Do any of you have cats indoors?

lmp76 · June 2011

I have a indoor only cat. This is my first child at 35. Have any of you tried the crin tent? How do you keep cat from getting in crib or bassinet? (please understand we are not getting rid of the cat....that's not a option right now).

lmp76 · June 2011

Sorry **crib tent**

nikkirenee81 · June 2011

We just keep her door shut when she is in her crib. Because we needed to have the door shut we got a monitor with video- which is now a must for us!

BettyBookworm · June 2011

I've never tried it (don't have a kid yet) but honestly the screaming, smelly infant would be the last thing my cats would want crawl in next to* & explore. When in doubt close the door and use the baby monitor? I think its an old wives tale that cats will sleep on the baby & possibly suffocate him/her.

I wouldn't worry too much about it.

ETA: I realized that it sounded weird up there.

c_washington · June 2011

are you talking about an empty crib? Our vet told us to just put a sheet over the crib once we got it set up before baby gets here. Once baby is here, she said our cat will most likely avoid that area if baby is there crying.

rockchalkbride · June 2011

We always keep the door shut.

l_herron · June 2011

We have 2 indoor cats that are permanent residences in our home. I have not started researching too extensively yet, but I have heard there are screens (I think??) that you can put in the doorway that keeps the cats out of the room completely. I think this would be a better option for us since our cats are "pee-ers" and although we have it under control with Feliway diffusers, they don't need the temptation.

ETA: Something similar to this. I read reviews about people using it to keep cats out of baby's room and it's highly recommended by users.

https://www.secretscreen.com/product_list.phtml

babes12 · June 2011

shut the nursery door. We never had an issue w/ it at all.

lmp76 · June 2011

Thks !! appreciate it!

Broadway1 · June 2011

I have four indoor cats and they are love bugs. I will definitly look into one of the crib tents, they seem like a great option. Thanks for the post!

manbearpig31610 · June 2011

We have 2 cats and we've never even had to shut the door. They just aren't interested. Before DD was born they would go in there and sleep in the crib or on the changing table but since we brought her home they completely avoid that side of the house.

helloshannon · June 2011

l_herron:
We have 2 indoor cats that are permanent residences in our home. I have not started researching too extensively yet, but I have heard there are screens (I think??) that you can put in the doorway that keeps the cats out of the room completely. I think this would be a better option for us since our cats are "pee-ers" and although we have it under control with Feliway diffusers, they don't need the temptation.
ETA: Something similar to this. I read reviews about people using it to keep cats out of baby's room and it's highly recommended by users.
https://www.secretscreen.com/product_list.phtml

that is awesome! i was thinking about how great it would be to have a screen door there and now i can do it! thanks for the link

jbrichman · June 2011

We have 1 cat......that has been our "kid" until now! I'm going to just keep the door shut and get an audio/video monitor. I also read some good reviews on Feliway, too. So we'll probably invest in that. I'm not afraid of him laying on the baby, but I'm more worried about how all the adjusting will go! I think he'll run as soon as baby cries!

mbgreenwalt · June 2011

I believe crib tents are going the way of drop side cribs, not recommended. We have 3 cats who tried to take up residence in DD's crib. We started keeping her door shut, but we put tin foil in her crib so if they did get in it would freak the out. We keep our cats confined to the lower level at night so we can keep her room open while she sleeps.

My mom put one of those cheap wood frame screen doors on my bedroom when I was in infant. Her cat would try to get in and pee in my crib.

meangieman · June 2011

I know I have actually read somewhere that those are not recommended anymore so I would do a little research before I go buying one

We have never once had a problem with our 2 cats ever wanting to be in the crib with DD and we never shut the door...before we had DD we just made sure that the cats knew the crib was off limits by shooing them out or spraying them with a water bottle...HTH and GL!!

CakeBatter · June 2011

We have 3 cats, but only 1 capable of jumping in the crib. Before DD was born, we set the crib up and lined the top of the mattress with tinfoil - they supposedly hate the noise and texture so he learned to keep off it. Door was always shut when DD was in there, and I never noticed "evidence" (cat hair) that he was in her crib when the door was opened.

lmp76 · June 2011

thks for all the posts and recommendations My concern is, our cat has always slept with us. When the baby gets here, I want her to sleep in our room for awhile, but I'm afraid the cat will want to sleep next the her cause of the warmth. May just have to start her out in the crib and shut the door and have monitors

chuckiep · June 2011

mbgreenwalt:

I believe crib tents are going the way of drop side cribs, not recommended. We have 3 cats who tried to take up residence in DD's crib. We started keeping her door shut, but we put tin foil in her crib so if they did get in it would freak the out. We keep our cats confined to the lower level at night so we can keep her room open while she sleeps.

My mom put one of those cheap wood frame screen doors on my bedroom when I was in infant. Her cat would try to get in and pee in my crib.

Putting tape around the edges of the crib will help train them too, if you have an issue with them wanting in the crib even when the baby's not in there. They hate sticky feet!

amberdrabik · June 2011

I was wondering about this too! We have a sweet, but extremely curious and playful cat who I'm sure would be difficult to keep out of the nursery.

Meow71 · June 2011

we have two cats. we never did anything to keep the cats out of the crib or pack and play, and they never went in them. maybe its cause i tried to lock them in the crib before the baby was born during a cat torture session. I found my cat sleeping on the boppy once.

i know they say a cat could lay on the baby and suffocate it, or take up the babys air by breathing in their face, or give them diseases. but really, youre going to be with the baby almost 24/7, and the cat is probably going to be afraid of the baby because of all the crying.

one of my cats used to do this weird thing where she would go behind his crib and meow really loud. idk if she wanted attention or what. she also used to guard DS while he was sleeping and meow if anyone came into his room.

also, i had my cats tested for toxoplasmosis when i found out i was preg, and one of my cats has it. i stayed away from her, but i still pet her once in a while. i was careful to wash my hands and not let her saliva or nose get on me.

+diana82+ · June 2011

My cat is a PITA but she only ever got in DS's crib once. We also kept the door shut to the nursery when weren't around but she wasn't that interested in going in - she's not really "allowed" in any of the bedrooms, at least at night, because of my allergies anyway.

rkrichey · June 2011

I was wondering the same thing. We have two cats, one is too fat to make the jump up to the crib so no problem there. lol The other is extremely curious and a really good jumper. I actually just read in a parenting magazine that the new guidelines say that crib tents are suffocation risks so they're not recommended along with bumpers. We put the crib up really early to try and teach the cats that it's off limits. Good luck!

katykat17 · June 2011

We have 2 girls already and 5 indoor cats. Recently I have caught one of our kitties in both the crib and twin bed while DD's are sleeping. At night she sleeps with me but I guess before I get to bed she is looking for anything warm to snuggle up to.

So far it hasn't happened often, and NEVER happened before DD's were mobile so I'm not concerned, we just move her out if we catch her in the crib, leave her in the twin bed with older DD (2) if she's not up trying to sleep by her face.

tetedefromage · June 2011

I'm just planning to keep the door closed. I have 4 cats, and the youngest is crazy hyper and has to get into everything, so I know he'd be up in the crib! And he's a heavy boy....14lbs last time I checked, so I sure don't want him to jump up there and land on baby.

LuvMyFurbaby · June 2011

Meow71:

i know they say a cat could lay on the baby and suffocate it, or take up the babys air by breathing in their face, or give them diseases. but really, youre going to be with the baby almost 24/7, and the cat is probably going to be afraid of the baby because of all the crying.

also, i had my cats tested for toxoplasmosis when i found out i was preg, and one of my cats has it. i stayed away from her, but i still pet her once in a while. i was careful to wash my hands and not let her saliva or nose get on me.

The bolded are old wives' tales, and not true. There has never been a documented case of a cat suffocating a baby.

As for giving them diseases, if you keep your cat up-to-date on vaccines, and keep them in good health, you don't need to worry about it.

Also, if you have had your cat for a while, you have likely already contracted toxoplasmosis, and developed an immunity to it. When humans get it, it feels just like the common cold.

kurlieq · June 2011

We have 2 indoor cats, and no crib tent; I've heard those can be a safety hazard, so if you do decide on purchasing one, make sure you do your research.

We haven't had any issues with cats getting in the cribs; we just keep DD's door closed when she's sleeping. When DD was in the bassinet, it was a bit harder, but we just had to make sure we didn't put it next to anything the cats could jump onto. HTH!

txhottie · June 2011

We are going to put up the crib before the baby gets here and see if the cat even has any interest in it. If he does, then closed door it will be! Our fur buddy has a problem jumping into or on stuff he can't tell where he will land, like our dressers, counters, etc. So I don't think he will try to get in it. I guess we are lucky!

Mereou12 · June 2011

Line the crib, bassinet, PNP, whatever with aluminum foil. The first time your cat jumps in, they'll be scared shiitless and will likely never try it again.

Our cats were very curious about the baby gear before DS was born...but once we brought him home, they wanted nothing to do with him or anything that he touched.

Bananappeal145 · June 2011

lmp76:
thks for all the posts and recommendations My concern is, our cat has always slept with us. When the baby gets here, I want her to sleep in our room for awhile, but I'm afraid the cat will want to sleep next the her cause of the warmth. May just have to start her out in the crib and shut the door and have monitors

We potentially have the same problem. Our cat is 147 (Ok 18) so he may not even be capable of or care about jumping in the bedside bassinet. I plan to set it up several weeks before hand to see what he does. If he is inclined to get into it, most cats hate citrus so I was planning on putting something like that in there until the baby comes. Hopefully by that time he will be trained to stay out. I'm less worried about him bothering the baby than the baby bothering him honestly. He's so old I kind of hate to stress him out. Fortunately he is nearly stone deaf so maybe he won't be too stressed

fadushi · June 2011

We have 3 indoor cats and my dad built a screen door that latches closed so the cats can't get in there. We still close our sons regular door at night because the cats are loud and wake him up but the screen is nice in the beginning and for quiet naps during the day.