Do you let the cat sleep in your DC's room?

[luza]

We adopted a kitten from a shelter. He was a street kitten and we are still dealing with curing his ringworm, getting his vaccinations up to date, and deworming him (no visible signs of worms, but I've been told to assume a 3 month old kitten has worms and will need several doses to be rid of them). He is a real sweetheart who loves to cuddle and DD is dying to have him sleep in her room. I've said no because of the ringworm (we all wash hands after handling him), but I'm not sure that I want him sleeping on beds even once the ringworm is gone. DD has had some pollution related asthma in the past, and I worry that a bedroom full of cat fur will aggravate it (although so far she shows no signs of a cat allergy). Am I wrong? What do you cat owners do?

[billysmommy]

We keep the door to our 2nd floor (bedrooms and bathroom) closed so our kitty can't go up there. DH and I don't like him on the beds.

[catpagmo]

IMHO I would not let the cat sleep in there. They have so much dander, and they walk in their litter box, etc.... Don't get me wrong, I like cats (we have one), but I wouldn't do it.

My mom let our cat sleep in my brother's room as a kid, and now he has major health issues, had to have a lung removed (he's not/never has been a smoker), etc... I have no idea if it's related to the cat (it probably isn't) but none of his Dr.'s know what caused it, either. I've always wondered if it was the cat.....

[mommylamb]

Our cats sleep with us. No lung problems here. They don't sleep with DS yet, but he's still in a crib. I don't think I'll have any problem with them sleeping with him later on. He doesn't have cat allergies. Seriously, the fur/dander would be all over the house, so in bed or not, I imagine if you have allergies you would be impacted.

That said, personally, having cats has helped my allergies. I grew up with cats and never had allergies. Then I went away to college and suddenly when I came home I was allergic to my parents cats, and I also suddenly had seasonal allergies. After I graduated, my roommate and I really wanted to get cats, so I decided I would just deal with it and get shots if necessary. After about two weeks of having our own cats, my allergies totally went away. Not only that, but I don't have seasonal allergies either. It's like my body builds up a tolerance for them. So, now I think having cats helps my health :wink2:. DH and I got cats a couple years after we got married. I love my kitties. I do wish that they didn't take up so much of my bed, but if I close them out of the room, they cry outside the door and scratch the carpet.

[Workathomedad]

I think it is terrific and healthy for children to be around all kinds animals, in particular cats and small dogs. Our 2 year old has been exposed to 3 cats and a dog since his third day of life. They play together, sleep together and have an amazing bond of companionship. Being aware of the animals and their needs, from a very early age, has helped our son learn responsibility and compassion. We don't constrain the animals to any area of the house.

[elektra]

Our cat sleeps on our bed. We leave DD's door open sometimes so it's possible the cat could get in there now but she prefers our bed. Maybe we are just gross, but our cat and dogs are allowed up on our beds.

[kransden]

NO!!! My cat is a thief!!!!! LOL :D
The cats sleep with us, but one cat steals all of dd's little toys - barbie shoes, hair clips, small stuffed animals, basically anything he can get his furry little paws on. There is nothing quite like the sight of a Polly Pocket shoe in the litter box to remind me to keep the door shut to her room. :) That said, he is a wonderful cat and dd lovess him a lot, but she wants her stuff "clean". My other cats never did this though, but they are much older.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Yes, I'd be ok with it but our kitty never had any inclination to do it. :) She did sleep with me.

Beth

[luza]

Maybe we are just gross, but our cat and dogs are allowed up on our beds.
Its funny, but the idea of a dog in her bed doesn't affect me the same way as the idea of a cat. I grew up with dogs on the bed and even under the covers, but we didn't get cats until I was older and they weren't really bed cats so I'm not that used to the idea. Or maybe it is because this kitten really likes to snuggle on shoulders and chests, and the dogs were just bed hogs who took whatever space they could get (as 80+ pound labs and golden retrievers are prone to do).

[caleymama]

Yes, all three of our cats go onto our beds. On any given day, both DDs beds will have cats snoozing on them during the day. One cat in particular knows when it's bedtime and hangs out while we read stories and then hops right up with DD1 and goes to sleep. It's the funniest thing.

ETA: None of us has issues with asthma or allergies and both DH and I grew up with cats in our homes, so having them around is our "normal." I can easily see how it's outside someone's comfort zone, though. Also, to the OP, I would definitely be more hesitant with your kitten b/c of the issues you mention. Once those are cleared up I would have no problems.

[michellerw]

DH and I sleep with all three of our cats. We'll keep the cats out of the baby's room until she's a toddler or older, primarily because of allergies, but I have no concerns about health. All of our cats are indoor cats, go to the vet regularly, etc. And they're all lovecats and loooooove to snuggle.

[wellyes]

Our cat doesn't go into our bed but I do let him snuggle up on the couch with us (and DD). Once the ringworm is cleared up I think it'd be fine to have him sleep with your DD.

In theory, I can see regarding it as gross. But in practice, we need to be exposed to all kinds of stuff to be healthy!

Many many many kids all over sleep with their kitties, it's a personal preference & not a safety issue --- unless, of course, allergies or asthma are involved.

[dotgirl]

We make DD and DS sleep with their doors closed (fire safety), so the cat doesn't sleep with them. However, he will often go up when DS goes to bed, and sleep on his bed until DH & I do our "check on DS before bed" routine, when he comes out.

DS would *love* if we let the cat sleep all night, but I'm adament about the closed door thing, so that just won't work.

[Fairy]

When they want to, yeah ... :sulkoff:

[vludmilla]

Nope. I don't even really want the cats sleeping in my room (but they do). I basically trust them but I get skeeved by them walking on pillows with their possibly unclean paws.

[mom_hanna]

I grew up with cats sleeping with me, and now, our two cats and big black lab all sleep on some combination of our beds during the night. We have no restrictions on where they can go - the dog just isn't allowed on the couch because he cleans his paws there and leaves big wet spots. That sounds really gross, I know. My ds has both cat and dog allergies and asthma, but the pets don't seem to aggravate the asthma at all.

[pb&j]

Before our cats got old and senile, they used to sleep with us. I wouldn't mind if our remaining cat slept w/DS, except that he sleeps with his door shut, and I'm not sure he'd wake up and be able to open his door to let the cat out in the middle of the night if he had to. It would certainly make the cat happy - if we leave DS's door open, we are certain to find him napping on DS's bed during the day.

But, I would definitely make sure all worms/fleas/diseases are completely treated and that your DD's asthma isn't triggered by cat dander before allowing it. It can sometimes take a couple of months of having the cat in the house before the dander accumulates enough to trigger allergies.

[luza]

Thanks everyone. I guess I'll just keep battling the ringworm, watching for signs of allergies in DD, and see how it goes from there. At the rate we are going we will probably have had the kitten for two months before we clear up all the little guy's health issues, poor thing.