cats and newborns

[jgonzales]

are cats safe around new borns? I'm living with the in-laws and they want me to get rid of them... I always get mad when they say that, but my husband and I are going to keep them.. and becareful..
all my cats have there shots and everything.. I've been raised up with pets all of my life..

[AndiJ78]

Your in-laws are going off of an old wives tale that cats smother babies in an effort to lick the milk off their face. Relax, it is just that, an old wives tale.

Though I do agree that cats and all animals need to be taught that certain areas are off limits, such as the baby's crib and bassinet. There are a few things you can do to keep them out of there. One tip is to set up the crib well in advance and place tin foil in it, that way if the cat jumps in it, they freak out and learn it is unpleasant. Another one is the take masking tape, fold it over on itself and place several strips of that, tachy side up, in the crib. Again, they find it quite irritating and therefor learn to stay out. Neither of these things hurt the animals, just simply irritate them enough to learn the lesson.

We had a cat when my oldest was born and to be honest, she wanted nothing to do with that wiggly pink thing. I will, however, be interested to see how my beloved pooch handles a newborn. He has made himself my dog and I imagine it will be tough for him to understand the new little one in the house. He is very protective over the kids as well, so I imagine the fussing that accompanies the newborn phase will prove a bit stressful for him at times.

Andi

[jgonzales]

we have the crib up.. the cats have never been in there...
we have a fish tank right there too. and they get more joy of watching the fish..
They're well behaved cats! I love them to death:)
one of the cats thinks its already a baby, he wants to be held when I do laundry and stuff..lol

[girlybuff]

Whileyou should never leave any animals alone with a newborn, anyone who thinks that cats need to be removed from the home is either buying into those old tales or just doesn't like cats.
I am 36 weeks pregnant and have 4 cats that I ADORE.  They aren't going anywhere.
A friend of mine mentioned I should be careful because cats steal babies breath away and that I should get rid of them. I told her that I wasn't even going to dignify that with a response.  
I get angry when people ask when I plan on getting rid of the cats.  My husband would go first.  LOL
Good luck.

[jgonzales]

that was cute, I would get rid of my husband first..lol

This is why I wwant to move.. I'm tired of hearing all of these stories..i ts my baby.. I take care of her how I want to.. right?

[sk2006a]

why don't you ask your ob-gyn's opinion during your next visit (already knowing the answer), and report back to your in-laws?  at least you can say with a straight face that you took their concerns seriously and asked!

[jgonzales]

I will do that:)

Thank you:)

[estag]

What about cats who pee and poop all over the house?  How about the fact that the house and furniture wreak of stink because of the 3 cats?  You people need to see the other side of what people do not want their baby exposed to.

[April2]

If I had cats that peed and pooped all over the house, I wouldn't keep them. I grew up with cat's and dogs and NEVER had this problem. Since living on my own the past 20 plus years, I've had 4 cats and again NEVER had this problem. They've all been good about using the litter box. I clean it out ever day. Kittens can be taught to use a litter box very early. If a cat is peeing or pooping all over the house, either it is a wild cat you took off the street (and even those can be taught usually) or the animals have some sort of medical problem. I wouldn't keep an animal that peed and pooped in my house. That's just nasty.

[AnnieBrooke]

I have a lot of cats.  Most are outdoor only (we live in the country) but two are allowed in the house.  When the baby came home, one decided he would never come in the house again, and the other decided to make her peace with the concept of a baby just so she could still come in the house.  Even SHE does not go near the baby (at least not within grabbing distance, and she obviously knows what that is.)  All the outdoor cats began by being utterly terrified of the baby.  Some of them will get near him now (it's been 8 months) but if he reaches for them, they run.  Don't worry, this won't be a problem!

[gma011]

I'm alergic (allergic) to cats, any tips on how to clear a former cat house. There were at least 3 I don't belive they were well litter box trained.

[jgonzales]

air out the place, there r stuff for the carpets theyre sprays to get rid of the odor...

[RobynP73]

Yeah, isn't it interesting the comments people make who have never owned animals. It really is sad the people who have never had a pet in their lives.  What the hay?? "Poop and pee all over the house??" A puppy maybe before they are potty trained, I'll give you that.  And accidents can happen with dogs. The only time my cats have ever peed or pooped in a place besides their littler box is when they have been accidentally locked in a room somewhere! Cats are clean animals. They would not intentionally be dirty. They don't like it.  Another reason would be if they have a UTI. If a cat or any animal is pooping and peeing "all over" and they have been potty trained, something is wrong and take them to the vet.  "Take their breath away!" I cannot even believe there was someone that actually thought that would happen.  I suppose they think you are a witch too and that the cats "talk" to Satan and should be killed? Good grief!

Actually, I came to this site because I have two cats.  My husband and I are TTC.  I know with dogs you can get a dog used to a baby before they arrive by bringing something with "baby's scent" to the dog before  you take the baby home. This worked for my sister and her first born as that dog "took" to her the minute she came home from the hospital. I know that cats are different from dogs and that the "scent trick" would probably not work with them.  However, does anyone know if a trick to acclimate cats to a new baby?  (Incidentally, my sister has two cats and there was never any problem that I heard of.)

[mzthang]

I think as long as you are careful everything will be fine that is an old myth that the cats will harm the baby just be safe as with anyone humans and animals.