how can i get my cat to stop sleeping in my baby's crib?

Question

I always find my cat asleep in my son's crib, how can i stop this? Obviously I can just shut the door to his room but she sneaks in when I'm not looking and she can also open the door. I don't want to have to keep her outside. my son sleeps in a bassinet for now but I want to move him into his crib soon.

Answer 1

I would go ahead and CLOSE THE DOOR REALLY WELL. You should invest in a baby monitor so that you will hear the baby when he cries.
The only other thing I would do is to get a squirt bottle and put about a cup of vinegar in there, then fill the rest of the bottle with water. You need to make the squirt a STREAM OF THE VINEGAR/WATER FOR THIS TO WORK!!!! When you see the cat get near the bassinet, squirt the cat with the vinegar/water mixture and say NO!!!!!!!! Since cats like to groom themselves. once the cat tastes the vinegar water mixture, it will learn to associate that with the act of not getting into the bassinet. Cats can be trained to NOT TO DO A CERTAIN ACTIVITY - YOU JUST MUST BE CONSISTENT!!!!!
I hope that this suggestion helps and solves your problem.

Answer 2

you can try getting a cat bed and putting some nice, soft blankets in it. whatever you do, do not put anything from the crib in a place that the cat finds pleasant (other than the crib of course) the cat sould then associate those two things and go in the crib again. also, try putting the cat bed somewhere that is accessible and comfortable, but an important factor is WARMTH. the cat sleeps in the crib because it is soft and warm. one possibility is giving your cat a bed of its own with an electric blanket, but you would have to make sure it can't get to/damage the wire or it could hurt its self. put one of those fences used for stairs that keep babies out/off of the stairs in the doorway. this will make it harder for the cat to get in, but, you will have a harder time also, so it might be dangerous. put tinfoil in the crib whenever your son isn't sleeping in it. the texture and the noise will be quite unpleasant for kitty and she will learn to avoid it. don't squirt the cat unless it can't see you so that the punishment is not associated with you but the environment instead. or you could also try putting the tinfoil on the floor in the doorway, as long as it is wide enough that the cat won't just step over it. this will hinder your cat, but in an emergency you won't be slowed down.

I hope this helps and good luck

Answer 3

Put tinfoil under the sheet and maybe it will scare him away.

Otherwise a crib tent (sold at target, walmart, babies r us etc,...) may be a good start and positive reinforcement when the kitty doesn't go in it.

The squirt bottle idea is good.

And no animal should be left alone with a child but the whole myth about cats stealing a kids breath is crazy. If the baby is not able to roll yet, he shouldn't be sleeping next to an animal, so you have the right idea to keep the cat out of the crib. And the dander is NOT going to cause allergies, in fact it's been proven having animals starting at a young age actually helps kids NOT get allergies as they get older.

Also you need to start right away before the baby outgrows the bassinet because if the cat senses you are doing it for the baby, she will resent the baby and could spray (yes female cats spray too). So if she doens't associate it with the baby til after she stops going in there, hopefully you won't have an issue. we had to train my cat to stay out of our bedroom once the baby was here because she'd curl up in my bed. We just always make sure the door is tightly shut and she has a cat bed to sleep in elsewhere.

Oh and cats should not go to their "kennel" at night - they aren't dogs and shouldn't be caged or left outside.

Answer 4

Cats don't smother babies (that is a well-documented urban legend), but they do carry alergens and bacteria that are harmful, escpecially from the litter box, so you heed to deter the behavior. A "scat mat" is a great way to make the crib an unpleasant place to sleep and can be purchased at most pet stores. They provide a mild electric shock that deteres the cat from going where it is not wanted. When the baby is not in the crib, place the scat mat in there. The cat will not appriciate the shock and will look for other places to curl up and sleep. Just remember to remove the mat before placing the baby in the crib! Here is a good article on the subject:

http://www.sthuberts.org/petpouri/articles/catmeetsbaby.asp

Answer 5

My mom had a crib with screening on the sides and it even had a top that flipped up and over the bed (also screened). You wouldn't have a crib like that, would you? I thought not. If you cannot keep the door shut (and I don't recommend that with a baby sleeping--you want to hear if he wakes up or makes any weirdo noises), you'll probably have to invest in one of those electronic gadgets to keep animals out of certain areas.

Answer 6

You didn't mention how old your baby is. If your baby is tiny and the cat is large there exist the very remote possibility of trouble but this is unlikely.

Remove the cat from the bassinet every time your see her in there. With a firm voice say "No." If this doesn't work after a while go to your Mega Mart and get a squirt bottle. The kind with the trigger on top and fill it with water. When you catch the cat in the bassinet squirt her as much as possible saying in a firm voice "No!" Cats hate this. She will jump out and leave and in a short time will learn not to do that.

Do Not put your cat out doors. They don't belong out there.

Meow!

Answer 7

You have 2 options. One keep your son's door closed and make sure after you close the door that you know where the cat is. The second option is to contain the cat in another room when your son is in his crib.

Answer 8

I have heard cases where babies have been smothered by cats that sleep on their faces. I know there will be some cat people that will deny this, but I'm not making it up. Besides that you don't want your poor baby having cat dander all over him. It could be the start of allergies. Don't they have mosquito nets that you can put over the crib that would be strong enough to keep the cat from lying in the crib? It's the super soft and sweet smelling blankets that is attracting the cat, a mosquito net is none of the above. If that doesn't work then you may have to keep kitty outside until baby is big enough to push the cat off of him so he can breathe properly.

Answer 9

friends of mine had the same problem (1970) you are having. they put a screen door on their baby's bedroom door, with the 2 locks on the hallway side. one lock is placed 1/4 from top with the other lock placed 1/4 from the bottom. make sure the bottom lock is a slide lock. a cat or dog could flip the hook lock out of the eye. their cat got the idea NOT to enter. if the cat claws at the screen, you can put a heavier gage screen on the hall side of the screen door.

Answer 10

There are cot/crib nets you can purchase which are designed specifically to stop cats sleeping next to babies. Ensure you fit the net tightly, otherwise the cat can use it as a hammock. See the link below for more details.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clippasafe-Cot-Cat-Net/dp/B0006H4PEO

Cats are naturally curious, and she will be interested in getting to know your baby. The web articles below have lots of practical advice on helping cats adjust to having a baby in the home that might be helpful to you on other matters.

http://www.messybeast.com/cat_baby.htm
http://www.bluecross.org.uk/web/FILES/literature/Your_cat_and_your_baby_leaflet.pdf

Hope this helps.