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August 2011 Moms
Cat Owners
I have a cat that isn't fixed or declawed and an inside cat. I'm going to try and get her fixed and declawed before LO's born so I don't have any worries. But do any of you moms have inside cats that AREN'T fixed or declawed? Do you foresee any problems with LO? Also, I have had the HARDEST time keeping this cat out of the crib. She just treats it like her new bed. I'm nervous this is going to be a problem once LO gets here.
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Re: Cat Owners
OMG please don't declaw your cat!!!! Fixed, yes, but please don't declaw. The thought of that just breaks my heart. We have two fixed and fully clawed cats and I'm not worried at all. We have scratching posts - they use those. They have never, ever tried to claw anything other than that or the carpet. Even when they swat at the dogs, their claws are retracted. And they have swatted our puppy a LOT. No bloody noses yet.
How old is your cat? My friends has two cats who were always in the crib and pack n play before they had their baby, and after she arrived, they never went in again. Not sure how normal that is, but they like to jump in empty boxes - not boxes with other things (babies) in them. They sell guard rails you can put on the crib to keep the cat out, but I'm honestly not worried at all. I doubt in the beginning I will be very far from LO when she is sleeping, crib or not, so I can keep an eye on the cats.
These sound just like our cats. They do claw the carpet and the edge of the couch, but never the sheets, pillows, or anything else that belongs to us. I set up the cradle yesterday and the cats were definitely investigating, but they have already lost interest. We had a friend come over with their 2 month old and the cats didn't go near him. They smelled his bouncy seat when he was not in it and as soon as he was, they ignored it completely. I wouldn't worry about the cats' claws unless they claw you and other people. If they don't then I see no reason why they would do anything to hurt the baby. And as far as fixing goes... I think that is a good idea because you don't want spraying to happen if they get jealous.
I think getting your cat fixed is always a smart decision, but please do not have your cat declawed. That is horrible and not necessary. You will have to supervise your cat and baby, but that's not a reason to have her fingernails ripped off.
As for keeping her out of the crib, one thing you can try is to line the crib with tin foil for a little while. I've heard that to be 50/50 in it's effectiveness for turning off your cat (something about most of them hating how it feels under their paws).
i have 3 cats. all are fixed, none are declawed. i'm honestly not worried about them scratching anything. the oldest one takes to the carpet every once in a while, but i have area rugs only, so if he really goes to town, i can just replace them. obviously, i don't encourage that behavior. i have a HUGE kitty-condo and try to keep them clipped. my youngest will scratch if you get his belly. i plan to train the kid more than the cat to stay away from each other. i think a kid would be easier to train than my stubborn cats.
as for the crib. close the door. that's the only way i can keep my one cat out of the crib. i worry about the bassinet though because that will be on the 1st floor with me during the day so that i don't have to go up and down the stairs to tend to a crying baby. i have no idea how i'll keep them out of there. but if they jump in, i'll just pull them out. i don't worry about them clawing LO if they do get it there though. it isn't like they're constantly in attack mode. they jump up, i pluck them off, and then repeat over and over i'm sure!
GL!
I have 3 cats. All are fixed. None are declawed. I would place your priority on neutering/spaying.
To answer your questions- I don't foresee any probs with them and the baby. Two of them will prob stay away, and the third will just "hang out" around the baby like he does with my DH and I. As far as the crib, if you don't want her in it then place aluminum foil on the crib mattress. When she jumps in, she will be so startled she'll unlikely go back. Or keep the door shut to the room.
this.
We never even used soft claws until one of our cats recently started scratching the furniture.
Not to mention, we've worked with DD on gentle touches from the moment she became mobile. If she's too rough with the cat and DOES end up getting scratched, it's a lesson learned. Most cats don't just scratch a person for the heck of it.
Also, if you DO declaw now, you're just asking for big time behavior issues.
Yet another vote for NOT declawing your cat. Please do the research on what that entails - it's a horrible inhumane procedure. We have 2 fixed but clawed cats. They are Siamese which means SUPER active - jumping from the floor to the fridge (although calming down now that they are 9 y.o.). They also have very sharp claws that I trim every month or so, but even with that of course - they are sharp. We knew they would never claw the baby though since they are so friends.
Look into a product called crib-tent. Because they are jumpers we did keep them out of the nursery for DS#1 but we put a small-size crib-tent on the PnP which we have in the living room - this way they can't jump inside (and by accident land on him or something).
My DS#1 is 3 now and if anything he occasionally terrorizes them (despite us teaching him to be super gentle from when he was a baby) but we've never had a single issue.
I have 2 cats. One is 15 the other is 2.. My older cat has ALWAYS been afraid of DS#1 since he was born almost 5 years ago. Our baby kittty? She loves to get into EVERYTHING. I despise closed doors in my home so we opted this time around to get a crib tent.
https://www.amazon.com/Tots-Mind-Cozy-Crib-White/dp/B00014PLAY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305474282&sr=8-1
PLEASE PLEASE do not declaw your kitties! First it is the SAME as someone amputating your fingers to the first knuckle..Its really unnecessary and inhumane. 2nd, they become defensless should they get out of the home.. you wouldnt want that. With some training and activities for the kitties to do, they should be fine.
When we first got home from the hospital last time. I went into the house first..Picked up the kitty and greeted him.. THEN my husband and the baby came in.. we sat the baby on the floor (in his carseat) and gave the cat a chance to smell and explore. Like I said, he has been scared of him since we brought him home..
Because declawing a cat is like cutting off fingers at the first knuckle, many cats will no longer use a litter box once declawed because of how terribly uncomfortable it is for them to stand on litter. You'll be asking for inappropriate peeing issues among other potential behavior problems for your cat to declaw him.
Spay/nueter your cat b/c that's something anyone who owns a cat should do. But do not declaw. Do you realize declawing is illegal in many areas of the US b/c of how inhumane, unnecessary and horrid it is?
We have two cats - 5 years old. They've been fixed since they were physically able/old enough to be. They have claws. They've never hurt anyone, and I'm not worried they will. We started closing the doors to the back of the house (where the nursery is) a few months ago to get them used to it...they meowed at the doors and tapped on it at night (wanting to be back with us in our bed, not even the nursery) for one or two nights, but now they sleep comfortably in one of their two cat towers (great as scratching towers!) or curled up together on the couch all night long without any trouble. Closing the doors to the back of the house has not been a major issue.
Please fix but do not declaw your cat.
I'm with everyone else on not declawing your cat!
We used soft claws for years when we lived in apartments. They are easy to use and don't bother the cats at all. They shed right off when they shed the nail.
We will either close the baby's door or try the crib tent for keeping cats out of the crib.
This.
I'll never declaw any of my cats ever again. I have one now that is declawed and 2 that aren't. My vet office will trim their claws for free if I bring them in. Takes just a couple minutes.
You could trim your cat's claws yourself, but you have to do it just right or it can cause bleeding and pain. There's plenty of information online on how to do it properly.
It's a good idea to get your cat fixed. It actually, for some reason, prolongs their life span. All my cats are fixed, healthy, and happy. I'm sure they will be in hiding once the baby comes, though!
I had no idea it is. That's unbelievable but understandable.
And thanks everyone for the advice! I never thought of it in the way everyone has described, I just knew everyone in my family did with theirs so it was an option I just assumed. The only thing I had thought about that had me thinking about it was how nervous it makes me if she gets out of the house and can't defend herself. I definitely won't be getting her declawed. I'm glad I posted this.
And as for getting her fixed, I'm definitely planning to do it soon, I was mainly just wondering if in the beginning it would be an issue if I had to wait up to a couple of months after the baby was born. I know it's the responsible thing to do as an owner and I've been wanting to since I got her, I just was given her from their owner who never got her any shots or fixed and haven't been able to afford it since I got her. It was get her or she gets put on the street--so I took her.
Thanks for the advice!!!!
I'm glad you've decided not to declaw though...I'm sure your kitty will welcome your baby lovingly!!
the tin foil and spray bottle thing doesn't work for all cats. you've been warned. my little one LIKES the sound of the foil. and he's been sprayed so many times that now he just sits there and winces. i end up with a wet cat running around my house. of course it probably doesn't help that i bath my cats. don't bath them if you want them to be scared of water.
try a super soaker. I'm not kidding. We have a cat that didn't react at all to the spray bottle. Probably because she was a stray and was used to the rain. But she HATES the super soaker. We just have to go hold it and she stops the behavior now.