Should I get a cat? My decision … with photos!

I’ve been thinking about getting a cat. But do cats and kids really mix? In other words … am I mad?

Until recently I’ve always had a cat. Our last cat was about 15 years old when my son was born and she wasn’t impressed. When he started walking she’d look at me with a resigned look on her face that plainly said: “this was NOT how I imagined spending my twilight years”. If cats could sigh, she would have.

My first cat was also quite put out. She’d had the run of the house before I was born and the moment my mum found her napping on the bed with me she became a mostly outdoor cat. The moment I crawled through her catdoor she became a permanantly outdoor cat. She also made it to 15 years. And she also went through life with a slightly soured expression on her face. But maybe that is just how cats look …

So, now that we’ve been catless for a couple of years I’m starting to wonder if the kids would benefit from the companionship and responsibility that comes with pet ownership.

In my brain it would look like this:

Or this:

But will probably look more like this:

Or this:

And probably this:

But when they grow up they’ll be best friends, like this …

Or this (provided we move to Europe and my son learns this instrument):

But probably more like this:

I’m still undecided!

That’s the last time I use Google Image Search to make decisions!

So – what do you think? Which photo best represents life with kids and cats?