| Paw Colors | Points |
|---|---|
| Grey | 0-49 |
| Red | 50-149 |
| Orange | 150-299 |
| Green | 300-599 |
| Magenta | 600-1499 |
| Purple | 1500-4999 |
| Blue | 5000-9999 |
| Brown | 10000-24999 |
| Black | 25000+ |
We’re an expanding family and have an older cat. Now with a new baby we’re concerned that the cat will be aggressive. How can we make sure it’s a smooth transition?
Keywords: baby, behavior, cat, newborn
Answers to this question
5 Answers
3
When our daughter was born, we had 6 cats. Our cats were wonderful with her from the minute she came home from the hospital. We didn’t have to “teach” them. A couple of them were actually afraid of her and kept their distance for several weeks.
There is a lot of incorrect information & many old wives tales surrounding the topic of cats & newborn babies. Shelters are often asked to take in the family cat because a new baby has arrived & the parents worry about the risk the cat poses to the child.
People still believe the old wives tales about babies being smothered by cats. From research I did on the internet I found out that this is in fact totally untrue. There are cases of parents accidentally smothering their baby, but there are no reported cases of cats doing this (either on purpose or by accident).
However, it is wise to take some precautions. You can purchase a net to put over the crib so the cat can’t sleep with the baby. Another good suggestion is to replace the door to the baby’s nursery with a screen door. This enables the cat to see & smell the baby & not feel entirely left out, but it can’t get into the bedroom.
Another urban legend is that cat’s suck the baby’s breath. Again, untrue. If a cat is found close to the baby’s head it’s more likely due to the cat seeking some warmth. If the above suggestions are followed, this won’t happen.
Ensure your cat is regularly de-flead & de-wormed. Make sure the products you use on your cat are safe to use around the baby. If you are worried about your cat scratching your baby, (which is highly unlikely), you can either regularly trim your cat’s claws (see trimming cat’s claws), or use Soft Paws, which are plastic caps you glue over your cat’s claws.
Cats & humans have lived together for thousands of years but it is important to remember that they are still animals & their behavior cannot be predicted with 100% accuracy. A cat should never be permitted into the same room a baby/young child is sleeping & proper safety precautions should be taken to ensure the cat doesn’t have access to the baby’s room.
If proper safety precautions are taken to ensure your cat & baby/young child are only together under adult supervision your cat & child will be able to quite happily cohabit together & hopefully once the child grows older will form a long & lasting bond.
Preparing your cat:
Preparing your cat in advance is recommended.
Firstly, if your cat isn’t up to date on it’s medications, flea & worming treatment then make sure this is done prior to your baby coming home. Also take your cat to the veterinarian for a health check.
Trim your cat’s claws before the baby arrives.
If possible, obtain a recording of a baby crying to play in your home.
Many parents slowly set up the baby’s arrival before it is born. Allow your cat to become familiar with the baby’s items. Let it become used to smells such as baby powder & wipes. While I think it’s a great idea to let your cat become familiar with the baby’s furniture, I wouldn’t recommend allowing the cat to jump in or sleep in the crib, as it will lead to confusion once the baby arrives & the cat is no longer permitted to do this.
Before you bring your baby home from the hospital, send home a blanket that your baby has been wrapped in, so your cat can become familiar with the baby’s smell in advance. When the cat sniffs it, give it lots of praise.
If you are concerned that your cat may be upset by the new addition, you could try using some Feliway diffusers around the house. They are synthetic pheromones which have a calming effect on your cat.
The homecoming:
Keep the same routine for your cat. They are creatures of habit.
When you are with your baby, talk to your cat. Make sure that the cat has positive associations with the baby.
Let the cat become familiar with the baby in it’s own time, don’t rush the introduction. We found our cats showed mild curiosity by coming up & sniffing the new baby in our arms, but that was the extent of it. Naturally, only permit your cat to come near the baby when you are around to supervise.
Set aside time during the day just for your cat, so he still feels included in your life. This time may be spent grooming him, stoking him, playing with him, walking him on a leash or some other activity your cat enjoys doing with you.
It will be some time before your baby is mobile, but it’s always an idea to think ahead of time. Place food bowls & litter trays in an area your crawler can’t access. Also, provide your cat with a place to escape to if need be. We have a large scratching post for our cats which our children can’t climb. We also have two gated areas which the cats can hop over but the children can’t.
Ensure that when your baby is sleeping, your cat doesn’t have access to her. You can either put her in her own room & close the door, put her in her own room, replacing the door with a screen door, so the cat can see but can’t actually get into the room, or you can buy a crib net to keep the cat out.
If your cat is having problems adjusting to the new baby it is worth talking to your vet, who should either be able to assist, or put you onto a feline behaviourist.
Summary:
Babies & cats are perfectly compatible to share a house together. All too often, well meaning but poorly informed people will expect you to rehome the cat once a baby is on the way out of fear the cat will harm the child, or spread disease. While this can happen, it is extremely uncommon, your baby would in all likelihood be more vulnerable to catching a disease from a human than a cat. With forward planning & proper supervision your baby can be safe & your cat remain a part of your family. There is nothing sweeter than watching a toddler & the family pet playing together. I know our daughter gets immense pleasure from our cats, and she has already become a firm animal lover, which is a nice trait to have.
Remember that your cat was once the baby of the family & received lots of love & attention, just because there is a new baby in the house shouldn’t mean that the cat is pushed aside.
Source Link: http://www.cat-world.com.au/IntroduceBabyToCat.htm
2
I’m going to be having a daughter in the next 3 weeks so I’m with you. My cats have been great around my niece. She was born in january and she’s here all the time. The biggest thing when bringing a baby home is not to forget that your cats still need attention too. If you ignore them,they’ll start to resent the baby. Don’t keep them seperate from the baby. Let them see the baby and get used to her/his smell. I’m not saying let them crawl all over the baby of course but it’s not good to keep them seperate either. They shouldn’t be in the baby’s crib and stuff either,but you probably know that. My cats would get close to my niece and check her out but they wouldn’t touch her. They’ve been great. I hope it continues when mine comes home.
0
ok this my real answer the other one is my sisters (because she is to lazy to get her own account) so her is MY answer
you should make sure that when your kitty is near you new baby (by the way congrats) that it a pleast as possable (i.e giving treats, doing someting your cat likes giving it a ne toy ect.) and try to get your baby to like your kitty so your little muffen won’t pull pussy’s tail. I can relate to your baby…
(read below if you want to hear my story, otherwise don’t read it)
because I remember faintly when I was a baby I we had an elderly cat named tanger-ray and he would sleep with me in my crib (no he did not suck my breath away) and i never pulled his tail because i loved him so much so it was a win, win kind of thing (also that cat was the one that brought my parents toghter when my mom was dating). though he past away now but a have two other cats now so I’m always happy long as i got a kitty
Comments to Answer
0
(please don't minus the thing above or this, because I really don't want to lose any more points!!!) (but if you like it you can give it a plus) {bye!!}
0
When our daughter was born, we had 6 cats. Our cats were wonderful with her from the minute she came home from the hospital. We didn’t have to “teach” them. A couple of them were actually afraid of her and kept their distance for several weeks.
There is a lot of incorrect information & many old wives tales surrounding the topic of cats & newborn babies. Shelters are often asked to take in the family cat because a new baby has arrived & the parents worry about the risk the cat poses to the child.
People still believe the old wives tales about babies being smothered by cats. From research I did on the internet I found out that this is in fact totally untrue. There are cases of parents accidentally smothering their baby, but there are no reported cases of cats doing this (either on purpose or by accident).
However, it is wise to take some precautions. You can purchase a net to put over the crib so the cat can’t sleep with the baby. Another good suggestion is to replace the door to the baby’s nursery with a screen door. This enables the cat to see & smell the baby & not feel entirely left out, but it can’t get into the bedroom.
Another urban legend is that cat’s suck the baby’s breath. Again, untrue. If a cat is found close to the baby’s head it’s more likely due to the cat seeking some warmth. If the above suggestions are followed, this won’t happen.
Ensure your cat is regularly de-flead & de-wormed. Make sure the products you use on your cat are safe to use around the baby. If you are worried about your cat scratching your baby, (which is highly unlikely), you can either regularly trim your cat’s claws (see trimming cat’s claws), or use Soft Paws, which are plastic caps you glue over your cat’s claws.
Cats & humans have lived together for thousands of years but it is important to remember that they are still animals & their behavior cannot be predicted with 100% accuracy. A cat should never be permitted into the same room a baby/young child is sleeping & proper safety precautions should be taken to ensure the cat doesn’t have access to the baby’s room.
If proper safety precautions are taken to ensure your cat & baby/young child are only together under adult supervision your cat & child will be able to quite happily cohabit together & hopefully once the child grows older will form a long & lasting bond.
Preparing your cat:
Preparing your cat in advance is recommended.
Firstly, if your cat isn’t up to date on it’s medications, flea & worming treatment then make sure this is done prior to your baby coming home. Also take your cat to the veterinarian for a health check.
Trim your cat’s claws before the baby arrives.
If possible, obtain a recording of a baby crying to play in your home.
Many parents slowly set up the baby’s arrival before it is born. Allow your cat to become familiar with the baby’s items. Let it become used to smells such as baby powder & wipes. While I think it’s a great idea to let your cat become familiar with the baby’s furniture, I wouldn’t recommend allowing the cat to jump in or sleep in the crib, as it will lead to confusion once the baby arrives & the cat is no longer permitted to do this.
Before you bring your baby home from the hospital, send home a blanket that your baby has been wrapped in, so your cat can become familiar with the baby’s smell in advance. When the cat sniffs it, give it lots of praise.
If you are concerned that your cat may be upset by the new addition, you could try using some Feliway diffusers around the house. They are synthetic pheromones which have a calming effect on your cat.
The homecoming:
Keep the same routine for your cat. They are creatures of habit.
When you are with your baby, talk to your cat. Make sure that the cat has positive associations with the baby.
Let the cat become familiar with the baby in it’s own time, don’t rush the introduction. We found our cats showed mild curiosity by coming up & sniffing the new baby in our arms, but that was the extent of it. Naturally, only permit your cat to come near the baby when you are around to supervise.
Set aside time during the day just for your cat, so he still feels included in your life. This time may be spent grooming him, stoking him, playing with him, walking him on a leash or some other activity your cat enjoys doing with you.
It will be some time before your baby is mobile, but it’s always an idea to think ahead of time. Place food bowls & litter trays in an area your crawler can’t access. Also, provide your cat with a place to escape to if need be. We have a large scratching post for our cats which our children can’t climb. We also have two gated areas which the cats can hop over but the children can’t.
Ensure that when your baby is sleeping, your cat doesn’t have access to her. You can either put her in her own room & close the door, put her in her own room, replacing the door with a screen door, so the cat can see but can’t actually get into the room, or you can buy a crib net to keep the cat out.
If your cat is having problems adjusting to the new baby it is worth talking to your vet, who should either be able to assist, or put you onto a feline behaviourist.
Summary:
Babies & cats are perfectly compatible to share a house together. All too often, well meaning but poorly informed people will expect you to rehome the cat once a baby is on the way out of fear the cat will harm the child, or spread disease. While this can happen, it is extremely uncommon, your baby would in all likelihood be more vulnerable to catching a disease from a human than a cat. With forward planning & proper supervision your baby can be safe & your cat remain a part of your family. There is nothing sweeter than watching a toddler & the family pet playing together. I know our daughter gets immense pleasure from our cats, and she has already become a firm animal lover, which is a nice trait to have.
Remember that your cat was once the baby of the family & received lots of love & attention, just because there is a new baby in the house shouldn’t mean that the cat is pushed aside.
Source Link: http://www.cat-world.com.au/IntroduceBabyToCat.htm
-1
i say that you should use a plastic baby gate to keep mr.kitty in a separate room. until he/she becomes less aggressive. Most importantly, split the love. The cat may be thinking that you are ignoring him/her.
Comments to Answer
0
Make sure you're still paying attention to your kitty. Introduce them slowely that way the cat won't be too unsure of the baby. also, if the baby is old enough to grab and pull tails and ears, always have your baby and cat suporvised for the beggining part. Hope I could help :)
0
if that is a bad answer above please don't minus it because my siter did that one (with out permission)and look at my other answer because that is my real answer ok bye!!! (please don't minus this if it is bad please please please!!!)
0
Change your password so people can't get into your account. And stop begging!
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