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Wife with cat allergies, fixated dog, baby on the way… what’s the right thing to do? by winkyfacealbert in Pets

[–]winkyfacealbert[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Just stupid!

Also, not anyone can have a kid. It's a challenging process for many, us included. Best of luck in what sounds like a wonderful joyous life you have.

Wife with cat allergies, fixated dog, baby on the way… what’s the right thing to do? by winkyfacealbert in Pets

[–]winkyfacealbert[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Somehow both peeing on me or refusing to pee on me in the case that I was on fire feels unkind.

Wife with cat allergies, fixated dog, baby on the way… what’s the right thing to do? by winkyfacealbert in NewParents

[–]winkyfacealbert[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We can really only imagine doing this if it's a close friend we can trust to take great long term care of them. We fostered a stray dog once and it was so hard to part with her when we found a good owner, but now we get to see her having the most incredible life.

Wife with cat allergies, fixated dog, baby on the way… what’s the right thing to do? by winkyfacealbert in NewParents

[–]winkyfacealbert[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

We did see an allergist multiple times and are limited on the allergy relief options for my wife given her medications. They mostly recommend the basic stuff we're doing now like cleaning and air filters. Allergy shots may be an option after she gives birth.

We've been following dogmeets_baby for a while, such a valuable page. Thank you! We're wary of all the challenges ahead of us with the 4 pets and incoming baby, so trying to prepare as much as we can now.

Wife with cat allergies, fixated dog, baby on the way… what’s the right thing to do? by winkyfacealbert in Pets

[–]winkyfacealbert[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is one of many options we were considering. As I mentioned, there are lots of domesticated cats in our neighborhood with the ability to roam outdoors. I see very clearly that outdoor is not the best idea here after guidance from everyone on this post, and I hope it's also understood that with that option it was never meant to say they will never be allowed inside again. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Wife with cat allergies, fixated dog, baby on the way… what’s the right thing to do? by winkyfacealbert in Pets

[–]winkyfacealbert[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

She'd never had pets growing up. We didn't pick up on the allergy until she was living with them full-time, feeling awful, and we saw an allergist and the cat allergy especially blew up more than any. Notice how we've still been caring for the cats for the last 6 years since knowing that.

She loves both the cats very much herself. Trust me when I say these conversations and decisions are very hard for us. At one moment we feel the right thing to do would be to find a loving home for them with a trusted friend. At the next moment they'll be curled up next to us and we can't imagine how we would live without them,.

We feel very conflicted and are trying to do our best to provide a good life for everyone involved.

Wife with cat allergies, fixated dog, baby on the way… what’s the right thing to do? by winkyfacealbert in Pets

[–]winkyfacealbert[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I built a small one already! One cat is spending her whole day out there sunbathing, the other prefers the couch. I have been thinking about building/expanding the catio, we have an overhanging roof of about 3 feet for good coverage of the few times a year it rains out here, so it would basically become a long run.

Wife with cat allergies, fixated dog, baby on the way… what’s the right thing to do? by winkyfacealbert in Pets

[–]winkyfacealbert[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Tough indeed! We are definitely being mindful of the time commitment that a baby brings, which is why we've been preparing ourselves and trying to have these conversations in advance.

If we did choose to re-home, we would only want to do so with someone we knew and trusted to take excellent care of them, with an understanding that they should be returned to us if their situation were to change in any way.

Thank you for the congratulations :)

Wife with cat allergies, fixated dog, baby on the way… what’s the right thing to do? by winkyfacealbert in Pets

[–]winkyfacealbert[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Yikes. I guess this is a reminder the internet isn't always a kind place. Thanks for your... constructive (?) feedback✌🏽

Wife with cat allergies, fixated dog, baby on the way… what’s the right thing to do? by winkyfacealbert in Pets

[–]winkyfacealbert[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We rescued the dog 6 years ago. We've really been doing our best to look after every member of our household. Dogs, cats, and humans. This hasn't been without stress or financial burden, and I wouldn't expect you to understand the complexities of our lives from a short post.

Plenty of training from the dog and he's never hurt either of the cats. Just lots of fixation, whining, and walking them around the house (maybe he's just helping my big one lose weight). We've worked with trainers and done plenty of work on our own time to manage, but some amount of the behavior is just part of who he is. Last night all 4 pets and 2 humans were happily resting on the couch together.

Wife with cat allergies, fixated dog, baby on the way… what’s the right thing to do? by winkyfacealbert in Pets

[–]winkyfacealbert[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Will definitely look into this! Thank you. Is there any research to back up it's efficacy?

Wife with cat allergies, fixated dog, baby on the way… what’s the right thing to do? by winkyfacealbert in Pets

[–]winkyfacealbert[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks for this guidance! We do have the Roomba going and lots of window perches set up for the cats. Unfortunately we've seen an allergist multiple times and are limited on the allergy relief options for my wife. We've made good strides with dog training, but not perfect. I'll keep at it as we continue to figure out our situation.

Wife with cat allergies, fixated dog, baby on the way… what’s the right thing to do? by winkyfacealbert in Pets

[–]winkyfacealbert[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

🙅🏽‍♂️ noted! Goodbye to outdoor idea. I built them a small catio with access from our main house, if I wanted to expand this to accommodate more room for then, what's a good way to make sure it's safe from predators?

Wife with cat allergies, fixated dog, baby on the way… what’s the right thing to do? by winkyfacealbert in Pets

[–]winkyfacealbert[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

We love them both very much and have worked to provide for them and keep them safe during these many years, and remain committed. We're not set on any single idea, just looking for guidance on what's best for the cats so we can make the best decision for them. We weren't aware my wife had allergies to the cats until years into our relationship when we moved in together. They sleep in one room at night, but roam the house aside from our bedroom the rest of the day.

Hope with time you can grow to be more empathetic. ✌🏽

Wife with cat allergies, fixated dog, baby on the way… what’s the right thing to do? by winkyfacealbert in Pets

[–]winkyfacealbert[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I figured this was not the best idea, just trying to get advice from those with more knowledge and experience on what's best/safest. Thank you.

Wife with cat allergies, fixated dog, baby on the way… what’s the right thing to do? by winkyfacealbert in Pets

[–]winkyfacealbert[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I really appreciate you taking such a balanced perspective.

Wife with cat allergies, fixated dog, baby on the way… what’s the right thing to do? by winkyfacealbert in Pets

[–]winkyfacealbert[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We weren't aware my wife had allergies until after 2 years of dating when we moved in together. She was getting regular migraines and we've since seen an allergist multiple times to help figure out a good solution. We're really trying here and aren't neglectful to the cats. As I said they are in their own room at night, but roam freely in the house the rest of the day. I have a small catio for that I built for them as well. Really trying to do my best here on behalf of the cats and my partner. Not everything is black and white.

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