My neighbour has had a baby and is paranoid that her cat will lie on the baby and suffocate it, so she won't let the cat in the house any more - it has to sleep in the shed. I think this is cruel, especially with the winter approaching. It's a timid but very affectionate animal and can't understand what it's done wrong. Is there actually any hard evidence of cats having suffocated babies or is this just one of those old wives' tales or urban myths?
2006-08-16 21:55:42 · 33 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
Funny you should ask... I have a new baby, (My third, my new wife's first.) and I have 4 cats..
My 2 other children grew up in a house with one cat, and yes, he was curious about the babies... But, as long as you keep an eye on where your cat and baby are, you shouldn't have any trouble...
A basement or locked room where the cat's food and litter box are, are safe alternatives to kicking your cat out of your life...
Our current 4 cats are not even that interested in the baby, actually, so I think personality has a lot to do with it, as well...
GIVE THE CAT A CHANCE!!!
That's my feeling...
Old wives tales have some truth in them, but if you love your cat, let it interact with your baby, and if there are problems then, take appropriate steps...
2006-08-16 22:09:18 · answer #1 · answered by wolfmantex 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
This is an old wives tale. Cats may be drawn to the soft warm bedding, curious about the baby or even smell the milk on the baby's breath. Cats are naturally curious animals. I believe the tale was that they stole the babies breath.
I know someone who has 9 cats and just had a baby last Oct. She has in no way had any type of problems with her cats and the baby. Some were curious others just ignored him. The baby loves the cats and now plays with them.
2006-08-17 01:38:35 · answer #2 · answered by Spunkitty B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This may have been posted already, sorry...but it is a myth. You neighbor can bring the kitty back in!!! Or give it to some one with a heart. Animals should not be tossed out just because you had a stupid kid. You wouldnt throw out your kid for a puppy would you? To some of us there is a very thin line... (show this to your neighbor, that b*itch)
MYTH: “I've always heard that cats can suffocate babies.”
Cats are natural “cuddlers” when they sleep, and many prefer to curl up on top of people or snuggle up next to a person's head or neck. If you want to keep your cat out of the crib, either install a screen door on the nursery or use crib netting.
Cats also display the interesting behavior of “sniffing breath” – putting their noses up to the nose and mouth of another cat (or human), possibly to investigate what the other has recently eaten. This probably gave birth to the myth of cats “sucking the breath” from babies.
Recent reports suggest that many of the cases where cats supposedly “suffocated” babies were most likely SIDS – sudden infant death syndrome, or “crib death.”
2006-08-16 23:46:44 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a superstition that dates back to medieval times, when cats were considered to be evil spirits. In those days, it was believed cats could suck the breath from sleeping infants.
This myth persisted even into our own time. " There were people who said it was dangerous to leave a cat with a baby," wrote Ernest Hemingway in A Movable Feast. " The most ignorant and prejudiced said that a cat would suck a baby's breath and kill him." Hemingway, a notorious cat-lover who completely rejected the notion, was even criticized in the 1920s for allowing his cat, F. Puss, to sleep alongside his own small son.
Even though a cat would not deliberately harm an infant, it is never a good idea to leave any animals alone with an unwatched baby.
I think your neighbor is wrong to throw that cat out like that cause of the baby. It's completely a lie and a myth. I don't know why people continue to believe such superstitious tales.
2006-08-16 22:05:26 · answer #4 · answered by Turtle 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Its a Myth!
MYTH: “I've always heard that cats can suffocate babies.”
Cats are natural “cuddlers” when they sleep, and many prefer to curl up on top of people or snuggle up next to a person's head or neck. If you want to keep your cat out of the crib, either install a screen door on the nursery or use crib netting.
Cats also display the interesting behavior of “sniffing breath” – putting their noses up to the nose and mouth of another cat (or human), possibly to investigate what the other has recently eaten. This probably gave birth to the myth of cats “sucking the breath” from babies.
Recent reports suggest that many of the cases where cats supposedly “suffocated” babies were most likely SIDS – sudden infant death syndrome, or “crib death.”
A severe allergic reaction can cause an infant to stop breathing. If your baby shows signs of allergy to a pet, your child is probably allergic to many items, including some foods. Your baby will be much happier and safer – and probably grow up healthier – if you identify these allergies early. Pets should not sleep with allergic children.
2006-08-16 22:05:23 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
This is animal cruelty; if your neighbour cant treat the poor animal better than that, she should have it taken from her. Cats are fussy about where they sleep; they would never sleep on a babys face because it would mean breathing stale air. Its just an old wives tale. I had 6 kids, and have never had less then 7 cats until recently- not one of them ever slept on the baby- I had one used to sleep on top of the pramhood when it was raised, but thats all. Can you not take in this poor animal before it starves or freezes to death, or is killed by dogs or perverts??? Your neighbour wants her a**e kicked.
2006-08-17 12:00:05 · answer #6 · answered by k0005kat@btinternet.com 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cats can suffocate tiny infants but to keep the animal outside is wrong and I would ring the nearest ASPCA, not a shelter as they kill animals.
Some people just have no sense at all.
Have a chat with your nieghbor and explain to her that as long as the cat is happy and warm it will not lie on the baby for heat and the child is in no danger.
People who can not treat an animal with love and respect really should be sterilized to prevent more of this absurdity.
2006-08-17 04:08:26 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's an urban myth - there is no evidence to suggest that a cat has ever suffocated a child. There may be a possibility of it, but I doubt it, my cat slept on my bed when I was a child and never once thought that my head would be more comfortable than the rest of the bed.
Cats tend to be quite protective of those in their care (as they see it) and harming children is not part of their remit - unless the child causes the animal pain and then only if it's extreme or repetitive behaviour.
2006-08-16 22:02:23 · answer #8 · answered by nkellingley@btinternet.com 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Old wives tale. There is another one that says cats can "suck the breath out of babies". I've heard that one comes from people observing a cat sniffing a babies face after the baby has had some milk.
2006-08-17 14:55:52 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cats are natural “cuddlers” when they sleep, and many prefer to curl up on top of people or snuggle up next to a person's head or neck. If you want to keep your cat out of the crib, either install a screen door on the nursery or use crib netting.
Cats also display the interesting behavior of “sniffing breath” – putting their noses up to the nose and mouth of another cat (or human), possibly to investigate what the other has recently eaten. This probably gave birth to the myth of cats “sucking the breath” from babies.
Recent reports suggest that many of the cases where cats supposedly “suffocated” babies were most likely SIDS – sudden infant death syndrome, or “crib death.”
2006-08-16 22:05:56 · answer #10 · answered by John M 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋