Babyproofing with a cat

[persephonefalls]

Hi everyone, I'd love some advice.

My daughter is six months old, and not quite crawling yet, but we're starting to think about babyproofing. So my question is, how do you keep baby out of the cat food and litterbox?

At the moment, the litterbox is in a bathroom, which is really the only place it can go. And the cat food and water fountain are on the kitchen floor. How do we babyproof the cat's stuff so that it's still readily accessible to the cat, but safely protected from the baby?

Thanks!

[babyonway]

My mom is staying with me and she has a cat and we put the litterbox and food and water in a separate room that is closed off from DD. Accidently once DD got into the room and had a mess with the dry cat food YIKES. Never again!

If you don't have a room you could close off maybe a superyard?

[mommylamb]

We keep our cat food and litter box in our laundry room and we put a cat door in so that we could keep the door closed all the time.

[MommyAllison]

We keep our cat food and litter box in our laundry room and we put a cat door in so that we could keep the door closed all the time.

And the door has a lock up at the top to keep the kids out.

When we lived in an apartment, we didn't have an extra room either. The cat food went up on a bathroom counter for a couple months, then we just taught DD to leave it alone. The water fountain stayed on the floor, and yes, DD played in it a couple times, but then left it alone. The litterbox, we did different ways at different ages. For awhile, we pushed a loveseat up into the corner of a room, so there was a small triangular space behind it that was not accessible from the floor, and put it back there. When DD was old enough to leave it alone, we moved it back to a more open space. Good luck!

[YouAreTheFocus]

We have the litterbox in the bathroom, and the dry food and water fountain in the kitchen. We didn't change anything for the baby--we felt like bringing him home was a big enough change for them to deal with, we didn't want to mess with their stuff unless we absolutely had to. He is now 17 mo and has never tried to touch any of the cats' stuff. You might try just leaving it where it is, for the cat's sanity and see how it goes.

[wellyes]

We put the food and litter in the basement when we had a walking DC. Any closed door will do. Lasts just from about 8 months-2 years, then the cat is released from the indiginity of having to be let into the room to pee/eat. Until you have the next kid!

[soon2b4]

We actually just put a hook and eye on the door to the utility room and its frame, so that it could be "hooked open" about 4 inches. The eye is mounted on a block so it sticks out from the frame about 2 inches and then the hook is mounted on the door. A baby-proofer suggested trying that before we added a cat door. It worked really well for us.

[TwoBees]

We haven't solved the food problem--it's in the kitchen and there is no where else that's feasible to put it. So when DD is in the kitchen, we pick up the cat's placemat and put it on the counter. The cat has learned to wait, and then he gets to eat in peace.

We use this in doorways when we want to contain/keep out DD but still allow the cat to roam free.

There is also this but much more expensive. Actually, now it's ons ale, so not too bad.

[carpenterlady]

I wouldn't worry to much about the water. I put our cat food up high. Use a table, a shelf, or somewhere your baby can't reach. Cats can jump higher than your baby can reach. The food and water do not have to be next to each other. Near by, but not right next to each other. People who have both dogs and cats have the same issues. The cat will be more comfortable if it is away from babies and dogs when they eat anyway. I have used a shelf that was 12 inches wide and 4 feet long before. Or get a 16 inch wide shelf. A shelf and two brackets are inexpensive at HD or Lowes. Put it somewhere the cat can jump up to, like next to a counter in a laundry room. Use a baby gate to keep the baby out of the bathroom where the litter box is. The cat can jump over the gate. I have a family member that does this to keep the dog out of the litter box. Their cat food is in an unused laundry room sink, so the dog can't get into it. It works for them, and the shelf idea works for me.

[catsnkid]

I missed this thread! We originally blocked off the room that the food /water was in with a gate,but have since moved it up on a table. The back pantry/bathroom and cat boxes are blocked by a gate. Other boxes are in areas he isn't in that often (upstairs) or in an area that he just doesn't go very often (laundry room). He has not been that interested in the litter boxes. At my mom's house though he is always dumping the dog water bowl and putting toys in it.