There are a few significant factors that have come into play today that I feel are worthy of mention.
1. Today is the official 1 month mark for having shaken off the shackles of the regular desk job and joined the realms of part-time at home workers. I do spend enough time in the office on Wednesdays though to still keep in touch with things while enjoying the freedom of doing laundry on a whim.
2. We are officially in the first stages of IVF. That being said we are on birth control. What a crazy life huh! Fertility that starts out on birth control. As a humorous side note, the nurse asked me if I had a preference on which birth control to use. I said "what is this birth control you speak of." She laughed and said "yeah, we get that a lot." Injections of drugs scheduled to start April 29th and full cycle completed before Memorial Day. Phew!
3. While enjoying the luxuries such as free lunch at the office yesterday, a co-worker came in and said "now that you are at home... insert ominous pause... I have a kitten that has your name on it!" So for all of you cat owners out there, give me the scoop. I haven't officially said yes to this, but am considering it. Talk to me about litter boxes and cat hair. Pros and cons. How do you deal? As a child I used to sneak kittens into my room all the time, as the person who has to clean the house... 'nother story. As a person in the house alone most of the day (who doesn't really have a problem with that but...) Talk to me.
That's it for now, though on a side note I did the aerobics class again today and I'm now having trouble going up or down the stairs! Should be a fun weekend recovering from this one!
Have a fabulous Thursday!
#1- YAY.
ReplyDelete#2- Best of luck. And with all the hormonal changes keep lots o' chocolate on hand. There will be emergencies.
#3- I'm not an animal person but I do like cats so I'm probably not the most qualified to answer this; all I know is each cat has its own personality- My parents have 2 cats that are both indoor cats. One is trained to "go" outside and the other I think uses a litter box. I can't say I've noticed an overwhelming animal smell at their house but the idea of scooping cat poo grosses me out. The hair I can deal with. (Also I had heard that if you're pregnant you shouldn't handle kitty litter- good thing to keep in mind.) You have mostly wood flooring so that would help. Having a companion would be nice too. Keep us updated.
#?- Bravo for going to aerobics again.
When it comes to kitty litter and such, you can get handy litter box liners (kind of like a trash bag but thicker)so that when its time to change the litter it is easier and less messy.
ReplyDeleteAs far as being pregnant and kitty litter goes one would probably be alright as long as they didn't stir the litter up and play in it like it's a sand box. One can always hold their breath.
A lint brush is perfect for picking up cat hair that sticks to furniture and clothes.
I have heard that if you get a cat spayed or neutered while they are kittens they won't be as inclinded to spray. Cuz once they start that habit, they never stop.
1. I second Maggie's YAY!
ReplyDelete2. Everything crossed. Seriously.
3. Sammy wants a cat. So...let me know how that goes!
3.5 - sorry about the stairs you will have to climb later at Sabor. Sorry, sorry, sorry...
I was considering a kitten when we were also considering pregnancy. They're not completely mutually exclusive, but if it's not a cat you already love, the extra precautions necessary might not be worth it. But kittens are very cute, so who's to say. GOOD LUCK!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with what everyone else said. Especially for number 2--prayers, fingers and everything else crossed, good thoughts and all good vibes being sent your way!
ReplyDeleteAs far as cats--we are not cat people so good luck! :)
Hope you can recover and relax this weekend!
kristin
All good vibes, prayers, thoughts being sent your way, and we will keep our fingers and toes crossed for you! Hoping for the absolute best and that everything goes well, hope and prayers are with you.
ReplyDeletekristin
I have a comment about cats. I think outside cats are fine. Indoor no thanks. Kitty litter is really bad to be around while pregnant. If you inhale it you can have a baby that has clubbed foot (or other stuff can happen). My sister-in-law's little boy is a one year old and he was born with clubbed feet. this is my own idea about what happened. they were living in her parents basement when they got pregnant and they also had a cat the kitty litter was in the same room. She never changed the kitty litter but i think because she was around the fumes that is why the baby had clubbed feet.
ReplyDeleteSo in my opinion no kitty litter.
good luck!
Kim
All good things to consider in the cat department. What I really need to ask myself is if I'm willing to deal with "potty training" said cat... It's not looking so good. Might wait until after the success or non-success of our first round of IVF. Never know what will happen then. Thanks all for the advice!
ReplyDelete#1 yay! and I still need to drop by and bug you.
ReplyDelete#2 YAY! I hope it works out...
#3 WELL... (imagine on "You've got Mail" when Meg Ryan asks Tom Hanks for advice on how to run a business and he wiggles his fingers and dives in on the keyboard). Well, here I go: (I feel I may have some, ok, a LOT of experience in the CAT department)
Okay, the litter box/pregnancy thing... it does NOT cause birth defects, club feet are caused by a chromosome abnormality... but if you do inhale the fumes/dust it can give you and your baby an infection (toxoplasmosis ?spelling) so yeah, that is not good, but hey, that is why your husband can change the litter box for the next 9 months or so.
We've had cats since before Kaia was born and neither her or Beck or me have ever been infected with toxoplasmosis AND my husband did his husbandly duty of changing the litter box for awhile. Not a problem.
I really enjoy our cats, but I have to admit, 3 is a little crazy! I love each one of them for different reasons and we basically got 3 so our children all had a chance to have a kitten to play with. They are part of the family.
Potty training them is VERY easy IF they are kittens. I can help you. Basically, keep the litter box close and every hour or so (or if you notice them sniffing around) just put them in the litter box. As the weeks go by, you can move it farther away.
Oh, you MUST get sifting litter box liners!!! They are the BEST! It makes changing the litter box so quick and easy and you don't have to touch anything.
The hair thing isn't a big deal, yeah, it bugs me a little and I should vacuum more than I do, but I feel it's just a price I pay for the enjoyment I get from having cats. The pros outweigh the cons for me. Seriously one cat does NOT create that much of a hair problem. Three, maybe.
Also, depending on your personality and what you want from your cat, I think it makes a BIG difference whether or not you get a male or female cat. In general, males are much more affectionate and cuddly; females can be more skittish and not want to be held very much.
For example, our two male cats LOVE to be petted and sit on your lap and even let the kids pack them around no problem. But our little female, she's sweet and friendly to a point, but doesn't like to be held for more than maybe 10 seconds! She is afraid of strangers and usually hides when people come over, while our males basically climb on anyone's lap who happens to stop by. I've seen this with my mother-in-laws cats as well as all of my cats growing up. This being said, I like male cats so much better! :)
For obedience and such, a water bottle is a great tool to have around! It doesn't hurt them, but they HATE it!
Okay, so that was probably the longest blog comment I've ever written... but I think cats are great! (for the most part -- no one is perfect, right?)
and I'm still going...
Sometimes there's nothing better than curling up with a good book and a sweet furry friend on your lap purring and smiling at you. Our cats have been great company when Zeke is out of town and the kids are in bed and the house is quiet. I think they've been good for Gabe (my 13 year old son) when he doesn't want to be with people, but curls up on his bed with a cat). You can tell them anything and I swear they are listening.
They are easy to take care of, especially if you travel. We have left our cats for a week before and they've been fine. (We did have someone come every few days to check their food and water.)
Okay, Lora, I'll stop... you're welcome to come over and visit our kitties anytime.:)
In fact, Zeke was just leaning over my shoulder and he said, "Tell Lora to come take her pick!" Don't let him fool you, he loves them!