How can I persuade my hubby to let my daughter have a kitten.?

Question

She has been asking for two years and he alwasy says no. He never had pets when he was a kid, they smell, people who have cats have smelly clothes etc etc. They will scratch the furniture, chew things. He is just so against it.
I am a very clean person and my house just would not smell because I keep it clean all the time. I have looked after a friends dog and the house was spotless then so proved to him that it wont make a difference. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Tell him to stop just thinking about what he wants!!!

If he only wanted to consider his own feelings he should have stayed single!!!

Being part of a family means giving & taking and making the ones you love happy, explain to him how much your Daughter would love a kitten and how you could all play a part in caring for it.
It would also do him no harm in reminding him that you are also an adult therefor do not need his permission (in other words stand up to him and do what you think is right)

Good luck xx

Answer 2

Cats in the main are clean and tidy and they do their business in other peoples gardens. They can also be affectionate and very good company. Your husband needs none of these things because he has his work, his daughter and you. He probably has other hobbies or interests as well.
Suggest you assure him that under no circumstances will he have any responsibility for this pet. No clearing up, no getting him in at night, no additional expense for food or vet bills and then you might get a grudging yes. Remember though, you must stick to your promises or he will go off the pet and you very quickly. You never know but it is often the case that the one person most against a pet becomes the biggest fan.

Answer 3

How old is your daughter? Is she old enough/responsible enough to look after a kitten, at the end of the day yes there will be accidents around the house and the do scratch! Also do you really need to buy a kitten when there are so many house trained cats looking for homes that have been abandoned?

Dont just go out and get one, that will just cause more arguments, if your husband is so set against it you may never be able to change his mind.

Answer 4

my son who is five wanted one, and my hubby always said no.
it didnt matter what i said.
one night a 5 week old kitten turned up at 3am meewing away.
it was so cute he couldnt resist it and he loves it more than any of us - now it gets on MY nerves lol.
i am pregnant and cant change the litter tray - woohoo, but i have to admit it does smell a little, but after a couple of months you can let them out, plus you can get odorless kitty litty now anyway, i have not tried it yet.
best thing for u to do is to get a kitten, bring it home in the car and say - look these people were going to drown it - or this kitten was wandering in the middle of nowhere and almost got hit by 3 cars, i had to save it, or some pale white lie.
cats are not smelly in themselves, their poo sure does stink, but they are extremely clean and their fur has no odor.
my new kitten does scratch the furniture though

Answer 5

1. Cats don't smell, unless you don't clean the litterbox often enough or unless they are not neutered.
2. You can teach them not to scratch anything. I have 3 cats and not even one scratch in my house. You grab them and say No when they try to scratch, and put them on a straw rug. You also trim their nails every 2 weeks.
3. You are an adult who has the right to decide to have cats. If you want the cat, I don't see why your husband should decide what will happen and not you. My husband didn't really want pets, and as I said I have 3 cats. But it was take it or leave it for him! he now adores them, actually he was the one who decided to keep the 3rd cat!

Answer 6

Cats do not smell - ever, they are not like dogs, even if you put your nose right into their fur they still don't have a smell (unlike dogs). People who have cats do not have smelly clothes (which planet did you say he came from?). It is likely, especially if you get a kitten, that a new cat will scratch things. Maybe you could get one a little older who had grown out of such things.

Answer 7

I always said no to my wife for over 5 years. In the end she just went ahead and brought one anyway and I found her when I got back from work one day.

Once I saw the kitten I just couldn't say get rid of it, it was so cute.

Because I'd never had a kitten before I just thought I wouldn't like it. But now I wished I had one 5 years ago!!!

My advice is: Just go out and buy a really nice cute one, he'll love it.

Good luck!!!

Answer 8

When I was little and my mom wanted us to have pets and my dad said no, she brought them home while he was at work. :-) He never made us take them back, either.

Perhaps you could try adopting a young but partially grown cat (kittens are very needy and destructive to force on someone who is already against it) and tell your husband you're just baby sitting that one, too. Then just never mention when it's leaving again. When he finally gets around to asking, you can admit that it's your cat now, but point out that the house and clothing has not suffered at all since the cat showed up. :-)

Answer 9

i have had cats and dogs for years and my house never smelt at all.if you train the cat to go outside your house will not smell.if you have a flat then i agree with your hubby no matter how clean your house is it will smell,you wont smell it but people coming in will anyway a flat is not good for cats.

Answer 10

Cats are very clean animals! They do not roll in fox poo, or need bathing because they wash themselves - they do not even like going to the toilet in a dirty litter tray. My hubby hated cats, now we have three and he wouldn't be without them. They are easier to look after than dogs as they are more independent.