Pets and babies?

ErikandAfton

Is anyone else having issues with their pets with the upcoming arrival of your baby? 

Our cat has always had issues anytime things change with me. He gets mad and pees on my laundry or anything I leave out. I went to do laundry this morning and he had jumped into our tall baskets and peed all over my clothes. Dh is done. We are going to send him to Dh's parents to be an outside cat. I am heart broken. We've had him 7 years. And this behavior just gets worse anytime things change. 

Anyone else having issues? 

cgss11

Ugh, cats peeing are tough. We've had dog issues, but we think it's more related to moving. We've moved a lot with no issue though. But now I'm concerned about when the baby is here. She's been using the house as her toilet.

So far our solution is basically puppy boot camp. She has to be crated when we're not home, shut in our bedroom at night, and lots of trips outside. It's working for now. I'm not sure if we'll start leaving her out again or not. I'm included to just keep crating, even though she's 8 and I feel bad. We will have to watch her very closely when the baby is here because of her size (150 pound English Mastiff), but there's not much we can do to prepare for that now. 

ashleaf2018

@cgss11 My parents have always crate trained their dog, I honestly wouldn't feel too bad about it. I can see where you would if it's not something you've always done but it really has a lot of benefits for their dog. Their dog gets very skittish around strangers and she will always go lay in her kennel on her own if she is nervous or uncomfortable. It gives her a space that she feels safe in and where she feels like no one will bother her. So it may end up being really beneficial for your dog besides the fact that the house is no longer her toilet.

@ErikandAfton That makes me so sad to read. FI and I have two cats that we love dearly and I worry about how they'll act once the baby is here. We haven't had any issues so far except that they like to sleep on the shelves of our changing table. Lol I worry that they'll be aggressive towards the baby because they are aggressive towards other animals. Not towards people so much but they've never been around anyone under the age of 10. So I can't really know what to expect of them with a baby. I'd feel even worse if they were totally fine behavior wise and baby ended up being allergic For the most part we are just paying extra attention to them and trying to notice behavioral changes, but I know they may not act any differently until there's actually a baby here.

paulpaw

We have a cat that spite pees, but only on hubbys stuff haha. Ironically, it's only since I've been pregnant and hubby has been on litter duty. I suspect she misses me scooping daily. Has your hubby been on litter duty and slacking? Cats are jerks but I'm a dog person so don't listen to me. 

We we also have a puppy, he will be 1 in November and he occasionally has accidents but they are rare. He's my baby and I worry about his adjustment with human baby coming. Hopefully they will end up best friends! He has been more clingy within the last month but I couldn't say it's pregnancy related.

Knottie25816533

I have 2 dogs who are 12yrs old.  Not really sure how they are going to act.  Will just keep a close eye on them. They are little guys. Only about 20lbs but will still keep baby in swing or play pen when not in room.  No experience with a cat but is there any other options? To go from an inside cat to an outside cat at 7yrs old seems to sad/cruel to me.  I'm my opinion! Maybe rehome to someone who could keep it indoors if that's what cat is use to.  I have neighbors who have outdoor cats and it drives me crazy that they practically have to fend for themselves. So I keep food and water on my porch for 5 cats. Ugh!  Again just my opinion! 

sourlemon

We have 3 pretty large dogs  (55-70 pounds). One dog was glued to me as soon as I was pregnant  (even before I knew) with my first. We predicted that she would be the baby protector and she was fantastic until the baby was about 1.5 and started getting a little rough. We watch all the dogs closely around the kiddo and all 3 have been better than I expected. 

The same dog has been glued to me again so we will see. She gets a little territorial around the baby's room and will growl at the other dogs if they try to go in  (both babies rooms). I'm hoping things go smooth again. 

No idea about cats but for our dogs we brought home a burp rags and onsie from the hospital the day before we brought the baby home. We will do the same thing this time too. 

Lisa3379

I have two Miniature Schnauzers, 7 and 9 yrs old. One is totally fine with kids, and one is neurotic. However, she's perfect around people she knows are family, so my hope is that she'll realize that this tiny person is not going anywhere, is someone that Mom and Dad really love, and she'll take our cues and be good. She may even get protective over the baby, who knows. 

I think what we'll do when the baby gets here is very gradually introduce them all. They don't need him shoved in their face right away. Also, it's super important to me to make sure they still get love and attention. My boyfriend has a month off when the baby gets here, and I told him that one of his big jobs will be to walk the dogs as much as possible during that time. Also, his parents will probably be in town for a few days or a week after the birth, so there will be plenty of people to pay attention to them. 

ErikandAfton

Thanks all.

@Knottie25816533
He was actually a ferrel kitten we rescued when he was Itty bitty from ILS property. He wasn't a marker until he got mad at me for going to work. Dh and I feel that even if we rehomed him he would have the same issues. So I don't want to do that to him or someone else. He loves being outside. It's just not safe for him where we live because of all the cars. I do truly feel awful about it. But at this point Dh and I feel like he will be happy and loved there. The have a covered porch and he can hang out there and explore and hunt when he wants. 

@LandJ13
I thought that too but Dh has always done the littler box and stats pretty on top of it. 

@cgss11
 We crate our dogs during the day when we aren't home. They actually have gotten to the point they love it. I wish you luck!

kbduke

We have the same worries about our pup. He's an almost two year old boxer pit mix. He's a little sweetheart who loves to cuddle but he's also still all puppy. We have been trying to work with him but he still jumps and can get carried away.

Austenista

I have three dogs and two cats. My dogs are two 15 pound shih-tzus and 7 pound Maltese mix. My cats are two big fluffy 15 pounders that we've had since we were married. They're six, tzu's are a half year apart but currently both 5, and the littlest is almost 4. I crate my dogs at night, and don't give them access to the house outside of the living room/kitchen/dining room that's all one big space. I keep a gate in the hallway that has a swinging door that we simply pull up on to open and push back down to close if we need to go down the hall. 

My female cat spite poops, which I prefer to peeing because easier clean up. I did away with carpet completely in the house when we renovated and only have one big area rug that my dogs don't have accidents on because that's where they lay. As for my cats? They'll probably be annoyed, but I'm not really worried about them. We've brought three dogs home one at a time since we have had them and they have always eventually adjusted. My boy cat isn't a fan of children, but my feelings are that he doesn't have to be. If I need to I will get the boy his own kitten if he wants a cat to play with and can't leave the big cats alone. 

My dogs are tolerant to a point with kids. The littlest usually starts to get impatient with all the holding and snuggling because she looks like a puppy and is usually the child favorite. One of my tzu's is the chillest most patient ever and I'm planning on telling Eaton that he's his dog to encourage him to want to play with him the most. They'll probably be good buddies. I expect I will be doing a lot of training with the boy about respecting animals. In the end I think that will be good for him. 

Most importantly, I just don't have a lot of expectations about the dogs and cats being super friends with the kiddo. They're our pets and so mutual respect will be expected, but if they're not huge fans of one another I'm going to be fine with that as long as no one is getting hurt, bitten, or abused. I feel we will figure it all out as we navigate the journey of adding a child to the mix. It's going to be impossible to completely predict how it will go with all of us. I have high hopes we will be just fine though. 

tinattt23

We've also crated our dog since she was an itty bitty puppy. We recently stayed at my parents house for almost two weeks. They have two dogs. We kept finding my dog asleep in her crate during the day. I think it was her safe place to get some peace from the other dogs. It made me feel pretty good about our choice to crate train her years ago. 

As far as the baby goes, I'm not real worried about it. She's an excited jumper but only on other people, never us. So I'm not worried she'll jump on the baby because she'll be used to him. 

allicat89

I have had to rehome an animal before, and it is tough! For us, it was the best decision we could have made though. If we had kept our lab-mix, the dog would have been miserable and neurotic, and we would have been miserable and resentful. I know a lot of people believe that if you adopt an animal you have to keep it forever or you are a terrible human, but I am just not in that camp. If the relationship isn't working, you have a responsibility to find a better situation for the animal, but you don't have to be a martyr and keep an animal who isn't a good fit for your family. It sounds like you have done right by your kitty, OP! He will probably be much happier at your in-laws house.

Also, one unsolicited opinion (because as a pregnant lady I am sure you don't get enough of those!): if your cat is going to live outside, think about tying a bell around his neck. Cats can be really destructive to bird populations, and a bell can keep their kill rates down. Or if you don't want to get a bell, you can buy your cat one of these ridiculous scrunchy collars:https://www.birdsbesafe.com 

I have no idea if a cat would actually put up with that contraption, but the pictures are hilarious!  Unsolicited opinion over! Good luck, OP!

Edited: minor wording 

AMack1216

We have an almost 10yo boxer who is calm with adults she is familiar with but is over the top excited when she meets new people. She is fine with my nieces and nephews but the youngest is 5 and she didn't have access to them as newborns. My plan is to never leave her in a situation where she could accidentally hurt the baby. It's going to be a transition for her just as much as us and it's going to take time. I'm hoping that after a few days she will just ignore her baby brother.

karmba

We have an 8 year old 60lb dog and cats that are 9 and 10.  The dog has been around babies/small children before.  If they walk, usually she'll knock them over once then they cry and she'll never do it again haha.  The only time we've had an issue with her is with my friends daughter who laughed then the dog kept knocking her over because she thought it was a game.  My main concern with her is that she could become over protective.

The cats are a different story.  The female cat has been known to spite poop before.  Usually it's just once and then she's made her point.  My biggest issue with both cats will be keeping them out of the baby's things.  I don't want them in the crib, or even in the nursery in general but I also don't want to have to keep the door closed all days.  If anyone has any ideas with this - I'm all ears.

We're lucky that the baby is a boy - because we call the dog "pretty girl" and the female cat "sweet baby girl" a LOT.  I'm sure if we were having a daughter that would slip out a few times and confuse them!

sammyl1221

I'm sorry you have to get rid of your cat! That's really heartbreaking. We have a 95 lb black lab who is a big mush. My only concern is that he is obsessed with my husband. If I'm hugging him he comes right next to us and jumps on us or if DH is sitting next to me he needs to be on the other side of him. I've been reading a lot about dogs and newborns. Obviously we won't leave the two alone. My dog also doesn't go upstairs so he won't be in her room which is good. I'll have someone bring home her hat so he can smell her. I also read just to have the couple,newborn, and dog home when they meet... Too many people, too much chaos. Also to have treats so when he greets her and is good he gets a treat from her so he automatically assumes she's good. 


@karmba I agree with the name calling! We have a male dog and call him baby boy all the time lol if we were having a boy I definitely think there would be confusion. 

R0824H

That is so unfortunate to hear, I'm sorry OP We have a 6 months old kitten right now (my loving furbaby of 17 passed away suddenly in May and DH and I just couldn't take the emptiness in our home). I'm hoping he doesn't change or get aggressive, I'm trying to take the time to let him in the nursery with me when I'm in there and I take as much time to play with him as possible.

BenNSarah

I am in the same boat.  My cat is 7 years and over the last few years has begun to spite poop and spite pee with every change in our home.  My DH is over it (it was my cat before we got married, DH is convinced the cat hates him).  My bigger problem is that I don't have a sense of smell.  So if the cat were to pee on the babies blankets or clothes, I may not realize if it was dry and put it on the poor baby.  I can't risk that.  It has continually gotten worse over the last few months.  He has moved outdoors except at night where he stays in the basement.  He seems to like it but after DH cleaned the basement this weekend and found more pee we are pretty much looking for a new home.  The cat still snuggles constantly and likes to lie on my belly but I just think he would do better off if he were the only animal in a home.  He would be a great old lady/old man cat   I have cried over this many times so I feel you on that!

We also have a 3 year old lab (which was one of the big triggers for my poor cat)  She is still all puppy and jumps way too much on new people.  She does not use a crate anymore but we do seclude her in the kitchen when we are not home or busy so she doesn't destroy our house or furniture so that will continue.  I am very nervous about her getting over excited about the baby but my friend just sent me this article and I think it will be very helpful with introducing her to the baby. 

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/dogs-and-babies

phoenix870509

We have a 4 year old lab and he is just a bundle of energy. He's been around kids and babies for short periods of time, but he gets excited when they run because he thinks they're playing with him so he jumps. He also jumps when someone picks up a child from off the floor. So we need to correct him when that happens. Other than that, he just sniffs and licks them. We have a plan to introduce him to the baby so I think we're good. Just need to get his jumping under control.

KatieJo1205

I have a 4 year old pug.  He is totally my baby and a lap dog.  If I am sitting, he is on top of me.  He is either completely oblivious to the fact that I am pregnant or doesn't care as he is always trying to step on my bump to get himself into a more comfortable position.  Poor guy is going to have a rude awakening when this baby gets here and he can't just step on top of her or push her out of the way to get on my lap.  I think that will be our biggest challenge with him.  Once he is used to her then it will be a matter of keeping him from trying to lay on/cuddle with her until she is big enough!  I have a three year old niece and a two year old nephew and he is always really good with them so I'm not too concerned.

swhiddon33

Oh that stinks. Are you sure you can't wait to see how cat actually behaves once baby arrives? There is likely to be an adjustment period but it may end up ok in the end. I have known friends and family members who have sent their pets for retraining classes at older ages when they show unusual signs of disobedience. They have all worked out REALLY WELL and with zero regret. Consider those maybe before jumping the gun, if your cat is worth it to you! 

We have an 8 year old husky/lab who is so entrenched in our family that I can't fathom not trying everything to adjust him, should things get wacky. So far he has had no behavior issues. He is up my @$$ all the time now but that's not greatly different than the norm haha. He hasn't been around many kids, and none under toddler age, but we aren't worried. Not gonna borrow that trouble until we have to. 

jandd2014

I'm sorry you have to get rid of your cat! My cousin had to get rid of her dog when her son was born and I know how hard that was for her.
We have a chocolate lab who will be six next month and a little mutt dog who will be one year old around Christmas. They are indoor/outdoor dogs- when we are home they are usualy inside with us but they are outside when we are not home. They sleep in our room at night, and the little one sleeps on the bed with me and likes to sit with me/on me when I'm on the couch.
DH and I are trying to decide on what rules we want to start putting in place now for when the baby gets here. Some of the ones we have talked about are no more dog toys in the house (we really didn't have many inside anyways, but we dont want them to chew on the baby's toys) and the little dog has to sleep by my feet on the bed (instead of curled up next to my stomach, where the baby might be if I'm feeding in bed).Other things we have started doing is unpacking some of the baby care stuff (diapers, wipes, lotions) and letting them smell it as much as possible, when we're in the baby's room they need to be laying down, DH has stopped rough play with them, and I've had to stop calling my puppy "baby dog".  Hopefully by starting some of these now, they will have an easier time when Baby comes. Like others have mentioned, DH also plans to bring home things that smell like Baby before we actually bring her home.

Blockfour

I'm sorry about your cat. I feel like mine has gotten more loving and snugglie. She has been playing like a kitten which is very odd for her. We adopted her at three years old two years ago. We will see how she likes it when the baby is born. That might be another story...

On another note, we have several red-tail boas. Our largest is seven feet and weighs 22 pounds. MIL keeps harping on about them being dangerous to the baby. While yes, accidents happen, it's not like we aren't careful. I mean, the cat hasn't gotten eaten yet.  

Austenista

@blockfour: I feel like mine has gotten more loving and snugglie.

Mine too. I was having an anxiety fueled cry the other day and he came out of nowhere and climbed in my lap and loved and loved on me, trying to make me feel better. It was so sweet, he's a good boy. 

brittnic86

Awww I'm sorry about your cat =(

We have three cats, who probably spend equal amounts of time inside and out. They've been sniffing around the baby stuff, taking naps in swings lol. But I haven't noticed them doing anything strange.

We also have two very large dogs. Wiley (RIP =( ) and Rusty have been around DH's niece before, and were great. Wiley was 89 pounds, and Rusty is 98 pounds, and even with a toddler running around they never knocked her over. When she was really little and crying, they'd sit by her and look really concerned. So I'm sure that Rusty, almost 3, will be just fine. When Wiley passed, we adopted a rescue dog, Owen, 1.5 years old, who's 70 pounds. The shelter said he's great with kids....but he's also very tall and still has a lot of puppy in him. So I guess we'll see how he does.

acreight13

Sorry about your cat - sounds like you made the best decision you could.

Here's a tip for people with dogs that we got from a nurse when I had my DS two years ago. She said to have someone bring home a baby blanket from the hospital, like one of the kind of yucky ones that they first wrap him/her in when she is delivered before you head home so your dogs know the smell. Worked great for our husky and she was in love with DS the second he came home even though she'd never been around babies. 

princesslockness

I was really worried about bringing L home last year. Kowboy, the minpin mix is really protective of me, to the point of letting H know if he spoke too loudly/harshly.

Well we brought home a blanket we got special for L to use in the hospital then to become Kowboy's new bedding. He snuggles right in and life was great.

Dally, pomchi, we never worried about. She has fast become L's favorite. They will both play with L and he can snuggle them both.

those with dogs, I highly recommend having a safe, baby proof, place for the dogs. Once LO starts being mobile they need to be able to get away whe. They have had enough.

ErikandAfton

@swhiddon33
 I wish we could. The issue is the cat has done this for years anytime anything changes with me. Since April it has gotten progressively worse. I am heart broken over having to make this decision but MIL and Dh keep reminding me that I'll see him every time we visit ILS and that he will be happy there. 

RatsPJ

ErikandAfton said:

@swhiddon33
 I wish we could. The issue is the cat has done this for years anytime anything changes with me. Since April it has gotten progressively worse. I am heart broken over having to make this decision but MIL and Dh keep reminding me that I'll see him every time we visit ILS and that he will be happy there. 

Have you talked to your vet about this marking issue? I'm a vet and I've got lots of patients on Prozac for that reason and those patients didn't need to get rehomed. My current cat has a history of urinary issues as well, so with any major change like moving, etc, I put him on happy meds and it keeps us all happier. Something to consider trying before giving him the boot!