Babies and cats

[kbaby]

Hello,
I'm hoping someone may be able to offer some advice. Im pregnant and have a cat. My mother has told me that I need to be carful that the cat doesnt get in to sleep with the baby and suffocate it. This has now lead me into panic mode. I dont want to rehome the cat as hes lovely. But he is quite a cuddly cat and likes sleeping on peoples laps. Ive bought cat nets for the cot and the moses basket and know that I have to be careful that the cat is not allowed in the room on its own with the baby. Has anyone had any experience of this or can offer some advice on what I can do. Also for how long will this be a problem e.g once the babies 6 months old will it be ok then.
Hope someone can help

Hi there everybody,

just wanted to add to the general cat debate as pregnancy seems to be a very very common reason for people rehoming cats which is very sad from the cat's point of view, as adult cats can be difficult to find new homes for especially if timid or nervous. I've four cats and a 6 month old, and didn't find it too hard to keep cats and baby apart when baby was very small, just meant keeping an eye on whether cats in or out of room and shutting doors as necessary. Now he's big enough to grab, they've learnt to keep out of swiping range. DS LOVES the cats, his whole face lights up when he sees them. However some cats don't seem to react so well to babies, MIL 's cat tried to swipe him when he visited, and some react by spraying (as one of mine occasionally does, grrrr) However he has setled down now with lots of TLC and "happy cat pheromone" diffuser!

What we tried to do was keep the cats routine the same when DS arrived, ie feed as usual, try and still give them fuss, and let them investigate the baby under close supervsion ( they soon decided he was a bit boring.) everything usually settles down given time, and I think problem cats are the rarity rather than the rule, so getting rid of the cat as soon as finding out about pregnancy seems a little drastic. Sadly this is something I come across a lot in my work (vet)

Sorry about long boring message!

hi there - lots of this has been said but kbaby I had dire warnings too but my two cats were and are just adored so were going nowhere. we make sure they are not in the same room with the baby when he asleep and apart from that have had no issues or problems except that one of the cats got a little anxious and jealous (we bought a feliway diffuser which worked a treat). ds now loves the cats and smiles and gestures at them and I wouldn't ever want to deprive him of their company. NB we also let them wander into the nursery while we were and didn't 'ban' them so it became an area of 'curiousity' which helped I think.

talking of cats.....have just gone into the lounge where DD2 (4.5) is laying on the sofa (she's got chickenpox) and found her curled up under a blanket fast asleep with our older cat (6 yrs) curled up in DD2s legs - looks so sweet

Tigermoth - your post regarding a friend having 3 cats put to sleep really saddened me

Read this with interest as I have 2 cats, DD of 20 mths and DS of 6mths who has ecsema (how do you spell this word?!). Read in info from Dermatologist that cats and dogs' dander can aggrivate it. Don't have this skin prob in the family and have been wondering about my cats. Went to Dubai at Christmas for one week and after 5 days of being there, DS' skin cleared up and I didn't even put him in the sun for 2 minutes as sun far too strong. There are obviously lots of kiddies and babies not affected by cats in this way (I was more concerned at my children being suffocated when they were tiny babies) and I would be interested to hear if cats have really had an effect on childrens' ecxsema. By the way, DS does not have asthma - thank goodness.

Chicpea, dd2 had eczema to varying degrees when she was little but once when we visited friends who have a cat with long fur and she picked it up for a cuddle, her face swelled and her eye closed up...obviously it depends on the child (and the cat) but when a child is sensitive then it does have an effect. Depends whether it's one you can live with.

I'm sorry to bring also bad news, my sister had such a bad allergy to cats that she would get covered in blisters if somebody who had been holding a cat get near to her (she obviously learned not to hold cats herself).

The problem with eczema is that the skin reacts to the protein carried in pet dander and according to our 2 dermatologists the problem is worse with cats, unfortunately once you get it in your clothes, carpets or furniture it can not be washed (you can boil it by steam cleaning but the protein remains) so, it's not a good idea to let animals roam free in areas which a sensitive baby or child uses, even if the baby is not in the room.

My DS1 (now 6) suffered from eczema from birth up until a couple of years ago. It didn't seem to be aggravated by the cats and cleared up after I "dipped" him in the sea water (GPs recommendation!) - hasn't had a flare-up since.

I suffer from asthma, and when diagnosed I instantly thought that I would have to get rid of the cats - although I've lived with cats since childhood.

Asthma nurse told me that it didn't mean that I had to get rid of them at all - keep them off my bed (which I've always done anyway).

I know some people who are asthmatic who are also allergic to animals so obviously pets are a "no-no".

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I have two cats and was also concerned about how they would be with a new baby. Like you, I bought cat nets for the cot etc, but actually I never ended up using them as my cats didn't want to get close to our baby. I think if you make sure there is always a safe distance between the two, keep the door shut when the baby is sleeping then you are unlikely to have a problem. I certainly wouldn't find another home for your cat. Now that my baby is crawling I'm more worried the cat will get hurt!

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1 cat, 2 small boys here and never had any problems with cat in cot/pram. He stays well out of the way, esp now they chase him all over the place...its the cat I feel sorry for now. I wouldn't worry too much.

Just wanted to say thanks to you secur, I really would hate to get rid of my 'mad' cat as she is a real character and can be very gentle when she wants. I am now extra, extra careful and always make sure I know where she is when the baby is around. Hopefully in time they will both learn, I think really as the other cat is so gentle my dd expects the other to be the same.

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