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August 2015 Moms
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Cat & Baby

asanchez88asanchez88 member
in August 2015 Moms
To keep cat or give away? It would break my heart, though husband wants her gone. It was a rough day today, she would not take a bath, even from vet! She is extremely skittish and afraid of everything. Sometimes, me too. But we have fun times and yeah she's also a pest, but ugh what to do?
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Re: Cat & Baby

  • deviduke412deviduke412 member
    No! Not the kitty! I couldn't imagine giving mine away. Is the cat mean? As in, are you afraid she'll hurt the LO?
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  • Lizover23Lizover23 member
    edited July 2015
    Also they say it's better for the child to grow around animals.
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  • krasburykrasbury member
    My husband and I have been worried about how our cat will react to the baby, but we won't get rid of him. We had soft claw nail caps put over his nails so he can't accidentally scratch him, so we will have to now maintain those, and we started teaching him months ago he isn't allowed in the nursery. The baby isn't here yet, but Fuzz has done really great with soft claws and doesn't go near the nursery.
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  • Brodie and ChevelleBrodie and Chevelle member
    I could never give away my kitty. He loves to jump sneak attack so we will just have to get him to stop that with the baby when she starts crawling and walking.
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  • nakoppelnakoppel member
    I would never give away an animal unless my kid was deathly allergic OR the animal was so mean and could not be taught not to be. We adopted our kitty when I was 13 weeks and told each other she is family we don't just give her away. She knows she's not allowed in the nursery and she daily snuggles with my bump ^_^. I wouldn't give her your cat away unless there is a really compelling reason. Animals can be taught and trained to behave correctly around animals. And there is no reason to give them away just because of a baby.
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  • sushilove15sushilove15 member
    I could never do that to my fur babies! Unless your cat has violent episodes I can't think of a good reason to abandon her.

    My cats HATE water and we don't attempt to bathe them. We use dry shampoo if they are dirty (from petsmart).
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  • kelsiwoodellkelsiwoodell member
    I could never give away my cat, he was basically my first son. and he holds my hand
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  • Seed0824Seed0824 member
    I don't know if you have a nearby friend or relative but this is what I'm doing. We're putting our cat at my parents house and bringing baby there to meet at first. We're also taking a blanket home from the baby from the hospital so the cat gets exposed to the scent. After a few weeks we will take the cat back. The vet and doctor both recommended this. My cat is extremely jealous and play hunts a lot. Also there have been instances where friendly cats have cuddled next to babies and suffocated them. So even with paying attention, there is no way I could sleep even for 1 hour knowing the cat has access to the baby.
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  • PuppyKittenPuppyKitten member
    I don't even like my cats very much and I still would never give them away. Adoption is for life.

    Do some online research about ways to help introduce your baby and cats. We are using Feliway (sp?) plug ins and spray and the cats have been SO MELLOW lately. We also keep them out of the nursery and our older sons room at all times.
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  • mimigrace12mimigrace12 member
    I would never give away my cat unless I absolutely had to! We are a bit nervous about introducing him to baby too bc he can be a bit of an asshole sometimes, but I think animals smell and sense the baby and usually react accordingly. I'm sure once LO is a bit older and more aware, we might have to deal with a scratch or something but not the end of the world and we'll deal with it when we get there.
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  • Lalala2326Lalala2326 member
    Why are you giving your cat a bath - even from the vet? My one cat is 11 and the other is 7 and I can count on one hand the number of times they have been given a bath combined. Cats typically clean themselves and don't need regular baths unless they get something weird on them.

    Unless you think  your cat is going to hurt your baby, I don't really understand. We just had to rehome one of our dogs cause she doesn't do well with small children and growled and snapped at my daughter twice since she started walking and becoming more independent, but it was one of the most heartwrenching decisions we have ever made and never would have done it if the safety our kids wasn't at risk. We fortunately found her a wonderful home for her with a single woman after doing a LOT of work (took well over a month and involved professional pictures, several interviews, reference checks, home visits, etc...). I really hope your aren't considering just dropping her off at a shelter :/
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  • tarheelgirl8tarheelgirl8 member
    Seed0824 said:
    I don't know if you have a nearby friend or relative but this is what I'm doing. We're putting our cat at my parents house and bringing baby there to meet at first. We're also taking a blanket home from the baby from the hospital so the cat gets exposed to the scent. After a few weeks we will take the cat back. The vet and doctor both recommended this. My cat is extremely jealous and play hunts a lot. Also there have been instances where friendly cats have cuddled next to babies and suffocated them. So even with paying attention, there is no way I could sleep even for 1 hour knowing the cat has access to the baby.
    I've never heard of this approach.  Has your cat spent a lot of time at your parents house already?  I'm thinking back to when DH & I moved, and changing homes was really overwhelming for our cat and it took him quite a while to adjust.  Everything I've read says to try to disrupt their routine as little as possible so that they don't equate the baby with the disruption.  
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  • cseley321cseley321 member
    Don't get rid of your cat for those reasons... As many have stated, cats don't need baths unless they are unable to bathe themselves for some reason, and even then you can get some of the dry shampoo...

    As for being skittish, put the soft claws on it (claw caps) or take it to the groomer/vet and have its claws clipped if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself.  Generally skittish cats don't want anything to do with babies anyway.  They are scared of them, scared of the noises they make, scared of their smell, and generally stay away.

    If you DO give it away.. find another home for it please.  don't just toss it into a shelter.
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  • MrsMennealsMrsMenneals member
    I understand things may make you frustrated, but please don't consider giving up on your fur babies until you've exhausted every possible outlet and especially if they're no threat to baby. You never know, they may get along surprisingly well!

    These are my little monsters, who drive me batty sometimes. But then, there are moments..... When I'm not worried at all. :x
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  • Seed0824Seed0824 member
    edited July 2015
    tarheelgirl8 said:


    Seed0824 said:

    I don't know if you have a nearby friend or relative but this is what I'm doing. We're putting our cat at my parents house and bringing baby there to meet at first. We're also taking a blanket home from the baby from the hospital so the cat gets exposed to the scent. After a few weeks we will take the cat back. The vet and doctor both recommended this. My cat is extremely jealous and play hunts a lot. Also there have been instances where friendly cats have cuddled next to babies and suffocated them. So even with paying attention, there is no way I could sleep even for 1 hour knowing the cat has access to the baby.

    I've never heard of this approach.  Has your cat spent a lot of time at your parents house already?  I'm thinking back to when DH & I moved, and changing homes was really overwhelming for our cat and it took him quite a while to adjust.  Everything I've read says to try to disrupt their routine as little as possible so that they don't equate the baby with the disruption.  

    @tarheelgirl8 Yes my cat has spent lots of time at my parents house. They live close and whenever I've gone on vacations or business trips over the past 5 years, he stays there and loves it. When I tell him he's going to Hotel Grandma, he's even voluntarily gotten into the pet carrier like he knows what I said. Kinda scary.
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  • aeondriftaeondrift member
    Please don't give away your cat! Give her a chance to get used to the baby. Just monitor them when they're together. If she's skittish, she'll probably stay away from the baby for a while anyway.

    We have two cats. One of them is kind of skittish and one is very friendly. When my first daughter was a baby, they never had access to her unless we were around. She slept in our room at first and they weren't allowed to sleep in there anymore until she moved to her own room. You just have to make accommodations for both babies and kitties to live together. 

    Unless your kitty is violent with the baby and won't stop, there's no reason to give her away! Read about how to introduce a baby to a cat. Your baby will benefit from learning about respecting and caring for animals from an early age.
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  • knottieb8c7dfd990a71e69knottieb8c7dfd990a71e69 member
    I had two cats before baby for years and as much as I wanted to keep them around, after baby I couldn't give them the same attention. Also I'm not sure what breed you have but mine shed like crazy. The thought of baby breathing in the hairs or rolling around in it... Not to mention the worry of them cuddling too close or on top of her.. Ugh. I found a wonderful couple who adopted them together on petfinders site. Now that my daughter is almost 3, I'm sure she would enjoy & they would've been a happy part of our family. It broke my heart at the time but I know it was right for us. If you do decide to keep I would watch like a hawk until baby is mobile enough to move away and if you do give away, I hope you find a loving person to care for them! Good luck!
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  • jilladelariojilladelario member
    My cat can be a jerk but my 20 month old loves her. We went to visit a friend last weekend and my daughter was really good with her cat because she knows that when kitty rolls over or starts twitching her tail it means that playtime is over. She is gentle with 'tiddy' (kitty) and LOVES animals.

    Kids love things smaller than them - and you'll be surprised how well animals adjust to having little people around. My cat was feral until she was two months old and was trapped. She's not super affectionate but likes being in the room with people. She has her claws and likes to play rough. She hasn't once scratched my daughter and I don't worry about them playing together.

    I don't even like my animals half the time and I wouldn't dream of getting rid of them. Fantasize sure, but get rid of?
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  • HarleenQuinz86HarleenQuinz86 member
    I've been begging my boyfriend for a kitty.... we have two dogs though so he says not right now. I miss having cats and wouldn't dream of rehoming a family member (that's what pets are) just because they won't take a bath or I'm having a baby. Once the baby is here if the animal in question and baby can't coexist peacefully then I would look at rehoming.
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  • missmayImissmayI member
    I don't have cats but I do have two dogs and there are some times where they make me so mad but I could never get rid of them.  I agree with all the other posters if the cat is not putting your LO in any type of danger there is no reason to get rid of it.  My fur babies are my family they should be treated as such.
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  • hclzmm14hclzmm14 member
    I'm happy so many PPs are of the mind that pets are for life! So many people just discard their animals like objects when baby comes. Try to keep the cat, you don't need to bathe it.
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  • angelargrockangelargrock member
    My 2 year old cat is a little pest but I've had him since he was 6 weeks old & I would never consider giving him away!

    Unless baby is allergic or he's too mean to her. But he's learning & he'll adjust to her! Don't give up your cats. Just give them time & give them some credit!
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  • tmeranda95tmeranda95 member
    I have four kitties. None of which will be given up once baby is born. I adopted them for life, not just til i have a baby. Its actually proven that babies dont develop inhalent allergies i.e. cat/dog fur, dust, etc until 12 to 18 months old and exposing them to it shortly after birth reduces their chances of even developing an allergy to them in the future. As long as kitty will be nice, there's no reason to give him away.
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  • mrieemriee member
    I have never read a creditable cited story where a cat has suffocated a baby, if anyone has please send me a link. A responsible cat owner/ parent wouldn't leave their child alone with a cat so that wouldn't happen. The worst they could do in my opinion is scratch them. I won't be getting rid of my cat unless he becomes aggressive towards the baby but from what I've been told the majority of cats either love the baby or could care less about them. Please don't get rid of your cat until you've exhausted all options and your blanket sounds genius I may have to steal it.
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  • LaurmiLaurmi member
    Unless your cat is a complete psycho and physically attacking humans, why would you think it's OK to just get rid of her?? When you adopt an animal it's not just for a time period which is convenient for you. It's for the rest of their life.
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  • mimigrace12mimigrace12 member
    edited July 2015
    https://www.facebook.com/www.adme.ru/videos/10153037219520172/

    Cute vid :x
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