Newborns and Cats

[Artemis1307]

Im 32 weeks and trying to get my house ready for the new arrival. Does anyone have some advice on how to have newborns and cats cohabitate harmoniously? I have two boys cats and I'm not sure how to keep them out of the baby stuff. Pram, cot, moses basket etc. They dont like to be shut out of rooms entirely and have already pulled up 2 carpets trying to open doors. Also worried about them sleeping on the baby as they both like to sleep on my head. Any ideas or things that have worked for you?

My 2 were too wary of the noise/unpredictable movements to try sleeping on a baby, but i never left them together unattended just in case.

As for stuff, i tend to put a throw over / cushions inside any baby equipment left unattended to stop it becoming a cat emporium.

Best bit of advice i got - make sure the cats have some high up spaces to be that a toddler can’t reach. It won’t be long until your baby is a toddler, and cats can get very stressed it they can’t escape.

@RubaiyatOfAnyone
Cushions isn't something I'd though of. Thanks

A tight net over the cot or crib for when the baby is in or out
Monitors so you can see

I have three cats and none of them were remotely interested in any of the three mini humans but they did love to curl up in their empty cots or Prams or on their piles of celebs washing.
Some cats are prone to snuggling up to babies though and of course thy e suffocation risk is there so you have to be vigilant and show them they are not allowed in certain areas anymore
Prepare them for this now

Watching this thread with interest as I have a cat who is used to a full run of the house. Started keeping them out of the bedroom & spare room quite early on in the pregnancy and it’s not been very well received!

He hasn’t showed any interest in the pram (except the underbasket thing) and there’s a sheet of plywood over the crib to stop him from going in it at the moment.

I think the best thing to do is be aware of where the cats are at all times - always do a room sweep! & if you are planning to doze/sleep when the baby sleeps then make sure you’re in a room without the cats.

I brought my son up with 4 cats but I'd never ever leave a baby alone with one of them or without a cat net.

I have two house cats. Kept them out of the bedrooms and used a baby box if baby had a nap in front room (was put away if not in use). Kept plastic covers on bouncer chair etc at night to stop them claiming it. My two are very curious and very affectionate so I didn't dare leave them alone with baby. He's nearly 18months now, one cat avoids him and the other will play with him and chase his about which he finds hilarious :0)

I have two extremely fluffy house cats, their hair gets everywhere. I do hoover as often as I can but impossible to get rid of so I just had to kinda roll with it! I imagine my newborn inhaled a lot of hair, we all do!

I kept the plastic cover the mattress of the crib came in & popped it back over during the day.. one of my cats did like sleeping in it but absolutely not when baby was in there! They never bothered with the pram.. they actually used to sleep in the basket underneath the pram 😄 but I did just take the carry cot/seat off the frame and leave it upside down when not using it..

We kept them out of our bedroom, just shut the door. They eventually got bored & stopped meowing! It’s actually easier now we have stair-gates as they can’t jump them (useless). I’d possibly start implementing that rule now, so it’s less of a double whammy!

The other we did was buy them a new, quite tall cat tree so they could both escape to safety & even now, they sleep on it more often than not!

Oh the whole, we found both cats were very cautious & wary around DD. They hated it when she cried & would keep their distance! They never went near her Moses basket or say the playmat while she was on/in it.. She’s 2.5 now & one still won’t go anywhere near the bonkers toddler!

I think start with the notion to never leave your newborn alone with them & judge it by how they are reacting. I eventually felt comfortable to nip & make a quick sandwich while she was snoozing etc..

My in laws favourite pastime is telling me that my cats are going to smother my baby, oh what fun 😂

I'm due in a few weeks but we've been keeping the nursery door closed to get them used to not being allowed in there, one cat is desperate to nap in the cot while the other one prefers pretending to be in cat prison, stuck underneath it!

We've also been keeping them both downstairs at night for the past 8 weeks to get them used to not sleeping with us anymore and after a few nights of kitty protesting they're used to it now.

Neither of them have shown interest in the pram, I think it scares them, and neither of them have noticed that our bedside crib is a potential sleep spot (they're not very bright creatures) so honestly I'm not concerned but like PP have said just use your judgement, your cats are likely to scarper whenever baby is near but keep an eye on them and see how it goes!

Oh and forgot to mention, if you shut them out of a room and they scratch trying to get back in there is such a thing called 'Cat Scratch Sticky Paws Tape' - it's essentially a massive roll of double sided tape that you can stick to anything that'll stop them scratching. It worked a treat with our two

Petslucent Cat Scratch Deterrent Sticky Paws Tape, Cat Furniture Protector Training Tape Anti Scratching, Double Sided Guards for Carpet, Sofa, Couch, Door (Blue- 3''x 15 Yards) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07TTCQK39/ref=cmswwrcppapiii_rD5bEb9BJX9AV

My cats hated being in the same room as the baby, they would walk around the perimeter of the room to avoid babys basket and run a mile if she cried. Girl cat sometimes slept in basket/pushchair, but never attempted to get in with baby. So I never had to worry. I’m a childminder now, with a different cat and I can pretty much guarantee that the cat won’t be anywhere near the children. She hates their unpredictability, she has no desire to be stroked by someone who might pull her tail/ears/fall on her, so stays out of the way.