Cats and newborns

[Buckfastlover]

Hi everyone,

I am due my first baby in June. We have 2 adorable and VERY nosy cats. Has anyone got any tips for keeping the cats out of the bassinet and stroller etc? Currently all the gear is stuffed into a wardrobe! There is very little storage in our apt so I would like to be able to use the cosleeper to store the clothes until baby comes. We are only living in the States until Sept approximately when we will return home and the cats will go back to being outdoor cats but for now it's hard to keep them out of everything. Although the black and white cat in the red stroller looks very cute!

Thanks!
Leona

[Babymakes3]

I have 2 cats and a now 18 month old ds. When we first started putting baby stuff together and leaving it out yes the cats were in stuff all the time, eventually the newness wore off and they stayed away...until ds came home. They started wanting to be in his room all the time so I began shutting the door even when ds wasn't in there. Turns out they were just very protective of ds, they slept outside his door at night and stayed nearby whenever they could. They never got too close though so I was never concerned with them smothering him or anything.
For now I would just fill up the stuff you don't want the cats in so there is no room for them to jump in there. Either that or let them have their fill before baby arrives and they may be over it by the time baby gets here!

[arivecchi]

For now I would just fill up the stuff you don't want the cats in so there is no room for them to jump in there.
:yeahthat: This is what I did. I also had gates to keep the cats out of the nursery. Now that the kids are older, the cats run away from our DC. :)

[michellerw]

We're dealing with this right now. We have three cats -- 10 years, 6 years, and 3 years and a 1 week old. We didn't kick the cats out of the master bedroom or the nursery until the night before I went in to be induced. Not sure if it was a mistake or not. Tactically, it was because I was off my allergy medication for most of the pregnancy and sleeping with kitties exacerbated third trimester breathing problems.

We are not allowing the cats in the bedrooms at all. Their cat condo and cat house (from Drs. Foster and Smith) have been moved to the living room and basement. The pack n' play in the living room gets covered up at night so that no cat attempts to sleep in it and fur it up. The biggest challenge is the "kitten" (also the only female cat), who wants to get into all of the baby gear -- to sleep in the nursing chair, to jump in the pack n' play, etc. All I can suggest is scaring them off. We make the "psssssst" sound at our cats when they are doing something they aren't supposed to do and it's been effective with the baby gear too.

As for baby: my husband brought the baby's hat home from the hospital on my second day in. The cats were largely uninterested (I've heard some cats are totally into it). They've since investigated her by sniffing her head while I nurse and they seem to be settling down and accepting her. I think it's largely a matter of teaching the cats to be gentle with the baby and then vice versa.

[SnuggleBuggles]

My cat disliked the baby so much that she stayed away from anything that smelled like him once he arrived. I'd wait to see if it is even an issue.

Beth

[3blackcats]

My cat disliked the baby so much that she stayed away from anything that smelled like him once he arrived. I'd wait to see if it is even an issue.

Beth

:yeahthat:

They were in the crib and pack n play until DD started sleeping in them. Then they just avoided them.

[kransden]

My cats were totally uninterested in being anywhere near the baby. She cried too much for them.

[DietCokeLover]

I let my cats explore things when they were first assembled, and then they lost interest. When DC came home, my cats were too afraid of the crying to get too close. And once DC became mobile - hardly ever see the cats!

[Buckfastlover]

Thanks for all the replies and advice guys! Yeah, I think all we can do is wait and see what happens, I don't think it will be an issue. We can all live happily together.

They do love the cosleeper but i have a blanket in it so it won't get all furred up and have ordered a canopy for it. They tend to prefer the bed anyway.

Thanks!

[Cam&Clay]

We had a cat when DS1 was born. She was interested in his stuff, but once we brought him home, she stayed far, far away. He was way too noisy for her. In fact, she didn't really accept that he was here to stay until he was about 5 years old.