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 Ask Dr. Jana
Kiddies & Kitties | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Jana,
Do you know if the stress of raising cats is the same as raising children?
— Kendra in Tulsa, OK | | | ANSWER |
November 1, 2000 | | | Dear Kendra,
Well, I grew up with three cats and I now have three kids under the age of three, so I guess I have some basis for answering your question!
Seems to me that there are a lot of similarities: Cats don't pay much attention to directions. They usually want to eat the same food every day. They often end up in your bed in the middle of the night, and you would be hard-pressed to avoid pee on the carpet from time to time. (In fact, while I'm told that cats can easily be toilet trained, our family actually tried it. All we ended up with was a lot of kitty litter in the toilet and a cat who ran off with the entire bag of catnip we were using as an incentive!)
That said, I think that you offered your question tongue in cheek and that you know quite well that raising wonderful, healthy children is a bit trickier a proposition than raising wonderful, healthy cats. And keep in mind that, in both cases, not everything about bringing up baby (or kitty) is stressful. At the end of the day, nothing warms your heart more than when they curl up in your lap and offer the unconditional love that only such sweet, innocent creatures can provide.
— by Laura Jana, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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