My hubby and I are expecting our first child in September. We have 1 Boxer (Otis) and 1 cat (milo-Siamese). We have no worries about Otis, our concern is with the cat. Milo is very gentle and kind, however my hubby thinks that the cat will smoother the newborn (looking for warmth). We talked with our vet and she recommended getting a scat mat. My question is, has anyone else dealt with this in the past? If so how did you handle it?
newborns and cats
- Thread starter weluvOTIS
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megan313
Boxer Booster
i had a cat when my daughter was born too. We were worried about the same thing, because our cat was the smothering type. SO....we put a screen door on the baby's room. It's not real attractive, but that way you can leave the door open if you like, but it still keeps the cat out. Another option, they make an actual tent-type screen that mounts on the top of the crib ( i think it goes a couple feet over the top of the crib) and its designed for this very thing! i didnt like the idea of trapping my little one in bed though....just some ideas!
Megan, Roxie and Baxter!
Megan, Roxie and Baxter!
LeedsDevil
Banned
I have had cats my entire life (from my being a newborn on) and I have NEVER heard of a cat smothering a newborn.That is an old wives "tail". There is another one that goes around regarding the cat sucking the breath out of newborns causing SIDS! I had cats when I brought both of my children home and the only thing that ever happened was my oldest cat liked to sleep at the bottom of the crib, the opposit end from where my son slept.
My then Mother-in-law wanted me to get rid of ALL of my animals when my son was born and I told her where to go. She was very upset with me at the time but I told her in no uncertain terms that he was my son, it was my cat and MY home. She complained to her son but he knew better then to interfere where my children and pets were concerned.
If you do not want the cat in the crib at all I recomend you set it up as much in advance as possible. You can get a baby doll that looks as much like a real infant as possible and place it in the crib and teach all the animals that the crib is off limits. You could then use a "scat mat" type of thing before the bay actually comes home since I don't think it would be a good idea to have one in the crib with a newborn. The netting over the crib is also another great idea and wish I had something like that when I lived in Florida for the masquitoes!
Once the baby begins to move around and roll over you will no longer need to worry about the cat sleeping with the baby. When my son started to move in his crib the cat decided she didn't like sharing his bed any more, he kicked to hard! LOL
Congradulations on the new addition, I am sure you will have 1 happy family, fur & skin alike!
Jennifer & Cookie Monster
My then Mother-in-law wanted me to get rid of ALL of my animals when my son was born and I told her where to go. She was very upset with me at the time but I told her in no uncertain terms that he was my son, it was my cat and MY home. She complained to her son but he knew better then to interfere where my children and pets were concerned.
If you do not want the cat in the crib at all I recomend you set it up as much in advance as possible. You can get a baby doll that looks as much like a real infant as possible and place it in the crib and teach all the animals that the crib is off limits. You could then use a "scat mat" type of thing before the bay actually comes home since I don't think it would be a good idea to have one in the crib with a newborn. The netting over the crib is also another great idea and wish I had something like that when I lived in Florida for the masquitoes!
Once the baby begins to move around and roll over you will no longer need to worry about the cat sleeping with the baby. When my son started to move in his crib the cat decided she didn't like sharing his bed any more, he kicked to hard! LOL
Congradulations on the new addition, I am sure you will have 1 happy family, fur & skin alike!
Jennifer & Cookie Monster
We had 2 cats when our son was born and we didn't have any problems with them. We only found the cats in the crib once. We just made sure that his door was shut if he was napping and at night the cats were kept in the bathroom so they wouldn't join the baby. Believe me cats and babies can be together. We thought it was so cute when our son would take a nap on the floor on this big comforter one of our cats would curl up next to him. Neither of them EVER got near his face or layed on him. Just set the rules early on with your cat and there shouldn't be any problems.
jaimie
Boxer Insane
I have 4 children, 2 boxers, a cat and a rabbit. The whole cats smothering babies is a wives tale and nothing to worry about. If you wanted to get a scat mat, put your baby's crib up about 2 months before the baby is due to arrive. Put the scat mat in the babys bed that way if the cat tries to get in the crib BEFORE the baby is born it'll learn that it is not allowed in there.
Jaimie
Jaimie
We also had a cat when my son was born, she's a siamese mix, very loving with us, but mean to anyone else. So we were a bit worried. She hated us for a long time after we brought him home, especially me. She growled (literally) at my baby, and even hissed a few times, but never approached him on her own. She also never went in his crib, it was set up for a few months before he was born, and from teh start we never let her on it or in it. It was about 4 or 5 months before she started accepting him and part of us, and when he was crawling, she even let him touch her and give kisses. So it all worked out in the end, but it was definitely a process...we just gave it time and had patience and she came around. Now we're going through the same thing with her and our new puppy
It's hard when something else seems to "replace" them...:(
It's hard when something else seems to "replace" them...:(- Status