Getting pets ready

yogahh

Anyone else thinking about how the newest addition to the family is going to affect your current furry baby?

I started researching a bit yesterday, and figured no better time than the present, so playing baby crying sounds (you can find them on youtube) to get our cat adjusted. She actually doesn't seem phased by it at all! Maybe this will be easier than thought? She is a pretty laid back cat, but also very skittish, so I want to be sure to get her as ready as possible.

Just wondering what everyone else is doing? Any other tricks you know of?

And because I can't get enough of babies and cats!

kbrands7

When we had DS, my husband brought home the hat DS wore the first day for our dog to smell before we came home from the hospital. We also let pup outside before bringing our baby into the house so that DS was already in the house with us when our dog met him first (I realize this might not be an option for cats). The other thing we did was to encourage curious but gentle interactions with clicks and treats.

mariaalene

Didn't do anything special for the cats. One cat is very nice. He couldn't care less that the baby was there. The other cat is a jerk and bites and scratches. He just stays out of arms reach. So both cats really just mind their own business and don't bother with the baby. Maybe it's a dog thing. Oh but the nice cat would wake me up if she was crying in the night and he'd go check on her and stuff. He died :-(

joemunson

I'm not worried about my cat at all. He's very snugly and not reactive but he is shy so I'm convinced he'll hide for a few days.
Our dog is just a puppy so we've been (dorky I know!) talking to him about what he needs to be a big brother. He has a habit of jumping up and nipping your hands if you're holding them in front and we've been trying to break him of that. He's met babies and toddlers before and loves them.
I'm confident that pets know what a baby is and you always hear about them acting different once the baby comes.

Bltbear82

We actually played crying for our dog and he wasn't phased at all when DS came home. DH brought a blanket in the day prior so he could sleep with it, and I got down on the floor with him so he could smell the baby on me and he went from me, to the car seat and back and forth making the connection.

I have to say though, once DS was mobile the dog was less thrilled. Still working on it. DS is obsessed with the dog; the dog could care less unless DS is eating. I know once DS is less frantic they'll be best friends.

TheThornBird

Ooooo I'm a dog trainer so I can help with this! I'm out of town for the weekend but will write up a long post on how to get ready this week. If anyone has any specific questions- ask away!

sincerelymom

Ok, I was totally planning on doing the baby smell blanket thing... But has anyone see the YouTube video where it makes the dog puke?

I'm actually worried about my dog being scared of the baby since he's scared of pretty much everything new.

AStar86

I have a yorkie and he is not a fan of kids. Their sudden movements freak him out. So, when we came home from the hospital with my first, we kept him in his car seat and set him in the middle of the living room. Then I carried my dog to the car seat and let him sniff to his heart's content. I think the only other kid he spent an excessive amount of time with was my niece and my SIL hates dogs, so every time my dog would try to sniff my niece, my SIL would freak out. Once my dog was done smelling the new baby, the only issue we really had was making sure he didn't jump up on me when I was feeding the baby. For the most part, my son and my dog stay clear of each other. My son has a tendency to love a little too much.

KKMalinowski

I'm concerned that our dogs ALWAYS want to be right on top of me. Hoping the big belly is a good transition. Right now my dog is EXTRA clingy and even sleeps on my husbands pillow during the day when I'm asleep. It's not so cute considering his size!

kmd0501

@TheThornBird I need to pick your brain!!

We have a 6yo female pitbull who LOVES kids and babies. She's always been around my cousins babies when they were born and I have no worries about her. We so have an almost 3yo male pitbull/Great Dane who is just anxious about life! He constantly needs attention, to be rubbed, scratched, held. And if he doesn't get it, he'll take it and just lay right on you (78lbs is a lot of dog to have in your face). DH is worried about how he'll adapt. Any and ALL advice will be taken seriously. He is my baby and I want to make sure this a great experience for all of us!

Cassandramariec

We have a 3 year old cat and she's been the center of our attention since she was bitty. We've managed to train her with a few things (I'm a behavior therapist for autistic children, but the psychology is much more broad and is applicable to adults, pets, other kids, etc.) When we have baby paraphernalia available, we will start training her to stay off/out of the crib and so on, but I think a lot will be about wait and see. Who knows. We may discover she finds pacifiers to be the BEST TOYS EVER or there may be some other curiousity that is not acceptable, but you can only foresee so much. We will train as needs arise. We aren't worried about violence-- if she ever scratches us, it's only by accident when she's in a spazzy mood and runs over our foot or something similar. She's super bonded and affectionate with us, and I'm confident we can help her adjust to and bond with the baby too.

mrstmoose

Our two dogs are super sweet but we plan on working with them once there is baby stuff in the house. Our main "concern" will be our Husky, her kennel is currently in what will be the nursery so we will have to move her and get her adjusted. I am thinking we will do this when we are around 5-6 months along to get her adjusted way before LO gets here. She also gets hyper and runs through the house so we will have to stop that. She is very loving, but she's a Husky, and she's hyper. Our Shepard mix is sweet and pretty mellow so no concerns with that (she's also almost 7 while the Husky is 3). 

I've heard of this book called Good Dog, Happy Baby, which I think we are going to buy and use.

allen4tl

My cat hates children. She is terrified of them, hides, and will hiss at them. I am not sure what to do to with her. I am hoping she adjusts to a baby as it would devastate me if she is miserable and scared all the time. She is very loving towards me and my husband but skittish around others.

yogahh

A tip for those with dogs that jump- I keep reading to carry a doll around the house. That way, they get used to something being in your arms and you can train them not to jump when you are holding baby.

mariaalene

allen4tl said:

My cat hates children. She is terrified of them, hides, and will hiss at them. I am not sure what to do to with her. I am hoping she adjusts to a baby as it would devastate me if she is miserable and scared all the time. She is very loving towards me and my husband but skittish around others.

She might be scared at first but babies don't move around so she will have many months to realize that baby can't get her and get comfortable around the baby.