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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Tips for keeping Cat calm when bringing home a baby

11 replies

ReginaaPhalange · 31/08/2021 16:08

Looking for some tips to help keep my cat calm and relaxed when DH and I bring home our baby in a few months. Dcat is quite jumpy at times but not aggressive in the slightest. I fully expect her to go into hiding when she sees the 'noisy mini human' come through the front door, but I want to get some tips on how to relax her - I.e. Feliway plug in.

I'm also weary of Dcat jumping into DCs moses basket etc when they are/are not sleeping in it. Nursery door will be closed whilst DC is in our room sleeping, but my Dcat is very affectionate and sleeps at my head. Shutting her out of the room isn't an option as she cries until she is sick.

Any tips greatly appreciated :)

OP posts:

Original poster

ReginaaPhalange · 31/08/2021 17:49

Bump

OP posts:

MrsWooster · 31/08/2021 17:51

Our cat didn’t turn a hair and never went near the cot etc. Feliway is a good call then assume s/he will be fine.

flowersmakeitbetter · 31/08/2021 17:54

Make sure she has her own place to bolt to. A bed up high is good too.

Don't forget to make a fuss of her.

Our cat came from a house with a toddler. He was very unhappy and had started to roam wide and far. Now living in the lap of luxury here.

Bobmonkfish · 31/08/2021 17:57

My cat yowled and ran out of the cat flap, but DC1 was screaming upon entry. It was generally fine though. I was a bit lax and did find her in the moses basket occasionally

Original poster

ReginaaPhalange · 31/08/2021 18:10

I will make sure she gets a nice high level cat tree! I'll also make sure there's space under beds with a wee blanket too that she can snuggle into. I fully expect the look of "what the hell is THAT?" When we come home! She will always be our wee baby so will be fussed over!

She's hating me now though! I thought she'd be cuddling into my bump - nope! She sits on DHs lap and gives me the evil eyes 🤣

OP posts:

Echobelly · 31/08/2021 18:15

I don't think you need to do anything. The cat I had when both DC's were born was a neurotic wreck who was scared of her shadow but was actually OK about babies. I don't remember any reaction to oldest arriving how... although when we brought the second home, she did give us a disgusted look that seemed to say 'You bastards!'

musicalfrog · 31/08/2021 18:18

If you're in hospital with baby for any length of time you can send a blanket home which smells of baby, so the cat can be familiar with it. But ime the cat will steer well clear once baby is home.

SweetBabyCheeses99 · 31/08/2021 18:32

“Nursery door will be closed whilst DC is in our room sleeping, but my Dcat is very affectionate and sleeps at my head. Shutting her out of the room isn't an option as she cries until she is sick.”

Sorry I don’t understand the sleeping arrangements part. Presumably the baby will be sleeping in the Moses basket in your room for the first few months and then move to the nursery later? And you’ll all be asleep in the same room with the cat sleeping by your head?

If so, I think you’re right to be concerned about the cat jumping the Moses basket with the baby in it. What if you woke up and the cat was sleeping by the babies head and risking potentially suffocating them?
I can’t see any other option other than shutting the cat out of your bedroom. She’ll get over it, she’s a cat not a baby after all.

Original poster

ReginaaPhalange · 31/08/2021 18:47

@SweetBabyCheeses99 so what will be baby's nursery will be closed off to her - I don't want my dcat in there at all.

Right now the cat sleeps at my head but my worry is what you say, of waking up in the night and she's curled up beside DC. If we shut the bedroom door to her now, she cries and will eventually start hacking up a hairball and just gets louder and louder. I'm thinking we need to start doing this now so that she's used to it before DC comes along.

OP posts:

MajesticallyAwkward · 31/08/2021 19:02

I have 2 needy, neurotic house panthers and was worried about their reactions to the dc... neither cared when dc1 arrived. Barely acknowledged the small human until she was about 3 and started giving them treats. We'd taken loads of time to set up the Moses basket and all sorts before dc1 arrived so the cats were used to it and they didn't take any notice.

When we brought dc2 home one cat kind of gave me a 'what have you done' look, but again neither really bothered. Even coming into the bedroom at night they avoided the babies at all costs.

It really depends on the cat, some might try to get close to a baby but ime it's not guaranteed and not as immediate a threat as some posters make out. Of course it's always sensible to err on the side of caution.
You'll know your cat well enough to judge how they react when baby does arrive.

ECPCR2 · 31/08/2021 22:13

There are a few YouTube videos of newborns crying - we played one to our cat quietly and just for a minute at first. Then turning the volume up and leaving it on longer over the course of a couple of weeks in the lead up to DS coming home. And when we had the Moses basket set up, played it from in there too. DCat was very uncertain at first and investigated a little bit, but because we'd done it gradually he wasn't scared. And then when the baby did come home he wasn't fazed at all - in fact they each looked completely through one another for about 10 months (definitely no longer the case at 19 months - all DS wants to do is chase and cuddle the poor floof!)

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