I see it on my Freecycle list constantly. The post goes something like this:

OFFER: Sweet cat to good home

We just had a new baby and we can’t keep our cat! She’s very sweet. Please give her a loving home or we will have to take her to the shelter.

I’m sure animal shelter workers see this constantly as well. It breaks my heart because there is really no need to give away your cat just because you have a new baby. There are many myths surrounding cats and babies that are still perpetuated to this day.

When my youngest son was born, a well intentioned older lady I knew said, "I bet you’re going to get rid of all those cats you have now, right?" ("All those cats" being the 2 cats I’ve had for the past 9 years. Yeah, I’m just crawling with cats.) I told her I had no intention of rehoming my cats. She looked shocked and said, "Aren’t you afraid your cats will steal your baby’s breath while he sleeps?"

Yes, there are people in 2008 that actually believe cats will steal a baby’s breath. And while I doubt that most of the cats that are being given away because of a new baby are being given away by owners who believe that tripe, there is a grain of that in what these owners believe.

Many people think the cat will be jealous of the new baby. It’s possible. However, why wouldn’t you wait until the baby is actually there to see if the cat is actually jealous or not? And if the cat is jealous, why not try to work with your cat instead of giving him to strangers?

I was lucky with my cats- they didn’t like my babies at all and hid from them whenever they saw them around. Now that my babies have grown up to be full fledged kids, my cats tolerate my rambunctious kid and they love my sweet kid. My oldest son was 5 when we got the kitties, so they’ve grown up with him.

Give your cat a chance- don’t give it away just because you’re having a baby!

Photo: Etolane on Flickr