DH Leaving Baby Alone with Cats

I wouldn’t leave a 3week old alone long enough to do the dishes even without any cats around. Surely the idea of Moses baskets is that they are portable and you can move them around with you.

Maybe, but i view the situation as, cats do indeed like to lie on warm things and babies are indeed warm. So, why take the risk.

You clearly didn't read ALL of the links. HTH.

There is ZERO evidence cats are capable of smothering babies, let alone ever have. There is not one single recorded case of this ever happening. Those who told you that lied to you and spread an old wives tale. I'm truly surprised in this era of the internet that people still fall for it!

Nonsense, you would have moved your head even as a baby, if you can imagine it physically there is no way you would have suffocated, especially if you started crying it would startle the cat and the cat would get off. It's common sense. And cats aren't that heavy that they can stop you from breathing. People on here have taken complete leave of their senses and critical thinking.

The links provided prove there is no risk of a baby being suffocated. Especially since cats hate baby screams, and the baby would just move it's head to the side. Common sense tells one it's nonsense, but the links posted debunk it once and for all.

Those were posted to PROVE there is ZERO EVIDENCE of it. None. None at all. Sids deaths are not proof the cat did it. The links actually show there is NO PROOF THE CAT HAD ANY INVOLVEMENT. You clearly didn't even read the links. They actually prove it's an old wives tale.

Those were posted to PROVE there is ZERO EVIDENCE of it. None. None at all. Sids deaths are not proof the cat did it. The links actually show there is NO PROOF THE CAT HAD ANY INVOLVEMENT. You clearly didn't even read the links. They actually prove it's an old wives tale.

Yet those cases were shown there was absolutely ZERO EVIDENCE that the cat had anything to do with SIDS deaths.

I wouldn't bank on it, he might be doing it deliberately to scare her because he doesn't want to be lumbered with caring for his baby.

I agree. The cats could innocently sit on the baby cover thier mouth or throat / chest. He should use a baby monitor or just remove the cats and close the door. A monitor is easier if baby is having naps in the lounge. You can get monitors with 2 cameras set one upstairs and 1 in the lounge. He can see if the cats keep away and keep an eye on baby.
Better safe then sorry. If you ask your HV they will say the same.

I'm on your side OP. Cats like to lie on warm things. Babies are warm. We were warned again and again by family/midwives/health visitors/ NHS emails that cats are known to smother babies by lying on them because they are warm. Just calmly explain this to your husband. He'll not do it again once he knows the risks.

I think you're wrong. My cat weighed almost three times as much as my newborn. If he'd sat on her chest or flopped near her face, he could have killed her. Luckily for us, he hated her 😂 RIP floofy 😢

I totally agree with you. The people who think cats are harmless aren't getting the fact that it is only the case if you are much bigger.

I am appalled that there are people who think it's okay to leave a baby alone with a cat.
I would leave my partner if he refused to keep our baby safe.

I don't think the OP is being unreasonable here. When I was a baby my mum found the cat in the basket with me, practically on my head. I could have easily suffocated.

Agree. Plus NHS simply says (in bold)stay with your child . Don't leave them alone unsupervised, even your own. It's hardly the hysterical overreaction some PPs are suggesting to follow this very simple advice.

I had two cats when my son was born. Very affectionate boys. Obsessed with my bump all through the pregnancy and first to meet dc when we got home. They seemed to think he was theirs. I did get cat nets for the crib but in the end co slept. Cats and all. They would carefully watch over him and put themselves on duty if I left the room.
I think it depends upon your cats and how you feel. If it makes you more comfortable to have them separate then that's fine too.

Yup.

People have demanded links to prove that there's a risk - even though links have already been provided. The risk is small, but not worth taking. A few posters have given examples of near misses which they have experienced.

Some of the responses seem to be rather aggressive, almost as if people somehow think that their own animals have been accused of some heinous crime.

Shocked at the number of people saying OP is overreacting. It is unlikely anything would happen but why take the risk? If OP was on here saying the cat had got in the moses basket with the baby and suffocated them while she went to the loo, everyone would be asking why she left the baby alone with an animal. It's never worth the risk, no matter how small.

Our cats were mainly terrified of the baby and initially would leave rapidly if she was in the room. When she was a bit bigger our oldest (mother) cat adopted her and would lie on the end of the pram, or if she was on a blanket in the garden in the summer come and lie beside her, I never had any concerns although she wasn't a new born by the time they stopped fleeing in terror.

Some more sensible advice.

Can A Cat Smother A Baby - [Vet Explains Pets]

I used to shut my cat in the kitchen (with food and water) so I could have a shower without worrying. That's when I had a toddler and a 6 month old kitten as really couldn't leave them alone together.

I'd tell him to make sure the baby and the cats are in different rooms with a door closed between them if he has to pop upstairs or something.

Agreed.
He should not be taking chances with anything that could potentially harm his newborn...and smothering is definitely in that category.

We have cats. They weren’t allowed in the same room as our newborn. They could easily suffocate a baby by hopping into a Moses basket with them.