Cat Issues

I love having pets. I have always had animals in my life and feel that Aby should grow up with them in her life as well, despite the cries of 'oh, she'll get allergies' or that it's not right to have pets around children her age.

We currently have 2 pets, down considerably from the 4 we had before we got pregnant. Before I got pregnant, it was the 2 cats that moved with me into the apartment with my sister and I (we did have the 3rd one but she 'decided' to move in with my parents), a brother and sister pair. I had owned Oscar, a long-haired black male, and Martini, an orange tabby short-haired female, since they were both born. I wanted to keep them together when we moved into our own places as that was the way it had been all their lives. Around that same time, we ended up with a Panda hamster that was pregnant (oh, the irony, eh?) when we got her and we ened up keeping one of those babies. Since then, the baby ended up passing away and we gave the mom hamster to a family that had adopted 2 of her babies already.

But having a baby really makes you be realistic. Oscar was given away nearly 5 months ago, sent to the Ontario SPCA here in town. He was a big, lovable boy and it really did break my heart to send him away but it was obvious with him- he didn't like having to share the attention with Aby. We had known this when I found out I was pregnant and knew that we may have to make that awful, tough decision of letting him go to another family. He was VERY affectionate for a cat and loved to spend his time soaking up the spotlight on someone's lap. He was also very jealous and, when Aby came home for the first time, we started to see just how bad the situation would be with him. He would hide the whole day, coming out to go outside for a moment and then retreating to his spot that he found under one of the couches we owned that the time. Only time he would even 'ask' for his attention was when he knew that the baby was out for the night and in her room. We found him, numerous times, in the crib and it wasn't because he was fond of Aby and, as much as I don't believe cats will willingly suffocate a baby, I didn't want to put that theory to the test. By the time we sent him away, he had never lifted a paw towards Aby in any way but that was back when she was a mere infant and not crawling and exploring the world with her hands. But I knew it could happen with him...

So now we have narrowed our pet population down to the one cat and recently (as crazy as we are) to a puppy. Martini was never that close to her brother and has done well since he left, though that is more due to the fact that Martini was never a really affectionate cat anyways. She is perfectly happy living her life-eating, pooping, sleeping, occaisonally mixing it up...ya know, that true cat's life. Juno, our 5 month old Daschund puppy, is doing well as well, though that may be another post some other day, haha.

Today I've noticed that I may be making a tough decision on Martini. Aby was playing with her, leaning forward to pet her and resting on hand that would be on Martini's ribs. Normally, if something with Aby bothers her, she gets up and leaves- hense why we decided to hold onto her when we could have just as easily sent her with Oscar. But this time, she felt it nessasary to 'cuff' Aby on the top of her head with a paw a couple of times. Nothing vicious or with the claws extended but the fact is that she felt the need to do it. I know that she deals with a high-energy, rambunctious, sometimes stupid Weinie dog and that may have brought out this more aggressive side but I have to think now- do I keep her and find out she is going to hurt my baby or just decide that it's better to let her find a new home...

I don't like the second choice, as it makes me sound like I am just giving up on my cat. Martini is 5 yrs old and I don't want to have spent all that time, energy, emotion and money on her just to have given her up in the long run. I am going to talk to Charles and see what he has to say about it but the thought will be floating around in my head...