Cats suffocating babies - myth or experience?

[SmithTheCat]

Hi,expecting first sprog v soon. Cat seems determined to sleep in moses basket and cot. Have bought it own cat-basket but ignors it. Looking into buying a cat-net but seems v.fiddly to have to take on/off basket/cot in middle of night for feeds etc. Fairly convinced that cat will react with total horror at being confronted with real live child as it already views visitors' children as being evil and therefore to be avoided. However my M is convinced it will curl up in the cot and suffocate the child. Has anybody had any actual experience of cats/babies other than hearsay? Cot/cat-nets any good? Thanks.

Tensing
I have similar story about my cousin when she was a baby. It was a winters night, my cousin had kicked of her blankets and they landed on the electric heater that had been left on over night. The blankets caught on fire, the cat went to aunts room and meowed and scratched and generally made a lot of noise until she woke up and discovered the fire. Family and cousin saved.

We have DD 2.8yrs and DS 4.5m and 3 cats.
We always shut DD's door when she was born because of all the horror stories about not letting the cats in a babies cot, etc....But have never had any experience of them wanting the sit on top of the kids before.
And as soon as I told people I was pregnant with DD we were also asked when were we gonna get rid of the cats?!?! Millions of people all over the world have cats and kids, why did everyone think we had to get rid?
Children are also 68% less likely to have health problems such as allergies when they grow up with a cat in the house, so I read.
Apart from the hair and the odd mouse now and again, they are no trouble. We do, however, lock them downstairs at night so that we dont roll over to be met with cat breath in the night!

Yet another preson who bought a cat net and then never used it (actually only intended to use it outsdie as more concerend about "stranger" cats - but it just seems too much of a faff).

Out two Siamese cats, despite being very "people" cats never showed much interest in ds. We did shut them out of our room when we brought ds home and his cots was in with us: I think that upset them the most (they were used to sleeping in bed with us). And once we moved the cot out of our room, we always kept d's room door shut.

I used to leave ds to sleep for quite a few of his day time naps in/under his baby gym in the lounge and the cats would ignore him.

He's 5 now and the cats tolerate him (never even threante to scratch him or anything - but then, "family" Siamese are known for tolreating behaviour from children that they wouldn't accept from adults). Having said that, they don't go out of their way to be close to him - if they are sleeping on his bed (or rather, on his large pile of soft toys on his bed) when he oges to bed, they usually re-locate thems elves .

Our family cat saved my dad's life when I was a kid - he was sleeping at home during the day (shift work), and there was an electrical fire. Ernie knew that sharpening her claws on Dad's legs would wake him up, (and get her in trouble) so she did it. He got himself, and her out. The dogs died.

Our sociable pleasant cat avoids the kids, and has done since they were mobile. Our weird antisocial cat puts up with loads from them, I don't know why.

FIL and his vile girlfriend bought us a cat net when DD was born. I cried for days that they thought I would even let the cats near the baby let alone sit on her. Was very annoyed at them and even DH had to call FIL to tell them how upset I was of their mistrust in my ability to look after my own child!
Never used to cat net, ever!

Prettybird, agree about Siamese putting up with maltreatment from children. It's as if they know children aren't responsible for their actions, isn't it? The two I grew up with put up with us when we were toddlers, but as soon as we were, in their opinion, old enough to know better, they waited until we were doing something we shouldn't have and scratched us very carefully - enough to notice but not enough to draw blood. Just to make it clear there were boundaries...

They lived to be 16 and just shy of 21 so they really were a big part of my family. Still miss them. Would love a Siamese but gather they are hideously expensive these days.

We gave our poor cat away on the strength of this myth... or truth. I'm glad we did tho as dd is allergic to cats.

Edam - they do seem to know. Interstingly, our "spiky" cat (the one who splays her claws if she is lifted - although she never intentioally scratched) was the one who styaed around with ds and other youngesters, whereas her borther, the big softy, was the one who disappeared. Unfortunately, he had kindey failure 18 months ago and had to be put down - just as he was starting to interact meaningfully with ds (3 at the time). However, his replacement is totally used to ds and she was brought hup with him (and yes, she was hideously expensive - £250) (But we are thinking of getting a third one, as the older cat is a bit fed up of a young energetic cat around and she is getting on, so we thught we should get another one sooner rather than later, so we don't end up with another age gap between cats)

We got fish instead.

We have a chocolate tabby point siamese and he sits there and lets my childminded children explore him.

He can tell the difference between a baby of 6 months grabbing and twisting out of interest and exploration and a 2 yo being mean

He is so gentle with babies and just gets up and walks off is abused (in his opinion)

He would never sleep next to a child (I think they move too much) and he would rather be on an adults knee and be stroked

The big softie who died was a(n enormous) chocolate tabby point, as is his (female) replacement (a very petite version). His sister is supposed to be a chocolate point, but I would say she looks more like a seal.

How old will they get - the Vet has been saying Romeo looks old since he was about 6 (he's now nearly 11)

HAVEN'T READ THE WHOLE THREAD BUT AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED AT SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS SITE. WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR CHILD, YOU WON'T TAKE YOUR EYES OFF FOR FIVE MINUTES. YOUR CAT WILL PROBABLY FEEL A BIT PISSED OFF BUT THAT'S IT...THEN SHE'LL HAVE A WASH AND GO TO SLEEP. MY CATS ARE NEARLY ELEVEN..MY CHILDREN ARE 7,6 AND 5. ADMITTEDLY, THE CAT WON'T APPROVE BUT SHE/HE WON'T BE BOTHERED AS LONG AS YOU FEED IT. NOW...CATS AND KIDS PLUS BIG DOG ARE ALL THE BEST OF MATES...DON'T TAKE NOTICE OF ALL THESE ANTI-CAT PEOPLE...THEY'RE JUST SCARE-MONGERING...BELIEVE ME. AS FOR TOXIPLASOMOSIS IT ONLY AFFECTS PREGNANT WOMEN BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU I WAS CHANGING CAT LITTER BOXES THROUGHOUT ALL MY PREGNANCIES AND I HAD NO PROBLEM.JUST MAKE SURE YOU WASH YOUR HANDS!

Katymac - Leo was 9, which is at the young end to get kideny failure, However, his breeder (who fortunately had only just started breeding again and had one kitten left who she was going to be breeding from, but decided she was a bit small) came to visit shorty afterwards (she had become a friend) and we went to the Scottish Cat SHow together. She knew some of the judges and we chatted and they said that 9 was wasn't that unusual for the orientals -although it was bad luck.

Having said that, his sister is now 11 and still going strong, while my original Siamese (a Blue point) (the first one I owned, as opposed to my Mum & Dad) was 14 or 15 before he died. And Mum & Dad's older cat (chocolate point) is 12 and also still going strong.

So - were doing ok, I suppose

He has just been attacked by dog fleas (brought in by one of the mindees - Grrr)

The Vet says to get them off him asap and not to wait for the frontline to kill them so we are flea combing everyday (makes a change from nits)

Poor baby - but he moves like an old cat all stiff and slow

Hey cutekids I LOVE your style

we have a fat deaf cat, who is very loved & quite standoffish. She is a house cat & has the run of the house.

If I don't want her in DD's room or our bedroom, I shut the door & guess what ? she stays out.

She did jump in DD's carrycot once, but as soon as she saw V.V.V.V small baby, she kept away.

We've had no problems with her.

Muscat (our old cat) is also a bit slow now - hence she sometimes gets a bit peed off by the younger cat, who wants to play. But she was always less energetic than her brother.

Never suffered from dog fleas (...but we do suspect that she was the cause of the bad case of Pasteurella infection I got shortly after ds was born - think she got it by being bitten by a squirrel)

I've had that from vets too, calling cats of eight or nine old. Our siamese were, respectively, 16 and a week short of 21 when they died. So a nine year old cat seems like a youngster to me! My current little black moggy must be nine now (previous owner a bit vague about her age) but still looks young and hasn't started behaving like an elderly cat.

Poor thing is terrified of ds, shoots off if he comes in the same room as her. Only comes out when he's asleep - don't know what will happen when he drops his afternoon nap.

Hi Mojomummy! Glad we're on the same wavelength!

Well... we had 14 feline friends in our house when my dd was born... to one we were pet mummy and baby - she was as pleased as punch with us she used to sit at my feet and purr to us as I bf!

Not one of them attempted to get into her cot or to sit on her or near her...

Think the 'smothering' thing is a myth... can understand how a thick-skinned determinedly obnoxious cat could overheat a baby by lying with him/her for a long time

My current cat has a very sweet respect for ds (7 weeks) I only wish he'd give the hamster stalking a break!

My cat very nearly smothered my 1 year old a few weeks ago. He had curled himself up on her chest and face and as I came into the room she was struggling to get him off and failing, her arms were pinned under him. He wasn't intending to move (needless to say he flew, shortly thereafter.)

This was downstairs as she was about to have a nap on our beanbag. I've never let him upstairs for precisely this reason.

I do think cats are great family pets but would (obviously, given the above) suggest being extremely cautious.

Our 2 cats are scared of the baby and give him a very wide berth, so I've never had any fears about them trying to suffocate him. Also they seem instinctively to know that he is a young human and are much more patient with him then they would be with me, when he pulls their ears and whiskers for example!

However, all cats like comfy places to sleep, so given half a chance they sneak into the baby's room and go to sleep in his cot. I just have to remember to always keep the door closed.

A cat turned up on my doorstep when I was pregnant with dd2. We took him in and he wasnt in the slightest bit interested in the baby.
I shut the door her crib/cot was in and switched the monitor on and made sure i knew where the cat was before settling my bum down anywhere. Just In Case.
Never had any trouble at all...but now shes 5 and he sleeps with her on her bed on her pillow and she gets up in the middle of the night to nick from me a pillow as he hogs it all!!

Um ks, I cannot see anyway of preventing my cat going upstairs except by blocking it off in some way. Cats will go where they want, maybe not when you are there, but what about when you are out? Or will you shut it outside?

I have a friend who decided her cats would live entirely outdoors when she had her first baby, they live quite happily in her garden, with a specially made house.

My cat gave ds a very wide berth when he was tiny, and still does, since given the chance he pokes his fingers in her eyes and pulls her tail these days.