CAT, Congrats!
However, your innocent defenseless and vulnerable few months old baby needs your undivided love;
you are her protector, provider and her defense, she relies on you to help her to cope with all the challenges of her growing up process especially the first year of her life on earth and coach her to be equipped with all basic life learning skills including her physical, emotional, mental and spiritual developments daily! To keep the pets no matter how clean they are too close to her in her daily activities/ living area will post certain visible and invisible dangers to her, especially in the coming months, she will be crawling around and place everything she can grasp with including her fingers into her mouth...
Besides, even though she has been out of her mother's womb, all her important organs including brain, lung, heart and her 5 senses related organs like eyes ,ears and her immune system are still undergoing formation and development, they are very sensitive to any harmful germs around her at this age and even if she were to be infected, the symptoms may not be obvious and go unnoticed to the adults around her!
She is your wonderful beloved beautiful daughter, we wish you all the best of your happy parenting experiences with your lovely baby.
Kim
Wow what a gorgeous kitty!
ReplyDeleteSince you already have a pet at home, I agreed with Kim, just be careful as your baby is very young at this age! Although it's much easier to avoid pet dander than it is to avoid pollen or dust mites, some animal allergens, such as cat dander, can be very difficult to keep at bay.
The ACAAI recommends taking the following steps:
Keep your pet out of the bedrooms at all times and restricted to a few rooms in the house, preferably uncarpeted areas like the kitchen.
Since airborne allergens can be circulated by a home's forced-air heating and air-conditioning system, whole house filtration may reduce circulating animal allergens in the air.
Do a thorough cleaning. Furniture, carpets, drapes, and even walls can trap pet dander. Consider removing your carpets (they can trap allergens for up to six months) and replacing them with smooth flooring such as linoleum or hardwood, at least in your child's bedroom. One study found that simply dry dusting with a dust cloth was an effective way to remove allergens from a smooth, hard surface.
Invest in a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA (high-energy particulate air) filter, which will trap not only animal dander but also dust mites and cockroach droppings. Wear an N95-rated filter mask while cleaning or vacuuming to reduce your own exposure, and never vacuum while your toddler is in the room. Keep in mind that it takes nearly two hours for particles stirred up by cleaning to settle back down.
Keep your pets off the furniture. Nothing traps animal dander like upholstery. If this is impossible, or if your dog or cat has a favorite spot that you don't have the heart to declare off-limits, try covering that chair or sofa with a removable cloth that you can wash easily.
Keep your pet out of your toddler's bedroom. Consider removing any carpeting or heavy drapes from your child's room, and scale back the stuffed animal collection. Limit his stuffed sleeping buddies to one or two, and launder them (as well as his bedding) once a week in water that is at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Encase the mattress and pillows in an allergen-proof covering.
Change your toddler's clothes after he plays with your pet. (If you can't wash his clothes right then, put them in a separate hamper.) Wash his hands right away; in fact, give him a bath if you can. If not, make sure he gets a bath at night and wash his hair before going to bed. You don't want him tracking allergens into his bedroom.
So far, these are excellent advises from The ACAAI
And do not forget to continue keeping your pets feel loved and care for, so that they will not be so jealous and be hostile towards your little one!
Alicia
A very heart warming post!
ReplyDeleteThere are many heart warming stories about children with their pet too <3
I have read a comment of a vet of 17 years in his practice and he had pets/dogs at home when his 3 new babies were born. Hence I think his opinion is fair and professional:
"It’s impossible to give an age for when a child can be left alone with a dog. Even 14-year-old have been attacked. I can only say that, like most parenting decisions, it’s down to a mother and father’s common sense and vigilance.
Before the birth of a baby, a good owner will dedicate several weeks or months to prepare their dog for the new arrival. It means training the dog to know that some rooms in the house are no-go areas — perhaps upstairs or the child’s bedroom.
And it’s important to make sure a pet is well cared for, exercised and fed when the baby arrives to ensure it doesn’t feel left out.
My wife Zoe, 34, and I did this with our dogs — Betty, an eight-year-old border terrier, and Dave, a six-year-old English pointer — when we had our children, Summer, four, and Quinn, two.
We are preparing them again for the birth of our third child next month.
Even the tiniest dog can be dangerous. Mr Miller once put down a Parson Russell terrier that had attacked a child.
But while our dogs are gentle around our children, we’d never dream of leaving them alone in a room together.
All it would take is for a toddler to unwittingly aggravate the dog — by pulling its tail or jabbing it in the eye — for it to go on the attack. It’s unlikely, but it could happen.
It’s obvious that a bite from a Jack Russell is likely to be far less painful than one from a Stafford-shire bull terrier, simply because of the power of its jaws. But when you’re dealing with children, even the tiniest dog can be dangerous. " I believe his comment apply to cat and other type of animals too.
Full article can be found here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2563469/Never-EVER-trust-dog-child-As-baby-mauled-death-vet-ALL-dogs-capable-killing.html
Jessica