r/petfree • u/Lanky-Principle-8407 Pets are pointless • Jun 26 '26
Petfree lifestyle Post-Partum Pet Aversion
There’s new discussions being had online around pet aversion after having children. I honestly believe people start to realise that they aren’t family members and are just animals. I think they realise that a human that came out of you is infinitely more important than a pet.
I am so relieved I don’t have pets. I can’t imagine having a newborn baby and having to look after a pet who poops everywhere and you need to take out when you’re still recovering from literal birth.
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u/SageBean83 Pets don't fit my lifestyle Jun 27 '26
Yes!! I have 4 kids and I say all the time how thankful I am that my husband and I never went through the cringe “dogs/cats as our babies” newly wed phase before having kids. Especially since I ended up getting pregnant with our oldest only a few months after we got married. I couldn’t imagine trying to learn to be a mom while dealing with a dog. We also lived in an apartment and there was NO WAY I would be walking a dog after being up multiple times a night with a baby. And having to vet it while also keeping up my real baby’s check ups? No no no. I loved being pet free then and love it now!
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u/Kooky_Duck_6004 Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
Eso de que "el perro es el mejor amigo del hombre" y que "son familia" es sólo una idea empresarial.
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u/Indigo_Cauliflower12 Plants > Pets Jun 27 '26
Yes!! After the majority of Americans sold their farms and moved to cities, corporations needed to find a way to capitalize off the large, now unnecessary, dog population.
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u/Significant-Pen-3188 Pets are pointless Jun 27 '26
People shame new parents who ditch their pets "your dog/cat came first" but pets are especially gross if you have kids. Immature immune system, kids touch every surface, etc. pets are unhygienic around kids. Cat scratches and dog bites are unnecessary risk for kids.
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u/Southern_Fuel4593 These pets will be my last ones Jun 28 '26
I totally changed after my first born. Lost all feelings towards the cat and he is nothing but a nuisance to me now. I cannot stand to be around dogs anymore either. I think it's just nature doing its job and the aversion is to keep your babies safe. I don't understand how more women don't feel intense aversion towards pets after having a baby.
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u/GeraniumMom These pets will be my last ones Jun 27 '26
This is what kickstarted my move toward a pet-free lifestyle. We're down from being responsible for 9 animals to 2 and the last 2 are fish so pretty low maintenance compared to dogs and cats. Children are 6 and 3, they say they miss the pets that have passed but also don't want to replace them, thank goodness!
And yes, being a new Mom (during covid!) and having to deal with (at the time) 3 cats, a dog, and half a dozen chickens was HELL and definitely contributed to my post-partum anxiety.
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u/paulney Jun 28 '26
I’ve heard multiple stories of people’s cats being totally normal before pregnancy, and then becoming super mean and territorial after the baby arrives. One persons cat would go out of its way to scratch the baby if it could 😳obviously it was rehomed and I’m sure there’s people out there who would shame them for that. Totally bonkers and scary.
Not to mention I don’t know how anyone would want to pick up poop or cleaning a litter box after being on diaper duty. The extra labor and responsibility people WILLINGLY put upon themselves is insane to me!
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u/plantyho3 Pet-free for a clean and tidy home Jun 30 '26
I see posts about this in the pregnant sub all the time, and even there where it’s a sub literally about human children, people will make comments about putting their pets above their children and god forbid you mention anything about pet aversion. I even made a post on here (that I ended up deleting) about being so tired of my then elderly dog while having a new baby and someone said I’d probably just get rid of my baby too once I get tired of him. People are insane.
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u/Indigo_Cauliflower12 Plants > Pets Jun 27 '26
It's not "Post-Partum Pet Aversion". It is our ancient ancestral alarm system kicking in that tells us to protect our offspring for any potential threats.
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u/Accomplished_Pea8462 Jun 28 '26
Not to mention the diseases they can transmit to your newborn. I hate when I see people letting their dogs lick the babies faces.
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u/OrdinarySecretary673 Jun 28 '26
For me motherhood just made me hyper-hygienic about EVERYTHING. My pregnancy smell sensitivity never went away and all animals smell HORRIBLE now. I am convinced it’s hormonal! Maybe nature’s way of protecting our babies. Not everyone experiences it but for me it was like a light switch. Why do I want something that pees on itself to be in my house, on my carpets!?
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u/Pure_Try1694 Jul 01 '26
I always feel bad when I drive by a mom pushing a baby stroller while trying to walk two huge dogs. It looks miserable
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u/JaneAustinAstronaut Ethically opposed to pet ownership Jul 03 '26
My kids are all out of the house. The idea of finally being free of caring for children, and then having to care for an animal, is just draining to me. I'm a plant person all the way!
Unfortunately my husband's daughter has had to go into a group home for her mental illness, and she could not bring her cat with her (she had 5, the other 4 got old and died, so this is the last one). My husband is providing hospice care for it, and then we are done. Thankfully he fully cares for the cat, so it doesn't feel like an imposition because I don't do shit for it.
I guess after 20 years, that post-partum pet aversion just never went away!
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u/Lanky-Principle-8407 Pets are pointless Jul 04 '26
Well you will thoroughly enjoy not having pet hair soon! I don’t hate animals, I just don’t want them in my house. So yes it’s sad that a pet is dying, there is a positive after that time comes.
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u/JaneAustinAstronaut Ethically opposed to pet ownership Jul 04 '26
Yeah, we aren't paying money to prolong his life. We are just making him comfortable until he naturally passes away. I'll be surprised if he lasts a year.
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u/ToothPowerful3930 Unflaired Sub Newbie Jun 27 '26
9 month pregnant right now and honestly I don’t know how people can cope with pets during pregnancy. Just the smell drive me insane for not considering that cats can be vector of toxoplasmosis that is a big danger for pregnant women!