STMs with furbabies: another question

Re: STMs with furbabies: another question

• kteeswei member

  January 2014

  My LO is 3 weeks old and my cat is awesome with him. I thought he'd be afraid and at first he was. Within days he was over it and goes wherever LO goes. He's protective and alerts us anytime Quinn cries. He never gets too close for comfort- ever. Never tries to cuddle with him. He will cuddle with us while we hold Quinn but he's careful. I have no concerns

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• Toribaker171 member

  January 2014

  I'm a FTM, but we took our cat to the vet yesterday because we started to get very worried about her behavior (she has been very skittish, attached to us, and has started pulling her fur out in huge clumps) and we worried the baby would make her stress worse or she that would resent the baby.
  
  The vet took one look at me and pointed at my stomach saying this is why she is acting this way.(We also had to factor in a recent move and the rehoming of our dog since she has always been around dogs) She explained that cats are very perceptive to human hormones and towards the end the hormones can cause them more anxiety as they know something is coming soon.
  
  She gave us some options to deal with her anxiety, and explained that once my hormones go back to normal she should be ok. She said to make sure that her nails are cut just in case, but that she shouldn't bother LO other than a little curiosity at first. She said to allow the cat to get used to the baby and smell her to her content and not to try and keep her away when we are there supervising them, that way they won't feel the need to climb in the crib to investigate when we aren't around.

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• mrsbeers member

  January 2014

  We've been closing out bedroom door and keeping the cats out for a couple months now to help adjust them to the fact that they won't be in there with baby. We plan on keeping baby in our room with us at night with the door shut and later in her nursery with the door shut. You should be okay as long as you keep the kitties locked out of the room while you and baby are sleeping. When you're awake and baby's sleeping, she'll more than likely always be in your sight anyway.

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• ababymaybe member

  January 2014

  Our kitties have been pretty good wth DS. They definitely had an adjustment period when he arrived- and then again when he became mobile!- but there have never been any major issues.
  
  That said-- I don't think babies (or young kids) should be around pets unattended. And I do consider me sleeping to be unattended. So, if baby and I are both sleeping then the cats were locked out of wherever that is. Odds are nothing would happen but an infant could be seriously injured by a curious cat jumping on it or whatever. Likewise they aren't allowed in the nursery/DSs bedroom.
  
  On the whole the adjustment wasn't too bad. My cats were my babies and I actually felt guilty (yeah I'm crazy) about their "demotion" but in the grand scheme they're still spoiled rotten and are very tolerant of my wild toddler.

  

  
  

  

  
  

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