Cot with a hard lid - Protection from cat

[SuperSonic2011]

Hi,

Call me crazy, but I assumed I’d easily be able to get hold of a cot with a hard lid, as I can’t be the only one to worry about protection of their baby from pets. Whenever I Google this, however, it’s generally a frowned upon idea, as people assume they’d only ever be used to prevent toddlers from climbing out of their cots, when they should instead be transitioned to a bed. This would be for a newborn, however. I’ve looked all over, but cannot seem to find a cot with a viable hard lid, only the flimsy net ones. My cat is very determined and loves a snuggly bed, so a net is no use. Besides, she’d get her claws stuck into it.
My partner is an engineer and could easily make one, but I’m just wondering if he actually has to go to all that trouble? Are there any available? If not, why not? Is there something I’ve overlooked? Or is it simply an unpopular concept, due to the resemblance of a cage etc…? At this point, I really don’t care about it looking like a cage, so long as it keeps our baby safe. It’s not as if she’s going anywhere for the moment! 🙂

I genuinely think even with slatted sides a solid lid would affect ventilation. It’s not just temperature which increases SIDS risk but the lack of air circulation and i wouldn’t risk it.

This is utterly bonkers. Blame your hormones.

Emm... small baby with very limited strength, trying to push a cat off them, when average cats weight is 5 kilos... have you thought that through?

Cmon, if poster is genuine and I like to believe all posters are, its a genuine concern for her and partner..

Be kind..

Or someone else's garage?

This is essentially survivor bias "it didn't happen to me, so it probably doesn't happen".

It must be wonderful being so clever and sure of yourself. Good for you.
This post has already been resolved, but thanks for your input. 😘

I see a lot of people jumping on the "just rehome the cat" bandwagon as someone who works with animals I find this really sad. At this stage the cat hasn't done anything wrong. You may find it won't even go near the baby. Just take the necessary precautions and keep the cat out of the room or away from the baby and please don't put your baby in a cot with a lid.
Of course if baby comes along and you're finding it difficult then please go down the right channels in rehoming the cat properly.

My thoughts exactly… ❤

Wow, why didn’t I think of that? That solves everything. Thanks so much! 😆

Wow, I wish I’d thought of that. It must be wonderful being so smart. Thanks for your input. ❤️

And what’s your excuse?…

Maybe cage the cat

Just purchase a large dog crate n stick the baby in there, prob solved and very cheaply too lol, sorry I am laughing as I know someone who did this when her babies were tiny as she had big dogs. It worked very well too

There's no need to be funny about it. It's an option to consider if you're concerned.

I did say in my original post that I thought this possibly might have been more common 'in the old days' when there wasn't heating, as a baby in a cot or pram would be seen by a cat as a little radiator. I never thought it was a false story - more that nowadays, with central heating, cats would be more likely to find somewhere else to sleep. So a 'grandmother' era story I can believe. If it still happens nowadays though I would be very surprised.

How about making a wooden frame, a bit bigger than the top of the cot, with wire fencing mesh nailed to cover it. You'd have to remove it before there was any chance of the baby being able to reach it, but by that age the baby could push a cat off or roll away.

For all of those that think this doesn't happen, read my earlier post, it did to me when middle child was 3 days old. I woke in the night and the cat was asleep on his face, it was utterly terrifying, I instinctively threw the cat out of the moses basket (cat was fine) and fortunately my baby son was OK, still sound asleep.
No harm done but I completely understand the OP's concern. It does happen and she is wise to take precaution. I'm not in favour of the closed in cot but vigilance around the cat will not go amiss.

This- loads of people have babies and cats, I've not seen cats try to get into a baby's cot - usually there are warm sofas and chairs to curl up in that are far away from a crying infant.

A cat will lie on the bed of an older child, keeping them company.

@SuperSonic2011 Just make sure your cat is regularly wormed with having a young child about. {Meds from a vets, not a pet shop}

I'm sorry I haven't read the full thread, but zillions of people manage with cats and babies, I think people just shut the door and keep the cat out of the baby's sleeping space altogether. You might need to go two doors apart if your cat is noisy. But it is def a legit concern and you aren't being dramatic to worry about it, but I think the solution is easier than fancy cot engineering.

We used to have cats coming into a specific area garden to poo sometimes, and I rigged up fruit net to protect the flower beds - and the cats hated it! It felt insecure to their claws and didn't bear their weight.
The domed tent type device a previous poster showed looks pretty good if you are really worried about your cat- but I expect she will be keeping well away from the baby

It's not about easier than. If they create a lid and anything happens to the baby, coincidental or not, a) they will probably never forgive themselves wondering if the lid contributed (airflow, temperature etc) and b) they may find themselves in hot water on top.

Thank you. I’ve taken on board the concerns around the lid. In my ignorance, I honestly thoughts a gridded lid would be fine, as it’s ventilated? I appreciate I’m far from expert in these matters however and thought there must be a good reason why they didn’t already exist, and this is exactly why I posted. These comments have been invaluable, thank you. Anyone who thinks it’s a dramatic concern is crazy. And thank you for your support. I’m really glad everything was fine. ❤️

I’d actually think a quick, cheap and safe cat deterrent would be sellotape some bits of tin foil all around the top bar of the cot. Cats don’t like the texture or noise and if leaping into a cot would normally touch the top bar as they go in ?

obviously only while baby is small and can’t sit up and pull it off.

The biggest problems would be practical. You can end up picking a baby up and putting them down so many times, sometimes in dim light, trying not to wake them up etc. It would be such a hassle trying to open a lid every time. It probably wouldn’t pose a safety hazard from a suffocation/ overheating pov. The safety risk would be that a handmade crib would not meet safety standards in other ways or that an attached lid might fall on the baby/ be too heavy and cause the crib to collapse or something like that. An older baby when they start pulling up (which happens before you know it) might get their fingers or another body part trapped. Cots with a side you can drop down have been banned in some places because of very tragic accidents where this has happened. As pps have mentioned, newborns are often better off in a Moses basket/ next to me. It can be harder to settle them in a big cot and some of them are not even suitable from birth. They don’t sleep for long stretches for a good while and you will want to keep them close and keep an eye on them.
God forbid in an emergency situation like a fire or if baby was choking or something, you want to be able to grab them quickly, not having to open a lid.
The risk a cat poses to a baby is thought to be small, but there is a risk not just of suffocation but bites and scratches and transmission of things like toxoplasmosis, ringworm, salmonella etc so you would be right to be vigilant in keeping them apart as much as possible and keeping a close eye. The risk of bites and scratches is just as important to minimise when baby is mobile and can pull the cat’s tail and such.
All in all, the potential for something to go wrong by putting a lid on the crib outweighs the possible benefit.
They are made to very stringent safety standards and if you tamper with it in any way, those standards will no longer apply.