I need some help, please. I have 2 beautiful cats and have had them for about 18 months now. My 2 children enjoy them (3.9yrs & 7mths) as do I, but my husband most definitely does not. We've just come back home after being away for 1 month (cats were in a cattery) and my husband has found nothing nice to say about them since our return, in fact it's been the opposite.

Everything they do seems to annoy him: their meowing (which he likens to whinging), being under his feet, jumping on the benches, trying to snuggle him too close up to his face (he doesn't mind them on his lap). He's trying to fix something in the house today and a cat was wandering around his feet - DH said he'll probably die by tripping over a cat.*
He can't stand it when they spew up on the carpet or if he finds something they've pilfered from a plate.*

He's decided he's not going to deal with any of that (spew, poo, mess) - which leaves it all up to me. Its quite isolating as I've grown up with a dad and mum that both loved our animals and shared the load.

I think my cats are lovely, some things they do ARE annoying at times, but I've grown up with many animals and am more tolerant of their behaviours.

My husband's attitude is dampening my enjoyment of pet ownership. I find myself trying to shut the cats away so they're not around him, or quickly tidying up their mess before he can see it, so it doesn't give him another reason to not like them.*

As sad as it may be, I'm looking at 15+ years of cat life here, and I'm beginning to wonder is it worth it if I have an unhappy, grumbly husband for that whole period? I know, because he's said so, that if he'd known what was truly involved, he wouldn't have agreed to get the cats. His mum had 2 cats as he was growing up, but he can't remember them being this annoying.

We paid a lot of money for these cats (they're pedigree) and they're fantastic with the children, so DH thinks we should at least get our money's worth, and he was on board at the time, but I must say, what life it is for a cat that has to stay hidden away when dad's around? Or the eggshell feeling I get when they are around him?

Admittedly he has been home with them all week and he goes back to work next week, but his attitude is still the same - and there are evenings and weekends to contend with....

Has anyone had a similar situation? What did you do? What advice or suggestions could you give me? Thanks