Pets and babies

[firstfreakout]

I'm currently expecting my first baby and I'm a bit worried about our cat.
She's amazingly passive and affectionate, but has never been around a baby before. She's a 9 year old British blue shorthair.

Since setting up the baby's cot, Next to Me Crib and the carrycot on the pram all she wants to do is climb in it and sleep. At the moment it's not too bad because I keep the nursery door closed (though she has now taken to scratching at that door every morning at 4am!), but I'm worried about what will happen when the baby is here.

For the first little while I want to Next to Me Crib in our room with us and the cat either sleeps on her post in the hallway outside our door or on our bed with us. But I'm worried she'll climb in while the baby is in there sleeping, and in the other places like moses basket/pram etc during the day. She loves cuddles and I'm a bit concerned she'll think the baby is her new cuddle buddy!

Anyone have any experience with teaching cats that the cots etc are not their special sleeping space?

 

[JD.Deedee]

I don't know how to train them but my mom had about 11 cats when I was born and about 4-5 when both my sisters were born and we were all fine. I can't remember them actually sleeping in our things when we were actually in them too. My mom has cats now and they sleep in his buggy but they sway away from my son because they're not daft haha. Babies and children make way too many unpredictable movements tho haha x

 

[firstfreakout]

11 cats! Wow!
Perhaps it will be different when there's a screaming, poop machine occupying the space as she's quite a timid kitty.

 

[snowbee]

I would start shutting her out of your room at night now so she is use to it when your baby arrives. I would also get a cat net. We have outdoor farm cats (so not in the house ever) but I always have a net on the pram when we are outside to stop them getting in with my baby.

 

[firstfreakout]

Shutting her out of the room won't be an option. She can't deal with doors that are usually open being closed and will scratch at it until it's opened. It would mean a distressed cat and no sleep for us. The only doors in the house that are closed are the closet, nursery and bathrooms and she only very rarely scratches at those and usually when someone's on the other side. :/

I could try a cat net on the crib so that she would get the idea early on it's not for her to go in. She just likes sleeping in things like bags and boxes, even our work bags or suitcases. I'm hoping that when there's a baby in it she'll find it less appealing!

 

[snowbee]

Problem is often it is more appealing as it is warm for them to sit on. I do know someone who had a baby sister that was suffocated when their pet cat lay on her so I'm extra careful about pets and never leave my baby unattended with them. I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing they could climb in with them. Lots of people do with no issues at all but I'm not willing to risk it.

 

[KHTW]

We have a cat. We took him from Cats Protection about 8 years ago and he was our only baby until DD was born 2 years ago.

He is in NO way a gentle, loving cat lol. He is very independent and if doesn't get his way he bites and scratches. Both OH and I have a few battle marks on us! HOWEVER the cat is super patient with DD. He endures a lot without biting or scratching her. When he is tired of the attention he will just get up and jump onto the nearest windowsill. At times he will swat her hand away with his paw but the claws stay retracted.

Saying that she is never left alone with the cat and we always, always lecture her about being gentle and stay close enough to move her away from the cat if she is getting to excited.

When DD was born the bedroom door got shut and that was that. The cat had 2 days when he scratched the door and miaowed like crazy but after he realised that it is not getting him anywhere he stopped. Don't risk having a cat in your bedroom x

 

[Lucyboo]

We got a couple of the pet gates from Argos I think. They are taller than the standard babygate and although she can climb it it puts her off, also using a water spray when she came near our daughters bits at the start helped. Our cat was exactly how you described yours. Now she knows she is only allowed in the hallway and not the bedrooms, now dd is 2 and they are like the best of friends but still steers clear of the bedrooms. Good luck x

 

[Kimi89]

We have 3 cats who always slept in our bed every night. Toward the end of the pregnancy we put their blankets in the spare room on the bed and shut them out the room. They got used to it. When we bought the baby home they were very stand off ish for the first week or so and didn't want to be in our room anyway. Almost 3 weeks on they have no desire to be in our room at night lol.

 

[firstfreakout]

Ah see we've tried the closed bedroom door thing both living here and in OH's previous home but it just doesn't work. She is relentless and will scratch at the door for hours until let in. We had to put tape across all other closed doors in this flat as she'll scratch at those too, and she's since chilled with doing that because there's no one on the other side of it. Even just sitting in the bedroom with the door closed while OH is in the living room she'll scratch at it until she's let in... She doesn't like being shut away from us is probably the motivator there.

I know the closing her out of our bedroom wouldn't be an option, but would be for the nursery as the door has been closed through the pregnancy and we're not in there. It would also mean that her scratching would keep us awake and wake up the baby. And in this much pain and this far in the pregnancy I don't think I can cope with being kept awake with continuous scratching.

So basically although closing the door is the simplest option, it's not actually a viable one as it wouldn't work and I don't know if I can cope with going through weeks of trying to train her to not pine for us.
I guess we're pretty screwed either way, ha.

 

[millielaura]

She may be ok when baby comes! My cats are still a bit freaked out by my daughter over 7 months later. The first few weeks they freaked and wouldn't be near her. Now they sometimes go in her room during the day but they just sit on the windowsill and don't go in the cot. Before she came they were into absolutely all her things lol!!

 

[millielaura]

Btw I don't let them in there when she is in the cot lol xx

 

[Biker Dad]

I have a similar concern with mine. We have two ragdolls and the hair gets everywhere. Ive never been bothered by it before but now im having a child its became my biggest nightmare. having their hair trimed short at the groomers and will be brushing them daily to try and fight back the tide.
thankfully they're both quite timid and would run a mile from a baby.

 

[kumber]

Cats do not like babies, I can promise you that once baby is in the bed, personally I think it's unlikely the cat will go near and if she does you just keep taking her out, and plop her on the floor with a firm no. Failing that, spray her with water. BSH are very quick to learn, they're an intelligent breed, so I would start it with her now and she will pick it up even quicker when there's a noisy baby in the bed!

 

[firstfreakout]

She loves the carrycot on the pram at the moment. It's a perfect fit, she thinks. Whenever I'm in the nursery I'll leave the door open and she'll wander in and have a sniff of everything but if she jumps in anything I put her down with a firm NO and she'll run off. She's pretty good at doing as she's told, but really listens to OH more than me as I think it's a deeper voice thing!

I'm going to see how it goes in the first few days and then consider a net I think... I'm a terrible sleeper already and know that having a newborn makes for an anxious sleep anyway, so don't want to have to keep sleeping with one eye open because of the kitty too!

 

[Belfa]

I recon she'll keep her distance when the baby is born! My dogs have been fine with DS but they have learned that they are safer from grabby hands and noise if they keep their distance! x