Kitten or Puppy?

[quaver]

We have just bought a new house and my husband is really wanting a puppy or a kitten. I love animals dogs and cats the same. I have a 5 month old baby so at the moment with moving house i think i have enough to cope with! I have put him off till christmas ( he had such a sad face) but I was thinking of surprising him in november for his birthday. :goodvibes:
Anyway my questions are this-which do you think i should get?
Here are my thoughts
Kitten- I am worried about the saftey with a bub- DS will be almost 1 by then but I am also thinking about number2. I have heard of cats loving cots and smothering babies. I dont really want to be on edge all the time. but then again i am thinking with a 1 year old it would be ok? Thinking of getting just a marmalade moggie. outside during the day and in at night. not fond of cleaning a litter tray.
Puppy- It is a medium sized yard- but we would want a boarder collie. I feel i clean up enough poop already! Walking it a lot /training/coping with barking dog.
:confused:

[JesLiz]

kitten cats are the best pets

[neuralblokk]

i say puppy. cats can scratch little faces

[quaver]

jesliz- why do you say cats?

good point on the scratching - thanks:thumbsup:

[duckie]

It depends on how much work you want to do, Quaver. I like both cats and dogs, but, I personally think that cats are easier to look after. I have been warned that when we have a baby that I will have to watch the cat around the baby but I have heard of people having screen doors on baby's room to stop the cat from entering. The other thing I have been told is that you aren't able to touch cat's kitty litter tray, however, isn't this a good excuse for DH to do it? :laughing:

[onemummmy]

i say puppy. cats can scratch little faces

Well in that case I say kitten, dogs can maul people/children cats do not. Personally I wouldnt have a pet til the child is at an age where they understand not to hurt the animal etc. I would love a cat:yes: but not til my daughter is at least 8

[onemummmy]

boarder collies take the longest time to 'grow up' about 3 years. They also need LOTS of excersise & I really dont think they should be suburban pets at all, only farms/acreages etc. Just for their happiness, they are a working dog. You will still have to clean poop no matter what pet lol

[duckie]

Well in that case I say kitten, dogs can maul people/children cats do not. Personally I wouldnt have a pet til the child is at an age where they understand not to hurt the animal etc. I would love a cat:yes: but not til my daughter is at least 8

Oh, no! My friends have had dogs and cats for years before their kids came along - they have just taught their kids from an early age to be gentle with their pets.

[onemummmy]

Oh, no! My friends have had dogs and cats for years before their kids came along - they have just taught their kids from an early age to be gentle with their pets.

thats all well and good but at the end of the day they are still animals & I have seen way too many sever injuries/deaths from dog attacks etc to even contemplate having a pet til she is older. Im sure the owners of these animals taught their kids to be gentle too, but I couldnt risk it:no: Im a worry wart.

[quaver]

I am a worry wart too.
having a screen door on the babies room is a good idea:idea:-still would worry.
I agree about the boarder collies onemummy. But my husband and i met because of my boarder collie. He had one growing up too and we both lived on 5 achre blocks:valentine: That is how we started talking, so we would not have any other type of dog.
I would never like to leave even the safest animal alone with a kid. I agree.
Mum and dad had a kitten when i was 3. So my brother was a newborn by the time it was a cat.

[A Party of Five]

I say a cute kitten as dogs are to much work and also if you are going to have more kidlets do you really want the extra work of walking a dog daily!

[trouble]

I dont think it matters if you get a cat or a dog, in the end they are really the same amount of work, picking up poop/kitty litters, feeding, playing, and so on.

I would normally say dog, because I love dogs a little more than cats,

All my dogs are great with kids, so gentle and patient, we had one before kids, and the rest after our first kid, they are great, but they are not an active breed like a border collie, and I have more than one dog, and dont think I would have time for one boder collie. but that is just me,

Then we have two cats, one we had years before any kids came along, and it dont matter how gentle or nice our kids are, she dont want nothing to do with them, and aoids them at all costs, I got given a little kitten when my DD1 was 9 months old, and this cat is now 3years old, and is best friends with my girls, she takes everything from dress ups to tearing around the house with them to sitting on the couch together watching tv. a big difference, as she has only ever know a life with kids.

I use to worry about cats and cots, but our cats only get on my bed, they have never attempted to get into bed with our kids, as much as one loes them, she likes a quiet break sometimes.

Hope that helps:)

[eeyorethedonkey21]

:iagree: with trouble. it doesnt matter whether u choose a catty or woofah still the same amount of work and financially its still gonna cost u either way for food whichever pet u choose.

my cats are the same as yours trouble. i have one who was the original catty and she's a real princess type. doesnt really like my boy james and avoids him at all costs. whereas jerry our boy cat is james' best mate. follows him all over the house and keeps him company. he's an older cat (i think he's about 9 years old this year). couldnt find fault with him at all. so easy going and patient. i swear he's the best babysitter.

[Milliner]

I say puppy because I can't stand cats. DP has a cat and I really hate having it around, I am a real dog person. I think it's personal prefrence really.