I am expecting a baby and am worried about how my cat will take it. He is very picky and doesnt take well to change. I LOVE him to death and he is the baby right now and he knows it. I was just wondering if anyone had any tips on how to make the change easier on my cat? I know i may sound crazy because most people are more concerned about the real baby which of course i am but I am totally worried about my poor kitty! Any suggestions or experiences will be great. PLease dont tell me that my cat will suffocate my baby... i have enough worries.
2006-11-10 14:34:30 · 12 answers · asked by estkijedsco 4 in Pets ➔ Cats
First of all I applaud you for not getting rid of your cat because you are having a baby. :) The cat smothering baby thing is an old wives tale btw....not one documented case of it in the world. (you can check Snopes.com on that)
If you are going to prenatal classes, see if the nurse can get you a cd or recording of some kind of a baby crying. You can play that periodically before your own baby is due to get the cat used to the sound. It will be something your cat likely hasnt heard before, and he may react scared otherwise. If you have your nursery set up, show him the room. Let him go in and explore. If the crib is there, make sure he isnt allowed to cuddle in it before the baby is there; but let him look in. Let him sniff baby clothes and diapers...anything new to do with baby. Praise him a lot and give him treats. If any friends have babies, ask them to bring them over for short visits too.
When your baby is born, you will be a bit stressed. Cats will pick up on that and be unsure what to do. Show your cat the baby. The cat will be curious and this way you can supervise the initial reaction. Give him a treat so he associates the baby with GOOD things. Make sure you pay attention to your kitty when the baby comes home too. Like you said, the cat is the baby now and he may feel left out. Since you will be stressed, petting a cat can help relax you too. :) (proven study shows that)
When baby gets old enough to lay on the floor; keep an eye for the cat. Baby's have that "grasp" reflex that anything in a certain spot in their hand, they will grab. If kitty goes by....that may mean a tail or fur. A cat will react when his hair is pulled instinctively, just like baby did. A scratch may result...no one's fault...and it may happen when you are right there. Just something to keep a watch on...it happened it my friend's baby and the scratch was near baby's eye so it was kind of scary. (she was beside both cat and baby when it happened) When the baby starts crawling, watch for this and the litter box. We dont want baby eating litter. Blech! Oh...keeping the cat's claws trimmed will help too. (no need to declaw...just keep trimmed)
When I was born my parents took me back to the farm. My Dad had a small dog and cat out there. They put me on the table in my carrier and everyone was oooing and ahhing. (you know...because I was so cute) LOL Anyways...the puppy and cat were stretching up to see what all the commotion was about. They finally put me on the floor and both animals came to sniff me. The kitty started purring and the puppy started wagging his tail. Both were fine everytime I came over for the next 12 years to visit until the animals passed away.
I'm sure everything will be fine. :) Cats and dogs around babies are supposed to help with allergies as well. Your baby is very lucky and your kitty is even luckier to have you in their lives. Have a good delivery! (or whatever the "good luck" is to expecting mothers)
2006-11-10 15:25:57 · answer #1 · answered by Cariad 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Don't worry. Your cat will adjust. I don't have a cat but my parents do. The first time I brought my son (now 5 mos) to their house, she acted scared of him. She didn't know what he was. The more he has been there though, the more accepting she is. She has even come up to check him out. I think she is ok with him for now......when he starts chasing after her yelling KITTY KITTY KITTY though....she might have other thoughts! HA! It's funny how your thoughts are going to change about this too though. I know it's hard to believe, but once that baby is born you won't care less what your cat thinks! Your baby will be the only light in your life!
2006-11-10 14:43:07 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Like you would do if you had a child and were coming home with a new baby...spend time with both. Don't push the cat away and spend total time with the baby because the cat will then resent the baby. When holding the baby, encourage the cat to sit beside you...play with the cat while baby sleeps, etc When he sees this new arrival doesn't take away your love for him...he will adjust
2006-11-10 14:41:39 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
your cat is likely to already know about the addition to the family,when he is near you,he can most likely hear the baby.
do not worry the myth that a cat will steal a babies breath is an urban legend,never in history has a cat actually done that.because no cat is going to risk waking a baby and have the baby scream or cry in its face.
my mother had cats since i was born all they would do,was lick me probably because i smelled of milk,something they love,then curl up beside.the cats must think,they are helping to keep babies warm.but you can always monitor kitty,if you have any concerns.
2006-11-10 21:28:28 · answer #4 · answered by moonwalk 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
your cat probaly already senses some kind of change; new furniture, new room layout, new big tummy on his mommy (not that he knows what that means) it will be difficult for your cat, even if he weren't the baby now. keep an eye on them, but let him see the baby, smell the baby and get to know the baby. that is really all you can do. and perhaps when they are getting along, give him some extra attention!
and i have never heard of a cat suffocating a baby! but if you are worried, keep the nursery door closed so your cat can't get into the crib.
2006-11-10 14:44:30 · answer #5 · answered by Duelen 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
My daughter had a cat for seven years, before she become pregnant. When my grandson came home, that cat (a male) decided he was the appointed babysitter. When the baby was sleeping, he was in the crib. When the baby was awake, he was closeby. Diaper changes, feedings, and baths were all closely supervised by Teddy.
Cats do not smother babies. That is an old wives tale. As long as your cat is wormed, he represents no danger to the baby. Immunizations are for diseases that protect your cat. With the exception of rabies, none of those diseases are communicable to people.
My daugher adopted Teddy when he was already five. She had him for seven years before my grandson was born. The saddest day of my grandsons life was the day Teddy died. He was a very old cat, had been my grandson's constant companion, and died in his arms while he was taking a nap.
2006-11-10 14:43:30 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
You should never leave the cat alone with the baby. The cat may get curious about baby and inadvertendly hurt the the baby.
Do you have the nursey set up? You might want the cat to get used to "baby-related" stuff, ie the high chair, blankets, toys, etc.
I read on a blog that the father took home the baby's hat or blanket (his son had to stay in the hospital for something, I forgot...) home for the cats to smell and get used to a new person smell.
I'd suggest you ask your doctor or OB/GYN for suggestions.
Congrats and good luck!
2006-11-10 14:40:51 · answer #7 · answered by Bookworm 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Many cats don't like change but they do adjust when it happens. Your cat will likely be curious about the new baby and will want to check him/her, and the nursery out throughly. After that your cat will likely either want nothing to do with the baby, or may infact decide that he's in charge of watching over the baby. I have known many people who introduced babies into houses with cats and they always fell into one role or the other. The cats were never deliberately hostile to the babies. Oh and your cat MIGHT be unhappy with you for a time, but he'll get over it. Like people cats can get into a snit about something, but love wins out in the end.
2006-11-10 15:29:31 · answer #8 · answered by danl747 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well, it will take awhile for him to adjust and he wont like it too much! But please work with him thru it. So many people give up their animals because of a new baby..
I'm not really sure, tho, ive never had to deal with this situation.
2006-11-10 16:54:08 · answer #9 · answered by keep it real 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
what i did when i found out i was pregnant was start making my cats go either outside or in the laundry of a night, to make sure they werent aloud in Amelia's room and just start pulling them off me, not giving them as much attention so then when amelia was born they didnt get as jelous because i had already shown them. my cats have never tried to sit on Amelias face and she is now 7 months old. people tell you to be carefull but just take some small precautions. your cat will love you no matter what/
2006-11-10 15:12:37 · answer #10 · answered by leishie!!! 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋