In the community of domestic animals, felines have a poor history of being unpleasant, introverted, and unpredictable in their emotions — not to say inclined to strike out using their razor-sharp nails. To put it another way, it’s not very baby-friendly.
Even though your feline is a gentle, affectionate, purring pet, bringing your precious, naive, completely defenseless newborn baby house from the medical facility to see their older, smarter feline sister might be nerve-wracking.
Luckily, with some planning and understanding, your furry friend and your child can coexist peacefully.
Cats Can Cats And Babies Co-Exist?
Felines have a history of being aggressive, finicky, unpredictably temperamental, and demanding. Many feline parents are aware that not every feline is like this; however, they often recognize that the feline was there first.
Is it possible for a feline to tolerate the introduction of a strange, loud person into their territory? They certainly can! Consider how you might train an elder kid for the birth of a baby brother, or how you might bring in a new cat and slowly familiarize each other.
The easiest method to guarantee their healthy coexistence is to educate your feline with the arrival of a newborn child and train them well on leaving the cradle and your child’s other locations.
Preparing Your Cat for Baby
Begin right now! Training your feline for the newborn and designating off-limit zones throughout your maternity may make the change smooth and easy. Begin by exposing them to different odors and gradually introducing new items to your feline.
You also can perform these instructions if you have had your baby. Felines are naturally inquisitive creatures. In reality, felines have a childlike enthusiasm, which would make them excellent partners in the long term.
Preventing your feline from entering the cradle by resolving some of his or her curiosity even before your baby turns up:
- Scents: What does a baby smell like? Your feline will be curious! Immediately on, take out the infant items and distribute each item across the home to help your feline link the fresh odors of a newborn with their daily lives.
- Sounds: Starting gently with a supervised, cautious introduction is among the most distressing adjustments for a feline. Streaming baby noises from the web may assist with this. Whenever your child screams or yelps, the feline will no longer be surprised!
- Space: Our kitties, as wonderful as they are, require their own personal time. Create a peaceful, safe space for your feline in case they question whether they have a place to themselves now.
Expose your feline to the scents that your infant will carry with them, such as kids lotion, talc, or a kid-friendly shampoo. Play a tape of various infant cries and voices.
It will assist your feline to become more accustomed to all of these new changes, lowering their interest and desire to examine the cradle.
How to Keep Your Crib Cat-Free
While researching alternative methods for maintaining your cat-free zones secure must be performed even before the infant arrives, there are still ways to deal with the problem of your cat invading after you and the baby have arrived. Take a look at these possibilities and evaluate which one works best for you.
Install a Screen Door
Allowing your feline to be there in the sight of your newborn would enable the whole event to appear less traumatic for them, so give them the option to keep an eye on the infant from a distance.
A glass gate in the hospital will allow your feline to see and sniff your newborn without endangering going into the cradle. It’s a safer alternative to crib curtains, which can be hazardous.
Make Space for Your Cat
Above all, your feline would enjoy being interested in the infant. They’ll like to be nearby to this newborn since they’re clever animals who see how essential he or she is to the household.
Put in place a seat or a couch on the opposite end of the bedroom to offer your feline an option to nap beside the cradle.
Make the Crib Less Appealing
You may place unpleasant, loud objects in the cradle mattress before the infant comes. Your feline will be met with jarring noises and no comfortable spot to rest every time they enter.
They’ll ultimately determine that the cradle isn’t the best place for sleep and therefore will allow your newborn alone after you take her house.
Cat Deterrent Motion Sensors
While alternative ways are far less distressing for the feline, cat-repellent motion detectors are a fast strategy for teaching your feline if you don’t have much time until the newborn arrives.
These gadgets emit a splash or an audible noise to frighten and dissuade your feline from entering the restricted area.
Close the Door
If none of that appears to be helping and your feline continues to enter the cradle, it may be best to just shut the entrance. Purchasing a live baby monitor could assist you in making this decision.
Removing your feline from this aspect of life should not be your initial option. Still, with a little patience, they will eventually figure out whatever information you’re attempting to send them.
3 Things To Avoid
Many well-intentioned feline and kid parents have attempted various approaches without recognizing the risks they may entail. Understanding the dangers of these procedures is critical for both the feline and the child’s protection.
Crib Nets
Since these devices might appear to be the most obvious way to keep your feline out of the cradle, they could be extremely deadly to your infant. The cloth might drop into the cradle, mainly if your feline is playing with it, strangling your infant in the net.
Peppermint Oil
Experts say applying peppermint oil to your baby’s products and clothes will help keep felines away. Felines despise it, and for a valid reason! Peppermint oil is toxic to felines and can lead to stomach issues or infections.
Excluding your Cat
Consider putting yourself in your pet’s shoes and imagining how they are feeling due to the modifications. Even felines who misbehave and get frightened or anxious in response to a newborn should be welcomed into the household. Instead of isolating your feline from the infant, concentrate on monitored interactions together.
Safety concerns when it comes to cats and babies
Unless you have a trouble-free goldfish, owning a cat in the house with young kids entails some responsibilities. Your feline offers tiny harm to your kid just by being there, but it’s something you can’t avoid if you actively look for it.
Suffocation or smothering
There was an urban myth about felines taking infants’ breath from their mouths, which didn’t assist the “felines and infants cohabiting” public relations effort that much. Apparently, this isn’t true; however, if you allow your feline and newborn to nap in the same room, your kid might suffocate.
It is a simple fix: If your kid is napping or resting in the cradle, pram, rocker, or newborn seat, ensure your feline remains away from them. This might imply:
- Keep an eye on your infant as they rest (that you must do anyhow when he is not in his cradle or cot).
- Keep things to any place where your infant sleeps shut.
- Install baby barriers to prevent your feline from sneaking into certain rooms.
Toxoplasmosis
Yes, toxoplasmosis throughout childbirth is a serious issue, but then you’re certainly now doing whatever you can to avoid it.
Expecting ladies and small kids are also vulnerable to this virus. Diseases with toxoplasmosis may produce flu-like problems in kids, like chills, muscle pain, and swollen lymph nodes.
To keep your infant healthy, do the following:
- Keep your feline inside and distant from wild or feral pets.
- Allowing your toddler to play with (or consume!) kitty litter is not a good idea.
- When changing the cat litter, clean your hands or put on protection.
- Feeding uncooked flesh to your feline increases the chance of catching the infection that leads to toxoplasmosis.
Ingesting cat hair
When you live with shedding pets, you’ll find their fur all over the place and on your face at times. Yes, it’s revolting, but no one will be harmed in certain circumstances.
If your kid is actively consuming feline hair, they might consume plenty to develop congestion in their Intestinal environment; however, this won’t work if your kids eat feline hair off the kid cover.
In principle, consuming feline hair might induce a response if your kid is intolerant to it. However, by the moment your child is mature to be putting feline fur in their mouths, you’ll most likely know if they’re sensitive to felines. According to a study, children who are brought up with cats in the family are less likely to develop allergies.
Feline intestinal illnesses
If appropriate cleanliness isn’t followed, any infections — virus, microbial, or tapeworms — that your feline is hiding in their stomach or Gastrointestinal tract might be passed to the members of the household. It is also simple to avoid:
- Keep your infant far from the cat box and sweep up any cat accidents as soon as possible.
- Thoroughly clean your hands after emptying your pet’s litter or performing any other basic hygienic care on your feline.
Jealousy issues
Felines, much like the majority of humans, become possessive (where else do you suppose the phrase “catfight” came from, after all? ), and it’s likely that your feline will show indications of hostility against your infant as a result.
Excessive yowling to disruptive activity, such as urine spraying, are all symptoms of envy in felines.
To avoid anger:
- Try to keep your feline’s daily activities like it was before the baby’s arrival.
- Never try to throw away our feline and ban their entry in their favorite spots.
- Be ready to deal with any disrespectful conduct with tolerance rather than punishment.
Scratches and bites
Whenever it gets down to revealing their fangs or nails, felines pose as much of a physical menace to youngsters than canines. However, severe cuts can create aesthetic destruction or transfer a skin disease (such as fungus).
It’s unusual that any significant wounds would occur when you always oversee your feline’s contact with your infant.
So I don’t need to rehome my cat before my baby comes?
Never! New parents are frequently under the significant cultural influence to say farewell to their favorite kitten before welcoming a newborn into the household, whether to shield the infant or to create a nicer home environment for the feline. (Let’s all be frank: the feline may not be overjoyed before at being relegated from hero to assisting player.)
You could all feel happy ever afterward if you examine the security considerations and find methods to honor both your feline’s and your child’s limitations.
Final Thought
Your feline is also a vital household member; a newborn will not affect that. To guarantee a secure, pleasant, and ideal atmosphere for everybody, take the measures jointly as a group, both cats and people. Introduce your feline to the noises and scents of a newborn, and identify spaces in the house for cats to feel safe.
Felines and newborns can coexist securely, yet that might not be the case without your assistance. You’ll want to negotiate harmony among your “children” and offer your toddlers and your feline the skills they will need for healthy coexistence, just like any great mediators. Carefully oversee all human-animal interaction, and never leave your feline alone with your child.