My boys do great with our 3 cats. They are all front declawed and spayed/neutered. Anyway, the one is skittish because he was abused when he was a kitten so he just runs from them. The other boy cat loves attention so he puts up with everything. My 4 year old just pulled his tail last week and the car just sat there. I freaked out and yelled at my son but the cat was fine. He didn't hiss or attack my son. The only female cat is iffy. Now that my son is older and doesn't chase them, she lets him pet her. Before she didn't. They all allow my oldest to give them treats although the skittish one is 50/50. My youngest is only 5 months so idk how he does

Our cats were all neutered or spayed by the shelter we got them from. I highly suggest adopting rather than purchasing a kitten from a store.

My cats are roughly ages 9, 1.5 and less than a year. A couple of good cardboard toys with some catnip and they don't scratch anything else.

My nephew was mostly ignored by the cats. They would get curious but mostly just sniff and then leave.

The good thing about adopting is that if the cat isn't a good fit, you can take them back and try another one. It sucks to have to send an animal back, but sometimes it just doesn't work out and being able to try until you can find an animal that works for your home that you can keep forever is really important. If you buy a cat from a store, you don't have that flexibility.

If you are definitely set on getting a cat, I'd look for one that is already declawed in a shelter or rescue. I agree, it is horrible, but if you are really worried about your furniture then I don't see any other option for you. Cats are different. We adopted one (and got brand new furniture) 2 months before baby came. He hasn't tore anything up at all, but another cat might have. He is also great with the LO. It's your decision, but if you're on the fence about any of it, I'd wait a couple months and revisit your options.

Dogs are time consuming. With my daughter being high need and the second one on the way, I am pretty happy with my cats. We clip their claws once in a while, but it's pretty much only for the furnitures. They were already old when our dd was born (8, 8 and 7yo) but they adjusted pretty well and never tried to bite her. One of they did scratch her twice in 17months, but my daughter can be too affectionate with them (she's learning to be gentle though...). I think they see how she's important to us so they are nice with her (if that makes sense). I'd be careful with getting an older animal. Make sure you know he/she is good with kids. ?

We have 2 cats and they don't care about my 9 month old. He crawls up to them and they just ignore him and walk off.

If you're considering declawing a cat, don't get one ?

I've got 2 beautiful cats. A boy who's 2 and a girl who's 13. They can be desexed from 8 weeks. Best to get them done as soon as you can so they don't have the chance to develop silly behaviours like scratching and biting and spraying. My 2 yr old boy was wild when I picked him up off the streets. He was about 4 weeks old and his mother was sick (my mum took in the mother and other kittens) and my boy is now very sweet after a rough start. You can change an animal's behaviour easy enough but best to get an older cat if you've got a baby or are expecting. I'm going in.for my induction tomorrow and I know my cats will.do fine once she's here. They don't all tear up furniture and create havoc.

& mine doesn't really do anything to the furniture, we got him a big cat tower and it has a thing for him to scratch his nails on. He knows what I'm saying when I tell him no. If they try scratching we spray them a water bottle and they quit. Mine will get so sad and pout if you fuss at him?

Don't declaw them..do research on it. I have a cat. I'm 17 so I've had him since I was about 9 maybe 8. He's a HUGE baby. He will go with me in my car when I go some where. He'd super jealous of any cat so I know he's not going to like the baby at first so I'm keeping his nails cut

As for furniture- make sure the cat has a scratching post or 3. We have a kitty condo by our picture window and the cat claws it and it's also entertainment for her to watch out the window. They also need stimulating toys. Trimming your cats nails every 1-2 weeks is actually really easy also.

If you plan to declaw then don't bother getting a cat. It's cruel. You're breaking their finger bones off at the first knuckle. I have had cats my entire life and my furniture has never been clawed and neither has my child. You need to teach baby boundaries with the cat and it's fine.

Omg- my cat is declawed and she is fine! I don't want her to tear up my furniture or scratch at the baseboards. As far as being around kids, I have a 2 year old niece and when she's hear my cat just stays away from her lol, it will be interesting to see how she is when the baby gets here :) I pretty much anticipate the same thing since she is standoffish when she is around kids. All cats have different personalities, so I would just watch her until you know how she will act

My cats loved my babies until they could walk. One the boys could chase the cats, we rarely saw the cats hanging around while the kids were awake. Once my boys were about 2 1/2 years old we were able to teach them how to act around cats. Now, my cats adore the kids. They love to cuddle. My cats never once scratched my kids. The cats were a little less than a year old when my first son was born. One cat is super mellow and one is somewhat insane.

@mh, maybe you can edit your original post so the people who don't read the comments will stop with the declaw comments.

I mean, I'm glad you mentioned it and I'm glad they mentioned the info but you're converted lol...several several comments ago converted :D

My cat came declawed and I was so happy because my other one clawed the crap out of carpets, curtains and my couches.

I have thought about that as well. I may start looking at shelters soon.

Could you just adopt an older cat so that it's more chilled out with your little one? There are many cats in shelters waiting for a good home. It would be easier than a kitten to acclimate with your baby in my opinion. A kitten could be ok, but I've had some kittens that were a little nuts. Hyper, rambunctious, demanding etc..

Omg? don't worry ladies. Now that I have been educated about the repercussions I will not be declawing any cats.

They make gel caps you can put on the nails. If your that worried about it.

A lot of problems arise when you declaw a cat. My cat was stolen and declawed when i saw her again she was crazy, lost all her fur... Its basically cutting off finger tips. Just. Dont.

Please dont get a cat if your going to declaw it. Oh lord

I have 3 cats all are rescue cats. I had Cam before I had my kids, she's now almost 7. We got Bonkers while I was pregnant with ds2, he's going on 2. Dh brought home a kitten when ds2 was 3 months old, we named him Binks and he'll be a year in August I bottle fed him. All 3 are awesome with my kids they get crawled all over and hugged and kissed and when the cats get tired of it they get up and walk away, either to the bathroom that has a baby gate up or to my and dh bedroom so they can lay in the windowsills. As long as you teach kiddos to be respectful and give the cats a way to escape from the kiddos its usually fine. My cats also go outside for hours everyday, all are fixed and none of them are declawed. I have a log in the front living room and a scratching post in the bathroom for them to scratch if they feel the need to inside but usually they just ask to go out. As long as they have options and personal space cats are great.

I had my cat Bellah for 7 years before I had children. When I had my daughter she pretty much ignored her until she started to crawl. When my daughter would crawl Bellah would follow her and prop her self down in front of her blocking her way, if my daughter brushed her my accident trying to move away she would bite her. ? it happened twice. I couldn't put my baby down to crawl bc Bellah would always block her way and try to hurt her if she touched her. I had no choice but to re home her to my sisters house. My sister doesn't have any small children so Bellah is happy there and we get to see her when we visit.

As for the scratching. I have one cat that doesn't scratch anything besides her scratching pad and I have another cat who scratches everything. His favorite is door jams.

I've had my cats for over a year now and they rarely try to scratch the furniture. We have a cat tree for them and get know to scratch on that. When we first got them we bought a spray that deters cats from scratching on furniture. They will scratch us on accident sometimes, but we try to keep their claws trimmed so they aren't so sharp. My grandma got her cat declwed and he looked so pitiful. Could barely put weight on his front paws for weeks and bled for days. It was awful. Its very easy to boys train kittens as they usually go to the litter box automatically. We only had a couple accidents and they knew to use it. I think cats are great pets.

I have 3 cats.

All three either myself or Dh found abandonded as babies. I absolutely love them.

All three of them are good with my kids, my oldest one is more reserved about the kids, but he just runs off if they bother him. The youngest is not my favorite, she hates me, but she loves the kids. She is always with my 4yr old. They cuddle and play all day long.

Imo cats are better, given you find a good match, for young kids then dogs(puppies).

My cats don't tear up my furniture. They have a couple cat posts throughout the house they use. Occasionally they use my rug, which pissed me off, but I just stomp my foot and they take off.

You can train a cat just like you would a dog. There are all different kinds of ways to train them.

Look into it. Just like dogs, you should always research the breed of cat as best as you can before getting one. Some breeds are more inclined to sleep in the window rather than play, or could have health issues known to the breed.

A puppy is a lot more work than a cat. You still need to teach your child "pet manners" and supervise all interactions closely. Also, well bred puppies are expensive, and shelter puppies are a gamble as to size, temperament, and background. And you do NOT want to buy from a shop or backyard, unscrupulous breeder.

We got our cats when my daughter was about a year old.

They love her. We taught her to he easy and not to get in their face. Our bob tail kitty Tiny is her best friend. She sleeps with her and is where ever she is.

For clawing, we would remove them from the furniture and put her where she can scratch. Also getting a little laser light helps too. Plus dd loves playing with it.

I didn't read all the comments so please forgive me if someone has already started this. Please do not declaw your cat. It is a cruel procedure amd many cays have numerous problems from it. My cats have never bothered our child . In fact now that he is a toddler they love him amd tolerate more from him than they would anyone else. If you are worked about furniture just have plenty of scratching options like post, or those cardboard boxes. We have never had a problem with cats and furniture. If anything they prefer to scratch the rug which is fine with us cuz it was cheap.

I want to add that the only problem I had with my cats is that they would chew the tips off of bottles if they found them! It was a pain!

I can't remember for sure, but I think they're supposed to be spayed or neutered between 4-6 months. My kids loved my cats. It really depends on the personality of the cat as to how patient and playful they will be with your child. My cats never had a problem with scratching, they would just paw at baby and run away when they had had enough.

I second, third and fourth against getting the cat declawed, in case you haven't read that enough .

When my Kicia was still here, her and my LO LOVED each other. She never even attempted to harm him. You've gata get the right fit for Ur family. Some cats don't want to be held and cuddled, they need their space. Others, like my Kicia, loved the attention. Followed me and LO around the house.

As for the furniture, yes they like to scratch. Get them a scratching post so they can relieve their natural instincts to sharpen their claws. Also, just keep them trimmed with a nail clipper. Once a week or so I would trim her nails , no problem. You lightly squeeze her paw and she will retract her nails, cut off just the tips, if you go to low you will cause pain and bleeding.

Good luck on finding the right cat for your family. They are wonderful pets. ?

I have 2 cats. I had them both for a couple years before I had my son. I've had the younger one since he was a kitten and the older one has some crazy spurts. My son is 8 months and he loves to watch them play or lay there. Anything they do makes him happy. They've been good with him. They get close enough for him to touch when they feel like it. I've never had a fear that they would hurt them. My moms cats on the other hand go outside when we come over because they're mean. Depends on the cat.

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice. I appreciate some of you being able to move past my initial ignorance about declawing cats.

We are looking at getting a young cat instead of a kitten so we know what it's like around kids. A lot of people move or have another baby and don't want the cat anymore so getting one that's a bit older can be really helpful!!!

Isaac, at a year, knows do not grab the cat (learned at my mom's. But did awesome at the spca this mornijg). He does get excited and grabs but then let's go. He also knows to stay away from kitty's face - and he does okay. Not perfect but pretty good for his age. It was a bit of showing him and taking kitty away when he got rough. Pretty simple but it worked.

We also plan to have a baby gate up for when we get the cat we want - I'm picky lol. We want the cat to have a spot that it can get away from the kids and nap in peace (I want that too some days).

Good luck!!!

Ps: I'm really happy that you got some info about declawing. It's illegal here bc it's so hard on them. A lot of people don't know though so I'm so glad you mentioned it!

Kittens do have a wild stage, but you can train them easier when you get them young. Like if you don't want the cat on the table, or couch or scratching your furniture, it's easier to break them of those habits when they're young. You can get a scratching post, most cats do use them. My mom had a 3 yo cat when my son was born, and she was always sweet around him. We got a kitten when he was 1.5, and they were fine together. We just got another kitten and he's 3, they play together all day. I have no issues and she's only 9 weeks. You can buy nail files or little plastic things for their claws, but they're a pain. If your cat is taught to be well behaved, you shouldn't have issues with the claws anyway. And dogs are way more expensive & way more maintenance then cats so keep that in mind.

I have said many times I didn't know about that. There is NO REASON to be nasty. Thanks for the advice.

Why get a cat if you're just going to declaw it anyways? There's absolutely no true reason as to why you would declaw a cat in the first place. Don't want furniture ruined? Don't get a cat. Afraid your kid will get scratched up? Don't get a cat. (There's worse shyt in the world to worry about than some darn cat scratch)

Just get a dog...

Do you ladies think a puppy would be better?

I concur about the declawing thing. Not only is it pretty cruel, but it increases their tendency to defend themselves by biting. And cat bites are very prone to getting severely infected.

As for cats and babies, as long as you teach the baby to be respectful of the cat, things should be ok. Teach your little one not to grab, pull, hit, or pick up kitty, and make sure to supervise interactions to ensure your little one isn't chasing or harassing kitty more than kitty will tolerate.

I would also recommend getting an older, laid back adult cat. Kittens go through a wild and crazy adolescence, pouncing and flying around and acting crazy, which isn't the best thing to have around a baby. Pick one that has matured past that and is mellow and tolerant and child friendly.

Some cats will use one of those scratch posts. Mine never did though ? I would just suggest keeping their nails clipped and filed down. I may not keep them from scratching though.

You can get them neutered or spayed at 8 weeks usually and preferably before 6 months.

You can buy little claw covers for the cat. They stay on for a few weeks. Way better then the other alternative. I have two cats. My older one gives zero shats about the kids But my orange tabby is awesome with the girls.

I declawed a cat once and it was so awful and sad. Ugh, dont.

The three cats we've adopted (from kittens to adults) have been wonderful with my toddlers and just let them carry them around like ragdolls. You might get lucky. The last one we adopted from the pound was feral and the pound people were like "idk how she'll be..." but she's pretty great.

Okay now that I know about the declawing, what about the other questions?

My cat was declawed way before I adopted her and it's the saddest thing watching her try to run her nails through things and not be able to. If you're going to declaw, don't get a cat.

Please don't Declaw the cat. You're basically cutting off its fingertips. And it can actually cause more issues down the road like not properly using the litter box.

I've never heard that declawing cats was so bad. Good thing I asked. Do your cars damage your furniture?

Omg. Please don't declaw your cat! Its equivalent to removing the top of your finger to the first knuckle.

To spay or neuter a cat, it would be done in the first 4-6 months. I was raised around cats, as a kid we never had a problem. My mom taught us not to pick up the cat, pull his hair or be aggressive. As long as you teach your babies to be nice then you should not have a problem.

I agree with PPs don't declaw them, if something happened and they got outside they would be defenseless against other animals. We got a kitten and she was great with my DDs and we loved her :)

My cats ignore my kids. But they are both over 10 years old and just like to be left alone.

Okay. So is more worried about the furniture then cat scratching lo. What about the rest of the questions?

I agree @kms. Do NOT declaw please It is cruel to the cats ? they have things you can buy to put over their nails like covers. My cat has her claws and had never ruined anything or scratched anybody. Cats are defenseless when they get declawed and it's like taking off the last joint in their fingers.

DO NOT declaw the cat. Please do some research on this. It's cruel. If that's a deal breaker then don't get a cat.