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June 2015 Moms
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Cats, What is the real deal?

baroneariabaronearia member
in June 2015 Moms
Hi everyone I am a FTM and have heard many conflicting things about cats and newborns . I have two indoor only, spayed domestic kitties ( threy are up to date on all shots and recieve regular baths and flea/tick meds). I know right now I am not supposed to be changing their litter (DH has been taking on that duty) but I have heard all other kinds of things, not to let my cats around the baby because they will lay on him and suffocate him, that the hair or dander will cause allergies early on, they will not behave well and will pounce him etc. I just want to know what the real deal is when baby comes I know what to do.Thanks!
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Re: Cats, What is the real deal?

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  • starrysmile18starrysmile18 member
    My cat could have cared less about my baby when DS was tiny. He tried getting up on the changing table, but never into the crib. We have a video monitor anyways and shut C's door at night when he was sleeping, so the cat couldn't get in anyway. Our cat is still leary of our kiddo, and only goes up to him under his own conditions. lol. Cats are great about keeping their distance when they're unsure of something. Just observe the first few days and see how it goes. Your babe should be fine!
                               

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  • apeschkaapeschka member
    We had two indoor cats and it was fine we just made sure to not let them stay alone in the same room as the baby
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  • baroneariabaronearia member
    Thank you so much, I myself have thought was all a bunch of BS too, but I wanted other moms to weigh in (most of.these statements came from caring but unqualified people co-workers,MIL, etc) I love my fur babies WAY too much to just give them up at a whim, that would only occur in the most extreme of circumstances, and both my kitties (both girls) are super mellow. I really appriciate everyone contributing and thank you for the references!
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  • KaLikeAWindKaLikeAWind member
    Yay! Thank you for making the decision to try and make it work as a family!!! Heart you! ❤
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  • KovakKovak member
    Yep! I agree with the PPs. I have 3 cats and they pretty much ignored DS when he was a newborn. Also, if your cats are strictly indoor cats you would probably be fine in changing the cat box. Even if your cats are allowed outdoors you can still change the cat box as long as you scoop the poop every day (according to the vet). I won't be sharing this bit of info with DH though. Pregnancy is the only time I get a break from cat box duty. ;)
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  • lola2beelola2bee member
    Two indoor cats here - one was petrified of the baby and the other liked smelling all his stuff. That was the extent of their involvement. No allergy issues at all. When my son was a toddler though I did have to watch for tail yanking and such. But to be fair to the cats, they can only tolerate so much.
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  • KarasTwinKarasTwin member
    mellymar said:

    What a bunch of bs. (Not directed to be snarky towards you, OP, just saying in general. I know its hard to convey tone so let me assure you mine is friendly).

    Let's address your concerns in order, k?
    1) cat will suffocate baby. I guess this *technically* is possible if cat lays right on top of baby and / or curls up on top of baby blocking the mouth or nose. But, the likelihood of cat laying on baby like that are SO slim. SO slim. Your cat will probably avoid baby at first because it makes so much loud, unexplained noise. We all know cats don't appreciate loud, unexplained noises. And this is really only a concern until baby can move its head, so only for the newest of newborns. By the time baby can move her head she will 1) be able to reposition herself to allow air access to her mouth and nose should kitty try to lay on her face and 2) be strong enough to move her body enough to dislodge cat. So, basically, don't let your cat lay on your newborn. Which I would think would be something you would do, anyway. If baby is sleeping in her nursery, close the door. If baby is in with you, kitty will most likely choose to sleep with you as you got the comfy bed and baby just has a bassinet / pack n play / whatever. But honestly, I doubt kitty will try to lay on top of newborn. Kitty may lay with newborn (next to baby) but on top of? I really doubt it. Here is an article from the ASPCA about cats and babies and there is a section that briefly talks about this -
    https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/cats-and-babies

    2) allergies due to cat hair / dander. There have actually been studies that have shown that babies who are exposed and grow up with pets have less incidents of environmental allergies than those who are not. Here is a link to an article published by Time, which references a study showing that children with pets in the household are actually healthier. https://healthland.time.com/2012/07/09/study-why-dogs-and-cats-make-babies-healthier/
    I tried to reference the actual study but I could only get it as a download, sorry

    3) Behavior issues. This one is difficult to know in advance. But, after working with animals for almost 10 years (not AS a vet, but as nurse or support team at a vet) its my experience that animals usually are very intuitive about knowing that baby needs to be treated gently. However, just as you take time to introduce pets to each other properly, you should do so also with baby. The ASPCA article above I believe discusses best ways to introduce cat and baby, and you should discuss this with your vet as well.

    Also, search on YouTube 'cats and babies'. You'll see so many videos of cats cuddling with (but not cuddling ON) or meeting new babies that you'll see its kinda in their nature to just be chill about the whole thing, or avoid altogether. And cats playing with babies once they are just a smidge bigger. Its SO cute.

    I understand your concerns, but PLEASE see how your furries will do with baby before making any decisions, OK? Its not kitteh's fault there is a small human. Please don't give them away before giving it your best effort to make it work. Its always so sad to us who work with animals to hear people say they have to get rid of their animals for baby and they haven't even tried. All throughout the ages people have had cats and babies and if it were as bad as all that then a lot of us wouldn't have made it out of infancy. Me personally, I have two cats and I have absolutely no concerns that they will harm baby, either intentionally or unintentionally. And I have plenty excitement for getting my own cute videos of my cats cuddling with or playing with baby. I'm really looking forward to it.

    Discuss your concerns with your vet.
    Prepare cats for the new addition to your household.
    Relax and let them do their thing and watch supreme cuteness unfold.
    It'll be fine. :)

    All of this. My mom has 3 cats and my 18 month old niece is at her house all the time. As a general rule they steer clear of her because she's kinda loud and wants to pick them up. She pulled the grouchiest one's tail a few months ago and she didn't even growl or raise her paw. When she was a newborn they sniffed her but were more interested in her toys than her. I agree on the allergy thing as well. I've heard it's better to expose them than not.
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  • mlindzzmlindzz member
    We have two cats.. and couldn't agree more with @mellymar ! Thx for the read!
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  • queequeg09256queequeg09256 member
    Firstly let me say I'm not a cat person. Secondly I feel all pets are fur babies. Good for you to seek other advise before listening to such nonsense.
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  • MaliKaelaMaliKaela member
    Oh I love this! My grandma keeps warning me about my cats and how careful I need to be when the baby is born. I told her it's an old wives tale, but she doesn't believe me. I don't mean to make light of your concern, it's just a funny notion to me. : )
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  • valeriemarie24valeriemarie24 member
    I'm a ftm so I don't have experience with this...but I do know that my parents had an older cat when I was a baby. She was a little cranky but everything was good, she never tried to scratch or sit on me or anything. Most animals can sense the innocence of a baby/child so they are more careful around them. Sometimes, like other people have said...they just leave the baby alone and don't even care. But they can tell who is trying to hurt them etc and realize that babies mean them no harm. Oh and I have no allergies, so that goes with what everyone else has been saying about exposure.
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  • MaliKaelaMaliKaela member
    I just came across this article and thought of your post:

    https://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/prepare-your-cat-for-the-arrival-of-your-new-baby/
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  • delujm0delujm0 member
    My friend has the meanest cat ever...like every time we go over there my husband tries to pet him and get mauled. He will rub up on you and then if you touch him he will attack. But he's never been anything but sweet to her now 7 month old. He will lay up against her but not on her and when she gets too loud or grabby he just walks away.

    Also fyi the litter thing isn't usually an actual concern. If you have indoor only cats that you've had for years, it's unlikely that they have toxoplasmosis at all (they can only get it from raw meat which indoor cats generally don't have access to). Or, if they do have it, you very likely caught it from them long ago if you've had them a while. Toxoplasmosis is only dangerous if you catch it for the first time while pregnant. So unless you have indoor/outdoor cats that have access to raw meat and use the litter box, or you get a new cat while you are pregnant, you can absolutely scoop the litter box. I still do. If my house smells like cat poop and my husband isn't home there's no way I'm just letting it sit there.
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  • CanadaMom17CanadaMom17 member
    I have one cat that's a lovebug, and will be why I keep the baby's room closed while she sleeps until she's bigger, because he will likely LOVE the baby, and he's a snuggler.  That being said, right now I have one of those clear plastic mats with the plastic 'pricks' on the underside in the baby's crib, prickly side up to discourage my exploring cats from getting comfy in there (I read if they jump in, they'll jump right out).

    And, yes, the cat litter thing is fine.  The chances of all of the factors working together to give you toxoplasmosis is almost negative.  You're more likely to get it from eating meat from the store.
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  • eeyoreemeeyoreem member
    My cats are so tolerant of ds. The refrain in out house is don't sit on the cat. I will say though to be prepared for an adjustment period where your cats may show their displeasure in ways that may not be ideal. When ds was a baby we found poop in our bed, some cats will pee on things too. Take them to tge vet to rule out medical issues but give them time too. Feliway makes a diffuser that can help but takes a month to kick in.
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  • WestypetWestypet member
    It takes a month?? I tossed mine because my cat hissed every time I used it. I just thought she was a special hissy cat. Haha
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  • Penwater1Penwater1 member
    I have two cats, when my first DD was born we were concerned but honestly they wanted nothing to do with her. just make sure you keep the nursery door closed and the cats out, some cats look for a warm place to sleep and the crib seems nice. My cats never went in her crib ,never laid down next to her, but I know some peoples cats do. as for allergies and dander that something you can't determine until after the baby's born. just continue to be a responsible pet owner and take a little extra caution, but also make sure you continue to pay attention to your cat to alleviate their jealousy, as they will miss you. This will help to prevent them from jumping up on your lap when the baby is there to get your attention. But just like if you had other children you cannot expect your cats to know what to do right away, there is going to be a learning curve for everybody and the more diligent you are the better the relationship between all of you will be.
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  • Penwater1Penwater1 member
    delujm0 said:

    My friend has the meanest cat ever...like every time we go over there my husband tries to pet him and get mauled. He will rub up on you and then if you touch him he will attack. But he's never been anything but sweet to her now 7 month old. He will lay up against her but not on her and when she gets too loud or grabby he just walks away.

    Also fyi the litter thing isn't usually an actual concern. If you have indoor only cats that you've had for years, it's unlikely that they have toxoplasmosis at all (they can only get it from raw meat which indoor cats generally don't have access to). Or, if they do have it, you very likely caught it from them long ago if you've had them a while. Toxoplasmosis is only dangerous if you catch it for the first time while pregnant. So unless you have indoor/outdoor cats that have access to raw meat and use the litter box, or you get a new cat while you are pregnant, you can absolutely scoop the litter box. I still do. If my house smells like cat poop and my husband isn't home there's no way I'm just letting it sit there.

    Ssssssshhhhhhh. let's just pretend that you can still get it from indoor cats, one less duty that you have to perform :-) because after the baby is born you'll be changing a lot of Diapers!
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  • KaLikeAWindKaLikeAWind member
    Westypet said:

    It takes a month?? I tossed mine because my cat hissed every time I used it. I just thought she was a special hissy cat. Haha

    Feliway is one of those things that usually take a while to build up to its desired functionality. Similar to starting an anti anxiety or depression medication in humans. You may notice you feel different right off the bat, but you may feel jittery or twitchy at first, then a few weeks into treatment the jittery feeling wanes and you start to feel better mood-wise. Feliway is basically synthetic pheromones, so some cats may do well right away and others may need to adjust to it. The company does offer a money back guarantee if you don't notice an improvement at all (or, at least, they used to, I'm not 100% on if they still do) but they won't reimburse you unless you have given it the full 30 days and followed the directions. I used it for a while for some inter-cat drama and it did take a little while to become effective, but then I had some time where things were working fairly smoothly.
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