Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties:
I have three cats — Phebe, Shelby and Bentley. They, along with my Huskies, are my furkids and I love them all to pieces! But I do have a question for you: My husband and I just found out that we are pregnant after many years of trying, and I’m wondering how to prepare the kitties for the new baby. The kitties are very affectionate and sleep with us, if not on us. In fact, Phebe was the first to alert me that something was going right this time — when we were sleeping she laid her paw on my tummy the day I was supposed to take the test and before any tests confirmed anything she knew something was up. The cats have been very close by me since we found out the news, taking naps with me and making sure they are not under my feet like usual and waiting for me to wake up for breakfast instead of waking me up for breakfast. I just want to make the transition from being furkids to being furkids with a human sibling easier on them. Any suggestions? Baby will probably sleep in a bassinette in our room for a few months before transitioning into a nursery.
~ Kate
Siouxsie: Well, first of all, congratulations to you and your husband!
Thomas: We’re all purring with delight that you want to help your get used to having a baby in the house before he or she is born. A lot of people don’t think about that, so we’re very impressed that you are thinking about your furkids — especially in the midst of something as exciting as a long-desired pregnancy.
Bella: And yes, there are things you can do to prepare the cats ahead of time. *purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr*
Siouxsie: First of all, once your baby is born, you’re going to have to spend lots and lots of time taking care of him or her, which means you might not have as much time or energy to spend with the furkids as they’re used to.
Thomas: If one or more of the cats is especially close to you, you might start by encouraging your husband to spend more time with them and hopefully increase their attachment to him. He can start the process by taking over the cat chores, such as feeding and playtime. (We assume he’s already taking care of the litterbox chores, just to be on the safe side and avoid any risk of toxoplasmosis.)
Bella: You should get your cats used to the new sounds, smells and sights of a baby.
Siouxsie: If you have friends with infants, invite them over so your cats can get used to their cries, coos and other assorted cute noises.
Thomas: Make some recordings of baby noises, too. Start by playing them at a very low volume, from the room where your baby will sleep, and gradually raise the volume until the noises reach their normal loudness.
Bella: Bring some baby smells into your environment, too. Get some baby powder and put it on your hands, for example, then let the cats sniff your hands. Once they seem comfortable with the smell, give them some love and petting.
Siouxsie: Bring the baby’s new furniture in as soon as possible so your cats can get used to that. You can train them to avoid hopping into the crib or jumping on the changing table, too. Get some Sticky Paws tape to make the changing table unattractive to her.
Thomas: Another kitty table-top deterrent is easy to make and inexpensive. Simply get a small plastic carpet runner — the kind with little spikes that grip into the carpet — and put it on top of the changing table with the spikes pointing up. Hold it in place with double-sided tape so you can remove it easily once baby comes along.
Bella: You could use upside-down carpet runners in the the crib or bassinette, too, so your kitties won’t want to rest in baby’s bed.
Siouxsie: This isn’t because of those silly old wives’ tales about cats stealing babies’ breath, of course, but because you might prefer your cats not to sleep with baby while he or she is still really small.
Thomas: If you’re going to make the nursery totally off limits to the kitties, you’ll want to get them used to that ahead of time, too.
Bella: Finally, make sure all your kitties have vet visits and are in good health before the baby comes. If they’re not used to having their claws trimmed, you’ll want to train them to accept kitty manicures.
Siouxsie: We’d recommend getting some Feliway diffusers, too. This synthetic “happy cat” pheromone comes in plug-in diffusers and spray, and it’s really helpful for reducing stress.
Thomas: Be ready for your cats to explore other things associated with the baby, too. If you’re planning to nurse your baby, your cats may wonder what that’s about and may even be attracted by the smell of milk on the baby (or on your clothes).
Bella: That’s nothing to worry about. It’s totally normal, and as long as you react firmly but gently when your cats do something you don’t want, everything should be fine.
Siouxsie: Good luck to you, your husband and all your furkids. We hope everything goes well and you have a wonderful, healthy baby — and that your cats will be wonderful teachers for your new family member. Please let us know how things turn out.
JaneA Kelley is a punk rock cat mom and award-winning blogger. She is a regular columnist for Catster Magazine, and she and the Paws and Effect Gang share a home in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
Yes, do teach your cats not to go in the baby’s bassinette! As I’m sure you’ve been told, the latest thinking on prevention of SIDS is that there should not be anything in the bed with the baby. Enough of warnings, though, more important is to enjoy your fur family and your baby! congratulations!
Hello most esteemed Kitties
What incredible and yet sensible advise. When you think about it… it all makes sense. I hope other mothers-to-be read this advise, soon enough, as it would make things a lot easier.
I didnt know about the cleaning of the kitty litter trays… that sounds like quite an important thing.
When furbabies, have been your whole existence for so long, to then be put aside ( for want of a better phrase), it is not surprising, they can not cope and in many instances feel jealous, or put out.
I have actually sent this on to a good friend of mine, who is currently pregnant and has two very possessive kitties.
So thank you.. you may find a new member shortly.
Hi there,
I think that most cats understand boundaries and get along swimmingly with babies. In fact, I’d be more worried about the cats than the kid because they’re very soon going to be victims of some vicious tail pulling (blame it on a child’s curiosity). You can train your cat to understand that some rooms are out of bounds by reinforcing behavior with treats.
Alana
Just wanted to send an update. After 10 weeks of bedrest (mostly away from the kitties) my husband and I welcomed our baby girl into the world in September. Baby girl is doing very well and growing way too fast! We have made introductions to the pooches and the kitties. One of the pooches is already very protective of the baby and the kitties… well they keep looking at me with a look that says, “mom what is this loud creature you brought home?” Shelby and Bentley are the most curious about the baby and like to sniff her and try to sleep with her (if i could I would send a picture of their first meeting with the baby). Only problem: Bentley jumped in her bassinette and landed on her head. So needless to say we are still working on boundaries. Your advice has been helping so much!!!