Pets After Kids: A Confession

I had a multitude of pets when I was a kid. First there was the guinea pig, a benign fellow who spent his days shuffling around his cage and squeaking softly. Then came a black and white cat who scowled during every enthusiastic hug and kiss I gave her (and I gave her many). There were bunnies and birds, too (neither of which I would recommend, by the way), and the occasional wayward beta fish.

Side note about the bunnies – My sister and I each got to pick out a bunny, and the two shared a cage. We’d been told they were both males, but that was later proven false. Did you know mother bunnies sometimes eat their young? Well you do now. And trust me when I say you’re better off learning it here than the tragic way I found out about this phenomenon.

Anyway. These days, my vacuum primarily sucks up two things: Cheerios that fell of the baby’s plate and the tufted hair of two spoiled felines by the names of Bella and Graysen.

Before our kids came along, my husband and I bought our cats expensive food, had the time to brush their fur lovingly, and the patience to indulge their every request for cuddles. They were our pride and joy. It’s not like we ever threw birthday parties for them or anything, partly because they’re both rescues so we literally don’t know which day they were born, and partly because we’re not nuts. But we generally doted on them daily.

But meow? Meow we ain’t got time for any of that.

Between baking microwaving chicken nuggets, doing laundry, and picking up toys, the cats are lucky if I acknowledge their presence most days. In my defense, they aren’t around all the time anymore. They’re wise enough to make themselves scarce while the kids are on the loose, not willing to roll the dice and find out whether the 3-year old has finally learned to be gentle. He hasn’t, in case you were wondering.

I have friends who still give their cats and dogs loads of attention despite having kids, and I don’t know how they do it. They dress their pets up for Halloween (which I’m sure those animals just love) and post pictures of them on social media. But I just don’t have the bandwidth for that.

Let me know in the comments where you stand on this. I can’t be the only half-assed pet parent, right?!