Is it safe to have a cat in the same house as a newborn baby?

Question

There is a lady who is giving away a free cat in my apartment building and I am interested in taking it (as I LOVE cats.) But, me and my husband would like to have a baby in the next 2-3 years. We have talked about this before, and we both decided that we would like to have kids and a cat, but ultimately, we planned to have kids first and later on getting a cat for our family, as people have told us that it's not healthy to have pets around newborns. If we did take this cat, we would not want to get rid of it at the time we had the baby, we would want to keep it. Would it be safe to have the cat around the baby, or is it best to wait to get a cat later on?

I think I should also add, this particular cat is declawed and the ownder says he is very shy.

Answer 1

I have a cat and a 16 month old. You can have a pet and a baby. Just don't let your cat have access to where the baby sleeps. For us, my son sleeps in his own room and we close the door so the cat can't get in. Also, don't let the cat in the crib when the baby is not in there, the fine hairs can get in the lungs and cause allergies, but just having a cat and a child isn't an issue.

Answer 2

Yes it is safe


Just when you become pregnant, do not change the litter yourself because of toxioplasmosis


Other then that a cat is a wonderful addition

OLD WIVES TALES

it has been suggested by several well meaning (but uneducated) people that with a baby on the way we would have to get rid of the cats. 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). What has been suggested is that some babies die of SIDS & it so happens that the cat is found in the crib with the dead child. This is merely a coincidence. The cat was NOT the cause of the child's death.

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.


MORE INFO

http://www.cat-world.com.au/cat-worldbaby.htm

Answer 3

As far as having a cat it is safe. you will not know whether your baby may be allergic till after the fact. On the flip side cats are very temperamental. If you get the cat now it will be used to a quiet laid back life style. Once baby comes the cat will have to get used to crying and chaos. Cats are climbers so they can climb into the baby's crib while you are sleeping or whatever. I say get the cat. Let the cat get used to being around people. Do not spoil the cat to much (example: Sleeping in bed with you, eating on the counter etc....) It should all work out. Each cat is different some are chill and some are not so chill. Give the cat a try, worse case you may need to find it a new home. Good luck on the baby making! ;-)

My mom has a cat who is spoiled. Hes been the family cat for years. He is very temperamental. He scratches at people when they walk by. He will bat at you if he gets too worked out. The cat is just plane old scary. I have a 4 month old. When my son goes to Grammy's house they have to keep the cat in the bedroom or outside, because none of us trust him for one second!

Answer 4

I wouldn't necessarily say that it is bad or unhealthy to have a cat around a newborn. When a woman is pregnant, she should not change out the cat box because of a disease that is spread through cat feces. You also have to think about the baby too. We had a cat before my son was born but had to find it a new home because my son was allergic to the cat. There are many families that I know of that have both and do just fine. Good luck!

Answer 5

Better to get a cat now so that it has matured and calmed before baby comes. So long as you still pay attention to the cat and allow it to be a part of the baby’s life there should be no problems with having both in the same house.

That being said, don’t just take the cat just because it’s there.

Answer 6

Its fine. The only issue is NEVER let the cat into the room with a sleeping baby (for some reason they like to curl up on top of babies faces and chests). Or you need to get a "cat" net to keep the cat out of the crib.

Answer 7

Get a cat AFTER the baby is home. Cats tend to not like "new" people, especially if they are getting too much attention!

But as far as it being healthy... I have heard that animals actually help prevent allergies and lower stress levels!

Answer 8

I have a cat and a dog. It's perfectly fine, all you have to do is let it smell something your baby has worn before you bring the baby home, or show it the baby right away. As long as you still pay attention to the cat, it will be fine. Our cat loves our newborn, she treats him as if he's her own baby.

Answer 9

We had two cats, two dogs and a baby. My mom had several cats, a dog, a pony and a horse (the pony & horse were not on the house. Not often, anyway lol!)

You do have to be careful when you are pregnant not to handle the cat litter, but that aside, cats are safe.

Answer 10

Its safe.. I have two dogs, a pug and a pomeranian, and they are fine with the kids and they both love the dogs. Allergies may be a problem. The only thing is your hubby will have to change the cat litter while you are pregnant. Good luck