to get annoyed when people make out my cats are going to eat my baby..

[celebmum]

As the title says really, I have 2cats (5ys & 2ys so not kittens) both of which are indoor/outdoor cats and prob a teeny tiny bit spoilt... and I am 17+2wks preg
..however all i'm getting at the mo are comments along the lines of 'those cats are going to eat/smother/bite/scratch/harm the baby when it comes.. and its doing my head in!!!

they are domesticated pets/family members not wild monsters and i am a responsible adult and will be capable of looking after my baby!

sorry.. rant over!

Nattiecake, i think you're insane. Pythons can (and have) killed babies and children. I would never have one in the house.

If any of you want a cat net, I have one going spare. My cats have not been the slightest bit interested in my DS so it was an utterly useless gift but it might reassure a paranoid overanxious GP-to-be

celebmum, YANBU I am in same position! 18wks pg with 1st baby, already have 2 furry babies though!

I feel that people don't wanna give me sensible advice - they just wanna tell me horror stories to do with pregnancy and babies! I'm already freaking out about a lot of stuff without becoming scared of my cats too!
I had to google Cat nets, didn't know what they were! But they are very cheap so can't hurt getting one anyway I reckon. And common sense not to leave small babies and animals unattended.

Oh and check out my profile for cute pic of my kitty with sock hat on!

Oh and someone told me that the cats will smother/eat baby because it smells of milk..

Milk smells horrid..

I was planning on washing/bathing my baby... surely this will prevent it from smelling like sour milk/stilton??

Babies smell of 'Johnsons' whenever I've sniffed one.

My cat wouldn't go near the babies - she hated them. Wouldn't stay in the same room let alone harm them.

My cats also hid for the first few months after DS was born, and sulked for a bit longer after that. They were mostly terrified of the small screaming thing that had appeared in their house, and never did anything remotely threatening.

Now that DS is 4 and able to do so sensibly they let him stroke them. But they still run a mile whenever he has friends over ("Oh no, MORE small noisy people!")

Lol at "animals and babies don't mix" I think someone missed the point that humans domesticated cats and dogs millenia ago because of their protective nature and the enhancement to our lives.

yes animals were domesticated millennia ago - but they haven't been living in our houses for millennia have they?

An animal lives by it's instincts. It doesn't care about babies. It will do what it feels it has to to protect itself or maintain its place in the pecking order.

I find it astonishing how many posts say that their cat would never harm a child and then go on to say that it has scratched a child 'when provoked'. I have seen a small child had it's face clawed by a cat. I have been scratched by a cat as a child. A dog that we had when I was a kid bit a small boy and took a chunk out of his leg and had to be put down. It wasn't a violent dog usually. You just don't know when they might turn, and you can't ever completely trust one.

I'm not saying you should get rid of pets when you have a baby, but you should have a healthy respect for the fact that this is one false move away from being a wild animal and can act accordingly.

er...yes they've been living in our houses for millenia! And yes they have a pack mentality, that's why you have to train them to know where they sit in the pecking order...the alpha's (us) dictate that order not the pet. I really do think that you forget that we (humans) are animals that live in packs. An untrained sibling is more likely to harm (or try and harm) a newborn as they are still trying to ascertain their place in the pack...what the hell do you think the 'terrible twos' are about?

I've been scratched by cats, and yes, I've been bitten by our pets rats. They don't do it unprovoked. It's comon sense really, teach the kid not to rile up the animal, and keep an eye on them when they are in a room together, until the child is old enough to know what it is doing.

our ds (8mths) LOVES the cat, he looks for him everywhere gets so excited and his face lights up when he sees him. Unfortunately the cat treats him with great disdain, it really gives me a little pang everytime as I always think ds will be disappointed that the cat doesnt love him back, he doesnt care at the moment. i am just sentimentak my dp reckons

I had exactly the same thing when pregnant with DS - everyone "assuming" that the cats would go now that DS was on the way.

Since he arrived the (originally 3, now 4) cats have been absolutely fine with him. He's been scratched once when he grabbed the most sensitive one by the tail and wouldn't let her go, but thoroughly deserved it, and I'm pretty sure learned that lesson.

Although I think nearly all the cat myths are indeed urban myths spread by little old ladies etc, a couple of things really surprised me. One, was that on my HV's first visit when DS was 2 days old she asked me if I'd consider rehoming the cats - they'd done nothing at all, in fact two of them were hidden the whole time, and only one was curled up in front of the radiator. WHen I asked her why, she had no real reason, other than there "could be issues". The other is a chapter in the Yummy Mummy Survival Guide (a crap book by all accounts, but one bought for me) which suggests you should rehome all pets as soon as you find out you're pregnant.

For those pregnant with cats, I'd recommend getting something called Feliway for when you come home with your LO. It's a positive pheromone that chills cats outs and reduces their stress levels. It's also good for stopping stressed out cats peeing and pooing in places they shouldn't be.

My 2 cats remain completely disinterested in DD after nearly 3 years; one will occasionally sniff her disdainfully (am afraid he does have rather toxic breath though ) and the other is too scared to even be in the room with her.
She has grown up with them and would never dream of pulling their tails or being violent to them, knows to stroke them gently and not put her face too near, not that they would let her anyway. I think it is totally wonderful for children to grow up with pets/used to animals and have never heard of a cat doing serious harm to a child.

I'm pregnant and have also had people ask what we are going to 'do' with the cats
I would never consider getting rid of them, unless it would clearly make the cats lives better to live elsewhere, or if the LO ended up severely allergic to them.
I am far more worried about the cats than I am about the baby. The cats are a little bit pampered spoilt so I am worried that they will feel pushed out, and I really don't want them to think that they're not loved anymore
Naetha, thanks for recommending Feliway, I've heard that that is good stuff and will hopefully make them feel a little more relaxed Do you know if it would be better to get the spray or the diffuser?
In terms of scratches, I was scratched as a child and still totally love cats and didn't come to any harm, plus I totally deserved it , so I am not worried at all from that point of view. Our cats are complete wusses as well, and any hint of crying or tail pulling and they won't be hanging around!

Hi,

My cat is old now at 15 and has problems associated with this, he had a mini stroke and he can't hear or see very well and is a bit unsteady on his feet but he is very very gentle with our son.

To be honest he ignores him 99% of the time and on the occasions he is near him the cat puts up with the ear pulling,tailing pulling, prodding and general things that babies do.

However I would never leave them in a room together just in case he got fed up with being messed about with - it is all a matter of common sense. You know your animals, just tell others you are aware of the dangers and you are going to be the mother and just like you won't leave your baby in the bath alone you are unlikely to leave it with the cats!

YANBU. There are a lot of non-cat-people out there who hold a very old fashioned deep suspicion of cats and assume that people who live with cats are slightly mad and irresponsible . Goes back to the times of the Crusades when Christians actively persecuted and tortured cats I think... (ok that might be taking it a little far, but there are a lot of people out there who think cats are a little bit evil )

Ignore them. You know your cats and you know what precautions you will need to take.

FWIW, our two 4 year old British Silver Spotties who are indoor cats were totally bored by DD as a newborn, would come and sniff her occasionally or sit protectively next to her bouncy chair. But would run away as soon as she moved/made a noise - they still do, especially now she's crawling/standing/cruising/shrieking! They are more interested in her toys.

When DD started napping/sleeping in a room other than where I was (i.e. in her cot rather than in moses basket in lounge/in chair/sling etc) I always closed the door, mainly because the cats would sit in her room and play with the wire from her baby monitor

It's wonderful for children to grow up with animals and as a pet owner you'll know how to handle it.

LOL at "By 6 months when DS was sleeping better, the cat was almost completely spherical." .

I think the only problem I faced when my DS was born was that my interest in the cats completely disappeared (my DH still fussed them as usual). They were my babies until my real baby arrived, then they were just cats.

I had real problems with one cat. When my DS started crawling he found the cat irresistible, almost as irresistible as the cat found him. After many quite nasty scratches I finally re-homed the cat with a family friend (he leads a very comfortable and happy life there!).

The other cat hasn't ever really bothered. DS (now 2.7) gives him the odd poke or chases him, but the cat never touches him.

Everyone knows its dingo's that eat babies not cats

I had a work friend tell me it was 'irresponsible' to keep my 2 cats when I was expecting a baby. She was completely convinced that they would harm him.
After one initial horrified glance they ignored him entirely, and dd didn't even get that before they moved on to ignoring her. Your baby will be fine as long as you never leave him or her alone with your cat.
BTW, the same work friend was nearly in tears when she found out that I had no plans to get a car when I had a baby- how would I manage? 2 and a half years and two babies later, here I am carless, catful, and happy!

When I was pregnant with DS1 I got a kitten. All the time I was pregnant he used to 'groom' my hair with his little claws and his tongue ( hair was short then so washing it daily wasn't a problem)and make little growly noises as he did so. Once DS1 was born, kitten never 'did' my hair again .I think I must have had a hormonal mummy cat scent!

Oh and that cat (died aged 17) and cat we have now DO sleep on the children's beds but so far have not smothered them.

The children have been known to curl up with the dog on HIS bed.... he too remains unharmed.