Cats and babies+Intro

polynomz

Hi guys, my name is Hannah and this is my first post after lurking for quite a bit. Im a FTM due April 21st. Over the last week the excitement has been practically unbearable and I have been constantly on the forums trying to take in as much as I can. You guys usually give some sound advice and I love hearing about first hand experiences.

Anyways, Ive read alot about introducing dogs and babies and the do's and don'ts, but havent heard much about people with cats.I have two cats myself, one is older and very laid back and the other is about a year and a half but quite kittenish. I will say though, having nothing to do with the litter box has been a huge perk ;D

Sooo..how did your cats react when you brought baby home? May seem kind of silly but I seriously have no idea how cats react to babies. Any advice/experiences would be much appreciated!

Edited because I cant spell D;

Ahlome08

We have 3 cats, and the hospital recommended DH taking something the baby had worn home, while I was still in the hospital, to get them used to the smell. Also, my cats sniff him and stare from afar, but mostly, they want nothing to do with the wiggle worm. The only thing we have had to watch for more recently is one of our cats is more playful and she had recently tried batting at lo's feet when he is on the floor, so we keep her away during floor time. Also, because out cats like to jump on everything, we thought we'd have a problem with them trying to sleep with/ lay on baby, but, as I said before, they want nothing to do with him. We were actually kind of glad, since that was our biggest fear.

kearls227

My cat is 3 years old now and is very needy and affectionate. I didn't do anything really to prepare him (I was more concerned about preparing my 1.5 yo German shepherd lol). My cat seems to keep his distance though and doesn't seem to want much to do with LO. Sometimes when I'm holding LO, the cat will climb up on the couch and cuddle up next to us. I just make sure I keep the nursery door closed after I found kitty sleeping on the changing table and the door is always closed when LO is sleeping in crib in case God forbid the cat were to jump into the crib with him.

polynomz

Thanks for the input, really appreciate it. The lifetime of worrying has already begun :P

I think Ill set everything up way in advance and use my trusty squirt bottle to train the cats not to go near it. I dont want them to resent the baby, just the babys stuff lol
Ill take your advice on bringing home something that smells like the new baby beforehand. Hopefully my cats dont want anything to do with baby, but I suppose its always best to have precautions in place. Thanks again !

Cat&S

I have an 8 week old DD and four cats. They were really nervous and scared of her when she first came home, now they pretty much ignore her. They may occasionally sniff her head if DH or I is sitting down holding her, but that's about it. They are not interested in her stuff at all. I guess it smells like her and they all avoid it.

E&Me1010

My cat likes to sleep in anything comfy that the baby sleeps in when we leaves the house, which drives me insane cuz then I feel like I have to wash everything. Tin foil is the answer- she is afraid of it and it's harmless... You can tell too she has tried jumping in the crib and jumped right out by her paw prints on the foil. Good luck

roo1oo

My cat didn't care one bit when we brought LO home. In fact, he didn't seem to notice LO until he tried to jump in DH's lap one night and LO was there instead. He was an older, very laid back cat, also deaf so he never heard LOs cries. Cat just kinda looked at LO, sniffed him and then came to sit on my lap. As LO got older and more mobile the cat would seek out LO for attention. 

nilvero

I second the tinfoil. We put it on all the baby things before he came and she got freaked out.

My LO is almost ten weeks old. DH brought home his hat and she sniffed it. She will curl up next to us while we feed or hold the baby. She runs away whenever he cries. The only negative thing she does is if we haven't paid her much attention that day, she'll do something she doesn't normally do. Like jump on counters, scratch the rug, etc. the ASPCA has some good info on helping kitties get adjusted.

RedBaramid

We kept the nursery closed when we weren't home to hear them pull stupid stuff, then sprayed them with water when they did.  They don't mess with the crib or pnp anymore. (We have 2 cats, one is 3 the other is 5) When our LO came home one sniffed her right away, the other hid under the bed for a few hours until he felt like it was safe.  Both mostly ignored her the first week.  Both actively sought out attention a little more obviously than they did before she was brought home.

We are 6 weeks in now, and our younger cat is our babysitter. He MUST know where the baby is at all times, and sleeps in the recliner with us. He took a nap on the boppy next to her in my lap the other day and only left because she kicked his face accidentally (and by left I mean he went to the foot part of the recliner and slept there with one eye open on her). When she is gone for any length of time he sniffs her as soon as she gets home, and even looks for her when she spends the night at Grandma's house. He doesn't sleep on her, just near by her.  I'm not worried about him hurting her, he seems to like to keep a watchful distance.

Our older cat mostly ignores her.  He sniffs her from time to time, and will rub his face on her head to let us know she is his, but otherwise is content to just sit in whoever's lap the baby is not in.  All in all I think they have taken to her very well and am very happy with how things are going.