Lockdown cat and a baby

[Help23]

My cat is a lockdown kitten and she follows me everywhere, we go to bed at night and wake up together in the morning. I didn't have plans to get pregnant when we got our kitten and have always treated her like a child. Anyway... now I'm pregnant and I'm petrified about 2 things:

1.) the cat sneaking into the baby's cot and accidentally smothering it
2.) the cat feeling depressed and lonely especially in the first 6 months

Our cat is natural and now we plan to let her have one litter before we spay her now - so we can keep one kitten and let her have some company / understood motherhood / be distracted milking herself at the same time. Making it easier to shut her downstairs and obviously out of baby's room without her feeling left out.

• Has anyone got any tips from experience for me of having a very spoilt cat and having a first baby?
• Are there any monitoring devices I can buy to give me some reassurance / peace of mind which check a baby's face is never covered etc.
• Are there any animal nets for by the side cots? I don't see how they work when you need to take the side down in the early days..

@Katy4321

I'm sorry you feel this way and really hope you have taken up the suggestion of looking for advice on thecatsite.com (and if you do breed from her there are experts there who will give lots of very helpful advice) My advice not to breed is from the experience of adopting a pregnant cat. The kittens were gorgeous, but i feel guilt that the people who took her kittens may have chosen rescues instead. I kept the kittens until after 12 weeks, as is recommended for their social skills, and on advice from a very experienced vets, who neuters for rescue homes too, had the kittens neutered at 11/12 weeks, between vaccinations. It was very noticeable that they had a much easier time of it being sprayed that young compared to their mother, and absolutely bounced back from it. Mum took a couple of days to be herself.

Kittens really can be a lot of work. One of mine was born with a leg deformity, which with the help of the vet and intensive physio we cured it. If the litter is large or mum has issues you may need to hand feed them every 2hr, in the early days. I kept one kitten and mum seemed very close to him for 6 months, but now she will just about tolerate him and hisses and bashes him occasionally.

You say your husband is from a culture that doesn't think it is right to spay/neuter, so will these kittens go to family members who think the same way and mean even more kittens?
You obviously care about animals so if
you would like the experience of kittens many rescues use foster carers, so kittens get properly socialised before rehoming, so you could look into that as an option (and possible to do with existing cat in the house) and maybe one of these could stay on with you, as a second cat.

All the best with your baby and from the helpful advice here, doesn't sound too much of a problem keeping cat from baby. This has been useful fot me as well, as I'm expecting later this year and want to make sure my cats adjust well to the baby.

I wanted to reply to a couple of your points as your advice is very kind / reasonable. I can't be arsed to address some of the ranting on here.

• he doesn't have any family here so no, they'd be going to my family who would definitely spay / neuter.
• I have been a bit concerned about spaying later, it definitely will be a bigger procedure than when a very young kitten. We had a rescue cat at home (that the vet said was male!) who turned out to be not only a female, but pregnant and I remember spaying her after the litter arrived did take a day or two to bounce back. She still lives with one of her kittens (and their other cats) in my parents house. They're not best of pals - but this rescue cat came from a terrible background (looked like she was kicked as she's scared of feet/shoes) so she's just a bit cold generally. There is no animosity.
• it's rare to have a large first litter except in some pedigrees (and she's a petite cat) her mother had 3, so I don't think it's likely it'll be a litter larger than 4.

A lot of the issues which I have read about cats struggling to care for litters etc. Is often when the cat has had a troubled background or challenges such as living on the streets but there's obviously no guarantee we wouldn't have a situation like you experienced with a deformity which needs a huge amount of care and work. So important food for thought, thank you.

x

And using catsite.com now, thank you.

(I'm in the UK by the way, don't know if many commenters here are looking at situation in US where in some areas rescue centres are full but it's certainly not the case where I am living and looking).

100% if she was a normal moggy and not a pedigree you wouldn’t be rushing to breed from her, would you?

Also this is a U.K. based site- I’ll wager nearly every poster is looking at it from that point of view, nothing to do with rescue cat situations in the US.

2.) I have already found loving homes for kittens with family - we are only keeping one ourselves if she forms a bond with one - her welfare is my priority right now

It certainly doesn't seem that way

@mrscatmad31

Re-home your cat to someone who will be responsible and neuter her

This in spades

I treated my cat like a baby and gave birth earlier this year. We've changed nothing. In the first week she was very nervous and uncertain (tail like an 'n' shape rather than upright) so we bought a feliway plug in on next day delivery from Amazon and she was back to her normal self within 24-36 hrs.
We bought all the baby things a few months in advance leanings them in 'position' but with their plastic covers on and had a water spray near by to spray her if she every went near them, I think we sprayed her once?
She's never been interested in the next to me cot.... She's quite uncertain of the baby still but not nasty towards it just steers clear.

can't be arsed to address some of the ranting on here.

At the very least you should read it. The reason people are 'ranting' is because you display a huge lack of knowledge or understanding regarding basic cat welfare. People get angry at those who breed unnecessarily, particularly when they dress it up as being for the cats benefit; or even worse, as you said 'to let her understand motherhood'

You plan to bring a Tom into your poor female cats home and have the attitude that she won't mate if she doesn't want to

Everything about your idea here is wrong and absolutely not for the benefit of you cat

'Her welfare is my priority' - then take the comments on board, do some actual research and spay your bloody cat.

I think you have quite a romantic view of motherhood that you're projecting onto your cat.
Mating, gestating and delivering these kittens will not be without risk to your cat. Cats have complex social lives but don't generally need constant company (some breeds excepted to this that do need company) and whilst many make good mothers they often get quite irritated by their kittens and once weaned will avoid them.
Speak to your vet for some professional advice about the pros and cons of having a litter for the welfare of your cat.
In terms of the baby, scent swapping so that the baby stuff smells familiar is a good idea.

You plan to bring a Tom into your poor female cats home and have the attitude that she won't mate if she doesn't want to

Tom's basically rape any female cat they get their claws on OP....it's not pretty and sounds horrific and is horrific for the female.

@SmidgenofaPigeon

100% if she was a normal moggy and not a pedigree you wouldn’t be rushing to breed from her, would you?

She is a normal moggy...

I didn't read the whole thread but I have cats and I'm getting a nini pod for my baby's crib. It has a built in mosquito net so the cats will never be able to get in beside baby for cuddles. I don't think they will smother him but its a hygiene issue if they try to sleep beside him

Also I let my cat have a litter before getting her spayed a few years ago and it was one of the most rewarding experiences I've had. Yeah there are loads of kittens in this world but for my girl it made her very placid and now she's the loveliest cat ever

@ScotsMumOf4

Also I let my cat have a litter before getting her spayed a few years ago and it was one of the most rewarding experiences I've had. Yeah there are loads of kittens in this world but for my girl it made her very placid and now she's the loveliest cat ever

If she is placid she is placid. It's safe to assume that didn't happen because you selfishly let her have a litter of kittens and it is just her nature

A mosquito net around the cot will keep the cat out. And mosquitoes.
As a vegetarian with cats and a child, can I ask you to rethink and spay the cat?
In the nicest possible way, I think that your mothering instinct and hormones are running away with you.

You've also broken MN law by not posting a picture of your cat! 🐈

@Help23 oh really- then why not let her outside

Just wanted to add that we rescued a pregnant cat who was very young and tiny and she ended up having a litter of five kittens! We didn't think there would be room! My son was 3 when they were born and he remembers how smelly it was with all of them in the house.

I mean, obviously don’t let her outside NOW, half the local Toms will be up her jacksie and you’ll have no idea what those dear little kittens will turn out like! Far better to have a known gentlemen caller Tom to pin her down with his claws in her own territory and force himself in her, I’m sure she’ll be far more relaxed with that.

@covidcloser 😂😂😂 thanks for the insight on my animal that you've never met

This thread just illustrates why rescues need to be strict on who they let re-home a cat, and why all private sales of kittens should be banned (unless done through a registered breeder - and even that is a bit 🤨)

[quote ScotsMumOf4]@covidcloser 😂😂😂 thanks for the insight on my animal that you've never met[/quote]

You may laugh but you are the one displaying ignorance regarding cat breeding, not me.

You said it was 'one of the most rewarding experiences' you have had. Shame you didn't place your cats well-being above your need to feel good

You don’t want to disrupt her life?
But you’re going to bring in a strange Tom cat and she will have no choice but to give in to him then give birth.
Really????

@Mousetown oh that’s sad to hear. Obviously if that happens then I’ll need to change the approach, guess it’s impossible to know until you’re in the situation. I do think she’ll be jealous though 🤣 she’s like a baby herself!

@MM1993 best of luck when baby arrives. I know some non cat owners don’t quite get the bond that you create with a cat but I honestly can’t imagine just putting their needs at the bottom of the household priority list. I genuinely think me and my other half would consider sleeping in separate rooms so one could be with cats and one with baby each night before we shut them away from us completely haha!

@SmidgenofaPigeon - not defending anything on this thread but my cats a moggy and I don't let her outside. The amount of cats where I live that are constantly going missing, ending up run over or stolen is insane. My friends cat is also constantly coming home with injuries from fighting other cats or killing birds/mice and returning home with them.
I don't have to worry about any of this knowing my safe and healthy cat is inside perfectly happy, currently curled up in a ball beside me

@glasspaw It was quite a shock. She’s a big softie so I had hoped she would take to the baby and everything would be lovely. I’ve never heard her hiss at anything before so I was a bit 😳 I think I burst into tears (I was very hormonal!)

Things are better now though thankfully. She just walks out of the room when baby cries