 |
| Available at Bonnie Mohr Studios |
Dear MikChiks,
My child has an extreme (nearly clinical) obsession with cats. Loves them. We do not own one, however, since he is seriously allergic to the dander (or whatever). Also, I hate litter boxes.
Said child is insistent that he will save his money and buy a hypoallergenic cat when he gets older. Heart set and all of that. Question - do I give in to my motherly longing and get him one (despite a fairly large hurdle called a husband and a supreme dislike of litter)? Or do I just let age and time work their magic? He is nine and has over 100 stuffed cats of varying sizes. He will likely need therapy. Or a very large storage room.
Signed,
Cats in the Cradle?
Dear Cradle,
Our general policy is that if your nine year-old kid has an obsession that isn't drugs, Marilyn Manson, car-jacking, etc, you should encourage it. We say, get the boy a cat!
That being said, there's no reason you should have to deal with disgusting cat litter.
Gross, gross, gross!
Either train the enthusiastic young man to scoop the poop himself, or ,get one of these nifty self-cleaning boxes, or make it an outside cat.
Another thing you can do to get yourself hyped about cat ownership is to find cool and nifty products like THESE at Modern Cat.
As for the husband hurdle, there are many, many strategies to get over this one.
You could distract him with something purty.
You could promise him his favorite meals/back rubs/ control of the TV remote.
Or, you could just buy the cat, smuggle him in, and pray for the best—Lisa's tactic in the purchase of family dog, Dorian Gray. We don't as a rule advocate this method of acquiring a pet, but sometimes husbands blow this household stuff out of proportion and just need a nudge to realize it really isn't as bad as their imaginations/childhood memories led them to believe it would be.
With that said, if smuggling in the cat would cause a rift in your relationship with your husband, DON'T do it!!!! Only you know your husband.
And he comes first—ahead of all that motherly love. Lord knows, we don't want a CATastrophe on our hands!
But we're sure hoping that boy gets his cat:).
What say you Pet-Owning and Non-Pet-Owning Readers!
With Mucho Amore,
Maddie and Lisa
Cats can also be trained to use the toilet. Seriously!!
ReplyDeleteWe've heard that--but...hmmm.. The thought of sharing a toilet with a cat is too much for us.
ReplyDeleteThere are all sorts of litter box solutions now. Perhaps you could make ability to pay for/maintain a relatively odor-free box a condition of acquiring the cat.
ReplyDeleteSome people are cat people; some are dog people. Some like (or don't like) either. I'm a cat person. We have two cats, one elderly and one late-middle-aged. My almost-nine-year-old would LOVE to have a frisky kitten, and we may get him one when our senior kitty shuffles off her mortal calico coil. This is much less disturbing to Mommy than the alternative, as he also really, really likes dogs. (EEEK!!)
You didn't expound upon why your husband doesn't like cats. But cats are generally very low-maintenance pets (except for the aforementioned litter box, which just takes a few minutes each day). They don't bark, they clean themselves, and they're self-reliant--though they do appreciate affection. If you get one with a good personality and keep it in the house, you'll find it will mature into something like a big furry pillow that occasionally moves.
But I think the key is that your son must be old enough to take full responsibility for the cat. And (as you search for a "hypo-allergenic" cat) make sure that it isn't overbred. The only cats I've known with sour personalities have been the pure-bred sort.
I'm rooting for your son to have his cat, someday when he's old enough. (Just please forget I said this a couple of years from now when my own conundrum appears concerning my son who wants a dog...)
Elaine
Love the input and can't wait for the boy-and-his-dog letter!
ReplyDeleteHad a cat. Hated it. Dumb, obstinate critter. He jumped on the kitchen counters and licked the dishes or ate out of open cans when I turned my back. Yowled while I was trying to sleep. Never again.
ReplyDeleteBut that's me.
I'm worried about the allergy thing. Would your son have to get shots every week or something? I also think you should make taking care of the cat (litter, feeding, brushing) his responsibility. If he doesn't do it, the cat fhas to find a new little boy who will.
I used to not like dogs, until I developed an odd yearning for a little dog. After I talked my husband into it, he and I loved that dog SO much! He's also glad I talked him into getting another one before our Lady died (even tho he was adamantly against it.) He said it was the best thing he ever did that he didn't want to do. He's also glad I talked him into another one after she died to keep dog #2 company. Second best thing I've ever talked him into. :)
So, I guess what I'm saying is that husbands may think they know what they want, until they get what they don't want then realize they were wrong all along. Unless he hates cats, that is. Then you may have trouble on your hands. I'm against going behind his back, but showing him pictures of the cute cuddly thing might convince him to give in. That's what worked for me.
Smuggling in Dorian Gray wasn't one of my finer moments.
ReplyDeleteYa' know, I started to post a reply, but when I started typing it out, it had the markings of a great story, and I am thus going to store it in my head for an idea for a future FW challenge. Unless, of course, I am "tortured" and thereby forced to share it here...
ReplyDeleteIs it possible to be tortured, share here AND have material for a short story????
ReplyDeleteYou know, since I'm not going to remember how I typed it out beyond tonight anyway, why not?
ReplyDeleteJust don't get a cat for free in front of Wal-Mart. There is most likely it is FREE. in front of Wal-Mart. In nothing more than a cardboard box. This is especially true when it is the ONLY cat being given away for free in front of Wal-Mart. Not that my family would know from experience or anything.
ReplyDeleteintriguing. to say the least!
ReplyDeleteIf you let the cat outside then that takes care of the bathroom needs. My cat transitioned over after the move with only one mishap so far (note of advice, if you take away the litter box, don't leave a bag of the fresh litter sitting in another bag that has some litter spilled in the bottom of it. It looks remarkably like a place to use the litter, thereby ruining the bag of clean litter.)
ReplyDeleteWe got a hypoallergenic dog when I was a child and he was amazing. I also has a friend who gets allergy shots (I think only once a year) that allow her to enjoy cats.
My parents waited until us kids were old enough to take care of a dog ourselves and then got us one. It worked quite nicely. I was probably about 9 or 10, so my sisters would have been 14 and 16. My oldest sister did most of the obedience training and we all pitched in to help with the potty training and other care.
All this conversation is making me want a pet, besides my Sweetie, of course!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely get the boy a cat - and teach him to care for it. With the newer clumping litter there really is no smell - I have asked my friends who'd be honest and my SISTER.... we have 4 house cats. Why let them outside and come home to a flat cat in the road? Blessings!
ReplyDeleteLOVE the CATastrophic pun ;D Bring on the fluff free kitty for that boy! Great advice ladies!
ReplyDeleteThis young man is at an age when imagination and creativity are at an all-time high. He might be encouraged to write about cats and their antics, possibly develop a cat super hero, or discuss the mystique of cats in general. Or what about cat art?
ReplyDeleteWhy not encourage him to volunteer at the local animal shelter? He might even find a unique way to encourage cat adoptions. His visits to the animal shelter could include an in-house cat he could call his own!
purfect advice :)
ReplyDeleteI guess this isn't the right time/place to talk about flat cats making great frisbees or great bookends, is it? Didn't think so....
ReplyDeleteThey do say that timing is everything...
ReplyDelete