What Do I Do About My Cat!

Hi A...First relax. I have been there and done that and I STILL have my Siamese Cat, Sinatra. Sinatra would jump in both the baby bed and bassinet when it was first set up, however when our baby arrived...let me tell you the cat did not want to be in the same room with the baby let alone in its crib. I have a 2 year old boy and a 2 month old baby girl and we're doing just fine...Sinatra included. Good Luck!

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It might help after the baby is born to have dad bring home a blanket that baby was swaddled in and lay it in her crib. That way kitty will have a chance to get used to the babies smell before she actually comes home. This worked really well for both our dog and cat with our first child. Our cat couldn't be bothered with the baby and all the smells and noises once she did come home. Good luck and congratulations!

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You are being paranoid. That is an old wive's tale about cat's smothering babies. My daughter was raised witha cat that slept in her crib. The cat never got around her face. Don't worry so much about the cat, just enjoy your baby, all will be fine.
C.

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A.,
You are definitely being paranoid. Cats don't make a habit of laying on babies faces. I tried to google it once and never found a recorded incident of it actually happening but can find many conversations about people that are afraid of it. I would shut the babies bedroom door at bedtime. I would keep scolding the cat. But I've had cats for over 20 years and never lost a child or daycare child yet :) My cats will jump in the cribs and I'll shoo them away. But when the babies are in them they don't jump in. I did have a cat climb up on the baby and get too close to my daughters face in a car seat when we were traveling. I had to put him back into a carrier. I'm sure that the cat didn't think he was that close to her face. My cat likes to lay on our legs and he just didn't realize how small an infant seat is.

The one thing that bothers me about the cats is I worry they will jump on the baby while sleeping, realize the baby is there and then push off with their back claws and scratch them accidentally. Some of my kids have been scratched if they try to carry a cat around. All my cats are front de-clawed. So I tell the parents if their children carry the cats, which is against the rules, they could be scratched. It's only happened a couple times ever and one of those was one of my own girls.

I have 4 cats and have had others as well while my daughters have been growing up.

S.

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I had the same problem. What happened is that once we brought my son home, our cats wanted NOTHING to do with him, or where he slept (new smell) especially when he cried. Cats love to try out new and cozy places. If she has somewhere else cozy to sleep, like a new cat bed, you can take her out of the crib/bassinet and put her in the new cat bed. Also, have you tried squirting her with a squirt bottle? It only took a few times, and now all I have o do is point it at them, and they scram.

As far as suffocation goes...even our dumbest cat knew better than to lay on the baby. I don't know how they know, but they just do. And he was 16 pounds!

You might just want to cover the crib/bassinet mattresses with an old sheet until baby comes. Less to clean!

Give it a try before getting rid of her. While the baby is primary, you also made a commitment to kitty as well. Just my .02!

Best of luck!

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Hi A.,

I know every cat has a different personality, so what I experienced with mine may not be the same as what you experience with yours, however I wanted to share. We had our cat for about 4 yrs before our daughter came along (since she was a kitten). I had all the same worries as you did about what would happen when we brought our daughter home from the hospital. Our cat had always been very friendly and never minded when new people came to the house, so I was hopeful the baby wouldn't upset her too bad. However, she started sleeping in the crib, bassinet, swing, bouncy seat, etc. and I too started having that fear of suffocation. I think cats like baby items because they are the perfect size for them. Our cat is about 10 lbs, which is about the size of a newborn, so it makes sense that they would think the new items in the house are for them. Once our daughter was born I had my husband take a blanket that had been used with the baby home, for her to smell and get used to the baby's scent before we brought her home. Then when we brought her home we put the car seat on the floor with the baby in it and I introduced the cat to the baby and let her see and smell her while I was holding her (the cat). Then for the first few months I never left the baby alone in the room with the cat and always kept a very close eye on both of them just to see how she would act around the baby. It was amazing, it was like she knew that the baby was special and that she couldn't get too close or lay on her like she did with us. I did continue to keep the door to our daughter's room closed when she was sleeping (for about a yr) and used a monitor so I could hear her if she needed me. That gave me the peace of mind I needed to sleep. So, my advise would be to give your cat a chance and see how it does. My daughter (now 3.5 yrs) has a pet that she has known all her life and they are the best of friends and she would have missed out on all those experiences if we'd gotten rid of her as I had originally wanted to do. Good luck!

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Don't get rid of the cat! With my first baby, my in-laws were obsessed with idea that our cat would smother the baby. I thoroughly researched it, and it's an urban myth. There have been ZERO reports of ANY babies being smothered by a cat EVER. Our cat also liked sleeping in the crib and bassinet, but it was never a problem (other than the cat hair on the sheets.)

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My sister-in-law had the same problem when she had her first baby. What they did was put a screen door on the baby's room. I thought it was a great idea. They could still see in, but the cat couldn't get into the room. It wasn't something that looked great, but it worked!

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I don't have time to read all the posts so this may have been covered. One cats don't suffocate babies and the smell of milk on their breath will not cause the cat to suck the life out of them. Really I have no idea where that came from but I heard a lot of it when I was pregnant with my first.

When we set up the baby bed Tigger thought it was for her. She liked it because it is elevated and comfortable. Look at where your cat sleeps and you will find it is elevated and protected. Cats are hunters and they are prey, they like to sleep where they feel protected and can hunt. When I brought Tommy home from the hospital Tigger never slept in his bed again until Tommy was almost two. Then she would curl up next to his stomach because that kid was the warmest object in the house.

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Don't get rid of the cat. Get a crib tent. We had to buy one to keep our little boy in so we would continue to take naps, but it is also used to keep cats out. We bought ours at Babies R Us. THey aren't cheap, but it works. We aren't using ours anymore so I could give it to you if you would like.

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For the crib you can get a 'crib tent'. We had one for our crib. Both for my sanity (it can hold a 16 lb. cat on top of it) & eventually because our boys liked to chew the wooden part of the crib & ate some of the varinshed wood. Our cat has a cat door (just like a doggy door) & we put him downstairs every night & lock the cat door. He doesn't mind being down there. He has his own soft places to sleep, his food, his water, his litter box & toys. I did co-sleeping with my youngest. Durring the day our cat never tried to lay on our son, even when he was on the floor.
Please don't get rid of your cat!
See how your cat acts around the baby. If you are really concerned, get a 'crib tent' or lock the cat downstairs when you can't watch the baby.

God Bless!

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First of all Congratulations on your new addition to your family!!

Second I am a cat lover and have had cats my whole life, im 35 =) I have two children and my cat that I had had for 13 yrs LOVED to sleep in the cribs and bassinets before I brought my kids home!! Godzilla would sometimes still sleep at the opposite end of the kids, but he old wives tale about cats suffocating babies is just not true!!!

For the most part babies move too much in their sleep for a cat to like sleeping by them. I would not worry other than just needing a handy vac if you cat sheds alot!! Also I used to work for an allergist and they say that having children exposed young to dander and such can lessen their chances to developing allergies!!

I tell you that getting rid of your loved pet would be a mistake. The cat will adjust, probably just run and hide, but give your cat a chance!!! There are already to many animals given up for selfish reason, and im sure your cat loves its family!!

Good luck to you and God Bless!!

S.

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I remember this! We have giant cats who love to sleep anywhere, so I was really worried they'd squash our baby. We went so far as to buy a crib net (they're pretty cheap and you can get them at Babies 'R' Us). Well, it turned out that our cats really wanted nothing to do with the thrashing, screaming, smelly thing we brought home with us, and avoided baby spots if he was in them. Especially when they found out (by getting onto my lap while breastfeeding) that if disturbed in any way, the baby would start making noise again. Cats are smart-- most of them won't have anything to do with a puppy, either. :)
Crib nets might help your mental state, though, so you might want to look into them. The one we bought turned out to be a waste of money.

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I agree about the tin foil. You can also put loops of tape, sticky side out, on the rails or wherever the cat's feet land, and also keep a squirt bottle of water handy. Cats will learn pretty quick that they can't be in there!
I doubt very much, tho, that the cat would bother the baby. It's just looking for a quiet place to sleep, and babies aren't exactly always quiet, heh.

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I agree with the sheet of tin foil or the double sided tape...put it in there for the weeks before baby comes, and your cat will quickly learn that it is NOT a nice comfy place to curl up. (It also works on a Christmas tree...you put duct tape, sticky side out, around the trunk, and the cat won't climb it. A good friend of mine did that!) If you find afterward that your cat is bothering your baby and climbing in the crib and you're still worried, then reconsider the rehoming, but chances are the cat will skedaddle and hide for a while when baby comes home and will quickly learn her place in the family.

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When I was pregnant we worried about the same thing, we had two cats but they were my husbands from before the marriage and I decided to not rock the boat. I worried though. To my surpirse after the baby came, they were curious enough to come and see him the first couple of days. However they did not like the way he smelled or the noise he made or soemthing because they stayed completly away from him. In fact as he he became a few months older and we laid him on blankets in the floor, they would walk over scrape at the carpet as if they were trying to bury something in the cat box. They never attempted to hurt him or to get in the crib and sleep with him. The female started protecting him when he was about 4 months old. If he woke up fussing and I was in a deep sleep and did not get up right away she would come in and pace back and forth on our bed meowing the whole time. She woke me up until I would go check on him. I remember one night in particular he just would not sleep and I was so tired, he was about 9 months old and I knew if he could just cry for a few minutes he would go to sleep. So I laid him down and went back into our room. When her pacing on our bed did not get me moving she went into his room and paced back and forth in his crib. I watched her though, wondering what she would do. He had grown attached to her and although she did not like him to touch her she did seem to be protective of him. When I did not come in and pick him up she let him reach out and grab at her and she stayed until he quit crying.

I guess what I am trying to say is this. You wont know until you try. You may find that will work out well. We had 2 babies and our 2 cats did well with each of them. Good luck to you and yours.

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A.,

My friend had the same problem with her two cats the first time she was pregnant. She put bubble wrap and sheets of tin foil in the crib. Her cats hated the feel and noise. Since it was not a comfortable place to curl up they quit jumping in the bed.

Best Wishes,

J. N.

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If you dont want to get rid of the cat which you really shouldnt have to, you can get a crib tent. Go to onestepahead.com, i bought one for our sons crib because i didnt want to get rid of my cat either.

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I had a friend who placed several blown up balloons in the crib after setting it up. Their cat jumped in and popped the balloon and consequently, stayed away. I also had a friend who put masking tape and packing tape on the mattress so their cat would not want to return. I don't know if these options will work in your sitaution, but it's worth consideration.

Good luck!

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I too used a crib tent. It's also nice because as your baby gets older - she can't climb out of the crib by herself.

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I can't believe what I have read here on a some responses..."get rid of the cat, it will suffocate the baby."

I just can't believe this old legend is STILL in existence! Cats do NOT suffocate babies. Cats WILL show interest in new things around the house, and a crib and a bassinet are the perfect size for a cat-nap. The cat might show interest when the baby arrives, and will most likely not care. When the baby comes, enjoy! Introduce the two by having the baby lay on a towel/blanket and let the cat 'smell' that, if you are nervous, then introduce the two. All will be well.

Do NOT get rid of the cat. Pets are NOT disposable. Pets are for life. Please heed the advice and experience of the ladies that say cats are FINE around babies.

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I too had this same problem and now that the baby has arrived we have chosen to shut the door when he is in there alone sleeping...it's really no big deal and there was no training my stuborn old cat not to do something. It will all work out. : )

1 mom found this helpful

our cat did the same thing, but after our daughter was born he didn't get in it anymore.

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My cats did the same thing but once my daughters arrived they wanted nothing to do with the squeaky crying "thing" in the crib. I would not worry about it. It is an old wives' tale that cats will steal the baby's breath anyway. When you get home allow your cat to smell something that the baby has been wearing like the hat or something and have your husband bring the baby in so you can pet your cat when you return so the cat does not feel like it has been replaced. I laid my girls on the floor and allowed the cat to sniff them and that worked for me. Good luck with your new baby!!

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I was worried about the same thing when my 1st grandchild was born. I bought an inexpensive basic screen door at Lowe's and installed it on the outside of the bedroom doorway. That way the door could be shut from the inside, but if we wanted it open to watch and listen for the baby, the screen door could be shut and the wooden door left open. It gave us great peace of mind. Perhaps this would work for you, too.

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A.,
I have had cats my whole life. I have 4 kids and a grandbaby. My cats have always done that, and at first I freaked out. Then when I brought my first child home, my cat would get in and lay behind her or anywhere by her never ever on her face or head. I have 3 cats and they have all grown up with my children and they adore eachother. If I ever left the baby in the bassinet I would just close the door and have the baby monitor on. Even when in the room, the cat only wanted the heat from the baby and it never caused an issue. The bassinet was always next to my bed and eventually the cat just lost interest when the baby cried etc. They are curious and wanted to see what was moving around in there but they are part of our family as well. I would not worry. Your child will love having the cat as a companion. My kids always pushed them around in the doll stroller!

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we bought a net to go over the door with a weight on the bottom and that kept both of our cats out. as for the bassinet, we locked our cat out.

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We worried about the same thing before our 1st daughter was born. Our cat was sleeping in all of the baby stuff as well.

We kept a good eye on him the first few days/weeks and only once did he accidentally try to get in with her. He jumped up, saw there was a baby in the bassinet and I swear he turned in mid-air and got out of there as quickly as he could. He never even touched the baby. He never tried again, he mostly stayed far away from the babies (3 of them) when they were infants and we never had a problem.

I think your cat will be fine, and will stay away on his own without you having to do anything to quarantine him. I would just keep out a good eye and see how it goes first.

Best of wishes to your family!

1 mom found this helpful

If you feel more comfortable with not having the cat around the baby there are ways to make sure it doesn't have access to the baby other than "getting rid" of your cat.
My oldest daughter was born when we had a three legged neutered Manx cat named Minus. Minus loved her and would jump up on the couch to sit next to her or on the floor next to her, but he couldn't get into the crib. We never had any problems with him around her.
By the time my next baby came we had another cat named Samson. Samson too, loved the baby and would occassionally crawl into the crib with her, we just chased him out closed the door, as we had a baby monitor to hear her if she cried. He never got up around her in the crib but would lay at the end of the bed, still I didn't want him in there either. When she cried, he'd come get us with loud "Maaaoooow",s to let us know she was crying(as if we didn't know cause we did have the monitor, LOL),
We didn't have a cat when my son was an infant, but got one when he was a toddler. She was indiferent to him unless he was sick and then she was impossible to keep out of his room, she'd hide under the bed and then get on it when she thought no one would move her and sit next to him when he was sick. She still does that when ANYone is sick in the family.

I can understand your concerns about the smothering issues, but I have to say that I have never had anything untoward happen with three kids and three different cats. Take reasonable precautions, but remember that the cat can be a productive family member(baby monitor....). If dealing with a pet and a baby is too stressful then perhaps finding a new home for the cat would be the best choice for him.

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When you first add new furniture to any room, it is a cat's natural curiosity to check it out, lay on it and put it's scent on it. They are also likely to be jealous when the baby is introduced to the household. Make sure though you do introduce the baby to your cat. I know it sounds crazy,but they seem to adjust to the addition better that way. They eventually get over the newness of the situation.

Because I used to work onboard boats in the cruise industry and did this through much of my pregnancy (for the insurance and then disability as I had to have a c-section), I didn't have a home for us (her father and I split by then). So, I stayed with my parents for about 6 months while I was on maternity leave and then while I looked for a new direction to go professionally. My sister's cat was around then. We just kept her out of my and the baby's room whenever we were sleeping. She did manage to sneak in a couple of times and get in the crib but she always was laying at the foot of the crib. But that is where she liked to sleep when she slept with anyone. Cat's are habitual creatures. She was scolded and eventually even stopped that.

After we moved out, and when my daughter turned 1, we adopted a cat that was a year and a half old. So they have grown up together and act very much like siblings, which is quite funny to watch sometimes.

I was fine with her going into my daughter's room during the day and there was a rocking chair in there that she loves to sleep on. But at night, the door was shut and I used one of those baby monitors, so I wouldn't worry that I might not hear my daughter cry. The cat then would lay outside her bedroom door. I had this cushion that I would lay down for her and that was her bed. Even now that I don't worry about keeping the door closed, as my daughter is now 4 1/2, if she isn't sleeping in her cat tree, on that rocking chair which is now in my room, she is laying on the floor between my door and my daughter's door.

Anyway that is my experience with cats and my baby. Good Luck and Congratulations!

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Spray the cat with a water bottle everytime she goes near the crib.

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Well, out of my 14+ yrs of being a mother, I have always owned one cat or another. I was always of the thought that if we taught the cat how to behave around the babies, it would behave fine. But, to get a cat to behave, you normally have to be very firm and forceful. Once he knows he can be there without any real consequence, you may need to find another way to keep him away. I NEVER allowed the cat to get into the crib, as after the first time, it was the last. The cat was allowed to sleep with us when we didn't have a waterbed. However, when we started co-sleeping with our subsequent children, our current cat was getting mighty friendly and getting very close to her face, so I enforced the same rules, NO CAT ON THE BED. As he has gotten older and proven his trustworthiness, we allowed him at our feet, and he respected that. I never believed the "myth" that a cat would lay on a baby, until it happened with our 6th child. It was hot upstairs, and so the baby and I slept near the vent at the foot of the bed. Well, I woke to the baby trying to get breath, because the very fat and furry cat had plopped himself on her face!! After that, I locked the cat out. That was my fault though, because he knew that was his place, and we slept there. But, the cat did know that he did wrong, and has never tried getting near the babies face again. He is mostly an inside outside cat now, so it isn't much a problem. Just make sure that you have a cat that is smart enough to follow the rules, and teach them to him. Sometimes you can teach the cat to only lay on a certain blanket, and whereever you put the blanket, that is where he will lay. You can also "teach" a cat to drink only from a dripping tap, and he won't dirty any water dishes, because then he refuses to drink room temp water. LOL They can be quite smart. Just be sure you make him know who really is boss. You should be nervous around any cat that seems REALLY stubborn.

1 mom found this helpful

Wow, you got a lot of responses! :) I'm not sure if this was suggested or not, but I read somewhere that if you take you can take some cardboard and then put double-stick tape on it and put it in the crib. Once the cat jumps in the crib with the tape once, it should be the last time. :) If you do it now, then your cat will know by the time the baby comes to stay out. We did this with our cat and it worked perfectly. :)

1 mom found this helpful

we put our cat in the basement every night to sleep. I don't like hearing him play half the night so he can play in the family room downstairs where I don't have to hear it. He also likes to get in our bed around 4-5 am and get up around my face which I don't like so the best thing for me to get sleep is to have the cat in the basement where he can play if he wants to and not wake me up all hours of the night as I am a light sleeper and hear everything.

1 mom found this helpful

they make these tent looking things that cover your crib...it is especially made to keep cats out...try this trick...my sister did...but that bubble wrap stuff in the bed cats hate it...and the cat will jump in there feel that bubble stuff and leave...Good Luck

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Put aluminum foil or something like that on the surface and when the cat jumps on they will jump off quickly because they don't like the feel, sound, or something like that. If you do it now then the cat will learn not to like those areas before the baby arrives.

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You do not have to get rid of your cat. We have four cats, and they all LOVE to sleep in our son's crib. We just close his door when he naps. At night we put our cats in the basement. We do that because sometimes in the middle of the night our cats decide to meow and wake up our son. If you want to train your cat before the baby arrives, here's what we do to keep our cats off surfaces. Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and buy those plastic carpet runners. Then cut them to the right size and turn them prickly side up. Most cats don't like that feeling on their feet (it kind of hurts). It might seem like a hassle to do all this, but well worth it. My son is now 1 yr. and he adores all his cats. He hasn't said his first word yet, but he meows at his cats :) Good luck.

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I had the same problem! Don't get rid of your cat if at all possible - it has killed me every day since I had to:(
I finally had to get rid of my cat for another reason (bathroom issues) but what I did for the crib was I filled a water bottle with water and waited! I would shut the door to the nursery and our room where the bassinet was and then when I was around, I would spray the cat with water and say NO. Finally, she stopped - she was just curious about the new thinks in the house. I still shut my baby's door at night just in case:)

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My cat did the SAME thing in the weeks before my son was born. We were constantly scolding her and washing sheets in the bassinet and crib. However, once the baby got here, my cat NEVER came near him or any of his stuff again. And he is now 14 months old and the cat STILL won't come near him...so, here's hoping your cat will be the same way!

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I've always had cats and it wasn't a problem when the babies came along. I think the idea of a cat suffocating a baby is an old wives tale. If you want to keep the cat away from the baby when he/she is sleeping then close the door to the room where the baby is and use a baby monitor to hear the baby when he/she wakes up.

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There is a fantastic device called a crib tent that is sold as a way to keep climbing toddlers IN their crib, but also works wonders for keeping cats OUT of the crib. You can get them online at the Baby Center store, or Babies R Us. I also found one on amazon.com. Here's the link to it: http://www.amazon.com/Tots-Mind-Cozy-Crib-White/dp/B00014...
It worked great for my son's crib. We have two cats and one of them would have loved to snuggle with my son. You could also buy a mosquito net cover for your bassinet. Just make sure you keep the tent and netting zipped up when the baby is out, just as you do when the baby is in. Good luck - M.

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A., they have these mesh tents that fit over cribs that zip up so kitty stays out of the crib.
I just had to send my oldest cat baby to live with the in laws since he was biting my 16 month old and I also have baby sitting kiddos to be concerned about. It is never an easy decision to remove a beloved pet from the home. There will be an adjustment period but I never had a problem with my cats getting in the crib, it was just a learning process, they had to learn it was off limits.
Good luck
B.

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We have two cats, and they did the same thing when we set up our crib and bassinet.. I was a little worried, as well.. That is, until the baby came. As soon as you put your little one in there, and her scent starts taking over, the cats will lay off.. Ours were actually so scared of my little boy they wouldn't even be in the same room with him, and it took them a while to get used to me (because I always smelled like the baby). Don't worry - things will be just fine! :)

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I agree with the others - wait until your cat gets used to the baby - there may not be a problem at all. In fact, it's possible that your cat will become protective of your baby. I research and write pet articles for Purina and I found a story of a cat saving a baby's life. The baby was put down for a nap and the cat came into the kitchen and jumped on the counter and was acting strange. The mom knocked the cat off, but he kept jumping up and meowing and pacing. I forget the details, but eventually the mom followed the cat into the baby's room. The cat jumped into the crib and that's when the mom saw that her baby was choking. So - a life saved because of a kitty!

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We had the same problem! Two different cats did the same thing with both kids! What I did the second time around was put a sheet of aluminum foil in the bassinet and the crib. Worked like a charmm(and was pretty funny to watch our cat hit the ceiling when she landed on the foil!).
With my first child, our cat stayed away once my son came home. We caught him in the crib once and shooed him away and then kept the nursery door closed and problem solved. We had to use a stern "NO" so that our cats knew we meant buisness, but they never tried to cuddle with either child. In fact they were pretty ticked off that there was a new baby taking up our attention and making noise! They got over it and never tried to hurt either child!
Good Luck!

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My cat did that too. SOO frustrating. We always make sure the cat is not in my son's room when we put him down for naps or at night (in fact, our cats sleep shut in the laundry room) and we always shut his door when he's sleeping. Even so, I didn't want the cat hair in my son's crib--gross. Our cat just kind of stopped doing it on her own, since we would always remove her and say "no, no" when we saw her in there. I have heard that a squirt bottle works, too. Just keep it in the nursery and give him or her (the cat, not the baby) a squirt when you see it in the crib.

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I heard about a tip to blow up balloons and put them in the crib and bassinet. when the cat jumps in, they pop and it scares them. after that he might not get in there anymore. just an idea to try before the baby comes. they also sell mesh canopies for the crib just for this reason. they zip up and the cat can not get in. my cousin used one of these and recomends it. just a hint.

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I have 4 children and have had cats during the entire time. I didn't ever see any of the cats sleeping in the cribs or bassinets while any of the babies were sleeping in there. However, I did have one male cat that attached himself to one of my sons. He did sleep with him in the travel crib above his head. But, the cat didn't sleep in the crib. My advice is to see how the cat responds to the baby before getting rid of it. They may be the best of friends.

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Our cat did the same thing, but never got in with either of our children. I don't know if it was b/c of the babies' snorty breathing sounds or what, but she never tried it. She did get in when the crib and bassinet were unoccupied though, so I just tried to keep her out of the room at those times (to keep her hair out)- and kept those tape pet hair remover things around, too. I'd just try shutting the door (now and once the baby is sleeping in her crib). I wouldn't get rid of the cat over this. You're a good parent to worry about things, though. Take care and good luck!

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Just like most of the others have said, we had two tom cats before children, and they slept in the baby beds and bassinets. I was worried also, but, when the baby came they never got up there with the baby. And pretty much stopped sleeping up there ever again. They waited until the kids got at little older, 1 or 2 and then they would go in and sleep beside them or on the bed with them. Have fun! A.

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Wow! Deja Vu! Our cat did the same thing and the what our pediatrician told us to do really helped. We didn't discourage him to not sleep in the beds before the baby showed up. When we brought her home we set her carrier in the middle of the floor and let the cat approach her. He touched, sniffed and examined her. She fussed and he wasn't sure what to think of that. He never messed with her when she was sleeping. He stayed away from the cradle when she was sleeping in it and pretty much until she moved to the baby bed. I think our cat liked having the bed to himself and didn't like it when we moved her to the bed. He was never in there when she was a baby. He hated her crying and I think that helped keep him away from her too.
If you catch your cat in the bed with your baby, spray him with vinegar. They hate that. It kept our cat off of the counters too. Our cat didn't start sleeping with our youngest until she was in a toddler bed and he would sleep on her pillow and by then she moved enough to where suffocation was't an issue. You cat will most likely stay away from the sleeping areas when the baby is in there. Good luck and God Bless.

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A.,
We had the same problem with the cat wanting to sleep in the cozy crib and bassinet. We just piled them full with shower gifts, which we didn't know what to do with yet anyway. This deterred the cats from laying in there. Once the baby was born and sleeping in there, we never had a problem again. I have three cats and they've all been wonderful with our baby, who is now 11 months. Don't worry, your cat will learn its place and then will become one of your baby's best friends! Congrats and good luck!!!!
C.

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Has your cat ever tried to lie across YOUR face and sleep there? If not, then she won't do it with the baby, either. It's just an old wives' tale trying to explain SIDS and other unexplained crib deaths. Cats like to be dry, warm, and comfortable...and lying across a moving, bumpy, *drooly* face does not qualify.

If you are really worried about it, keep the baby's bassinet in your room, and close the door at night so the cat can't get in. Most likely, you will be up so many times at night for those first few weeks, the cat will be the last thing on your mind--she'll be lucky if you remember to feed her every day! ;-)

From infancy, my three brothers and I grew up with cats, and all three (soon to be four) of my children grew up with cats, too--we've always had at least one, and often two or three, indoor/outdoor cats. We never bothered to keep them out of the baby's crib or room--they are curious and just like to explore new things; they will get used to the changes if you let them. Exploring and sleeping in the crib makes kitty more comfortable about this change to her environment. Once the baby comes, the baby's scent will let the cat know that the crib is the baby's "territory." Many cats will even avoid the baby's *room* once the baby is in it, as some people have mentioned.

In my 33 years of life, I've only had *one* cat that liked sleeping in the crib once the baby was born. She was a protective mommy cat, and liked to "watch over" the baby. She always sat at the FAR end of the crib, though, and when the baby rolled or scooted too close to her, she jumped out and would lie on the floor near the crib instead. If I didn't wake soon enough for her when the baby started crying, the cat would meow at me, too, until I got up. No chance of sleeping through that noise! lol

I've never had other problems with the cats and a baby, other than trying to teach the baby to be gentle once he/she is old enough to chase the cats around!

On a side note, however, I hope you are having someone else change the litterbox while you are pregnant, to avoid the possibility of toxoplasmosis causing development problems(rare, but still a concern).

HTH! Congratulations and good luck!
--A.

P.S. There are many reliable articles about this--even if a cat was to lick the milk from a baby's mouth or chin, licking does not cause suffocation (when a dog licks our faces, we don't suffocate... why on earth would people think it's different with cats?). Cats do not "suck the breath" from anyone... it's not even physically possible--they'd have to "steal" all the oxygen from the room! Sorry to you superstitious folk, but that's just plain *ridiculous*!

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We had the same problem and I read somewhere to get some cardboard (I used posterboard) and get some duct tape. Get as many pieces as you need to make it almost as long and wide as the bed and cover it with the tape where the sticky side is up. I rolled lots of loops over my hands and stuck them all on. Then put it in the bad and leave it there. It seems that cats don't like the sticky trapped feeling they get when they jump in there. I caught my caught once jumping in there and 2 seconds after she tried hard to lift her paws a few times she jumped right back out and never did it again.

Just to be safe we also always shut our daughters door at night because I was afraid the cat would go in there while we were sleeping and I wouldn't know it. We used a baby monitor so we could always hear her. It was nice that she got used to the door being shut and once she got old enough to fend for herself we didn't worry so much about shutting the door but just pulled it almost shut. The cat realized she was older and wouldn't have tried getting that close to her in a million years because she was too rough in her play.
Hope that helps.

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Good Morning A., Congratulations on your Precious little Angel girl coming into your family. God Bless all of you.

We had cats or a cat when our son's were born many years ago. We introduced Panda to them when they came home. She had gotten into the crib also. And of course there were the same things said about a cat sucking the breath from a baby, or laying on them. Well we didn't have that problem at all. In fact when I held our son's she would snuggle up beside me with her head resting on their leg or arm and purr up a storm. Sometimes she would lick their toes or little fingers. Nap times their doors were closed but I never had a fear of her hurting them at all.

See how it goes A., let your cat smell your little one while you hold the baby. Go from there. Your cat is a part of your family also, so they need to get used to each other.
Show her the same attention as much as you can, and hopefully there won't be any jealousy.

Best of everything to you!! I loved feeling them move too. Even though our last son was born 31 yr ago, I still remember it well ;)

God Bless
K. Nana of 5

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I know this sounds crazy, but flow up a bunch of balloons, and put the balloons in the bassinet, and the crib. She will jump in, and find them, and hate sleeping in there. I had 3 cats, and this broke them of that habit in about a day. I know it sounds crazy, but it sooo works.

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We have two cats and we never had a problem with the bassinet once the baby was sleeping in there, but I did always keep it away from anything that they could use to jump in there when the baby wasn't in there. That way they wouldn't get used to it and it wouldn't get cat hair in it. I would also recommend one of those crib tents, you can get them at babies r us. I had to get one once I walked in to find my daughter straddling the crib bar, and I think she would have liked it a lot more if it had been in there from the beginning. I am pregnant with my second and I am going to keep that crib tent up from the beginning so I don't have to worry about introducing it once this one gets to be a climber.

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A.
My cats did the same. They were in the bed and laid on the changing table and bouncy seat. We would scold them every time we caught them in there. For a while we thought they were done, but they would sneak in at night when we were sleeping. Once she was born they would get in only when she wasn't in there. I have never caught them in there when she was sleeping. I was concerned about the same thing too, the would smother her or she would get allergies from breathing their fur and things. But we would scold them too after she was born and they havent been in there sense. I think the man reason they got back in after she was born was because of curiosity. It is important to introduce them to the baby when you first bring the baby home too. This way they know the smell of them and won't attack them. We already had a 2 year old when our second was born, so they had an idea of the crying and smells that were involved. Good luck and congrats on the new baby.

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Just one more response saying don't get rid of the cat - tons of options here. One more thing, there are a number of recent studies showing babies who are exposed to felines early in life have a lesser chance of allergies down the road. You can google it....
Mine did this and stopped when the babies were here. Their just trying to figure out what's going on.
Good luck.

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I had a cat who did the same thing when I was pregnant with my first baby. Trust me...when you bring home that crying, wiggly bundle of joy, the cat will no longer be interested in the crib or bassinet! My baby did fine and the cat would sleep under the crib or at the foot of my bed. She did like the basket of freshly washed baby blankets, too. :-)

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You have received A LOT of great advice. I just wanted to say that I, too, was paranoid of this. We have 2 cats and they liked to jump in the crib before my son was born. I tried the foil, with little luck (they didn't seem to care!). I even considered adding a screen to the nursery door (I, too, asked other moms and that was one suggestion), but then decided we would just keep the nursery door closed during sleep time and use a video monitor. This is what we have done the entire time (my son is now 13 1/2 months) and have NEVER had an issue. I also thought about the crib tent but found out it doesn't fit a convertible crib, so make sure to look into that if you decide to buy one. Lastly, my cats are pretty much afraid of my son. One will allow him to pet (grab, I should say) her, and the other one stays clear. So I can't imagine them EVER cuddling up next to him while he sleeps. Good luck!

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Try putting aluminum foil in the bassinet or filling it with balloons. I used the balloons and a friend used the foil. The sound of landing on the crinkled foil scares them and the suprise of finding out the "empty" crib has balloons in it should break this habit (especially if the cat has claws and one of balloons break). It will take a few weeks, but it should stop. Good luck!

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OMG I have the same problem! I was given the advice to wrap saran wrap around the top of the bassinett/crib/changing table and once the cat jumps on it, they wont like it and be trained by the time the baby comes. If I have this problem, I'll probably put my cat outside. I dont want to, but she wants out all the time anyway.

I try to keep the door shut to the bedroom, but I have a 3 yr old son that shares the room. Not always the easiest, and I have even shut the cat in there a few times for a LONG time not knowing!

Best of luck, let us know what you decide or what works for you!

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We put our cats in the basement at night when our children were infants. If you don't want to do that, something you could try is aluminum foil. My cats would always get in my big houseplants, so I put alum foil in them. When they'd jump in, the sound of the alum foil would absolutely scare them. They stopped after about 4 times!

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I had the same issue, and once the baby was born, the cat never went in the crib again. The cat also sat in the bouncy chair, but once the baby was in it, again he never used it. So right now, the cat thinks you bought the crib for him!! Once the baby comes he will realize that it's not his anymore.
Also, there has never been a documented case of cats suffocating babies, even if they do sleep in the crib with them. When I was a baby, our cat slept in the bed with me, according to my mom.

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Hi A.! Not sure if anyone said this yet (didn't read through all your responses) but there is a product out there called a 'crib tent' that you attach to your crib that is used to keep cats (or any other climing critter you have) out. This is what I used with my first and it kept me 'sane' knowing that the cat wasn't in there laying on my babies face! They sell them at Babies R Us and Amazon.com. Kind of expensive (around $65) but worth it if you want to keep your sanity & your cat. Hope this helped!

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I have a cat who thinks she is starved for attn and will jump up on us all the time. I also had the same problem with her jumping up on the swing, crib, and bassinet before my son was born (he is now 2 weeks old). Your cat is just exploring the new items in your home which is it's space and territory. I just put a sheet over the baby furniture to keep cat hair off of the sheets and whatnot. Now that Mikael is here, the cat has gone to smell him, but hasn't slept or even gotten into the baby's things. Your cat is just curious and will probably avoid the baby and stay out of the furniture once baby is here and the baby's scent is on the items.

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Hello - congrats on the new baby!
I have a 3 month old and was also very scared how my cat would behave - she did try to get in the crib a few times before my son arrived, but let me tell you when the baby came, my cat did not want to be near him...she would sniff him and was curious about what was in the bassinet and crib but has never crawled in bed with him.
To put your mind at ease they do have a mesh tent that you can by that goes over the crib so the cat cant jump in there. What you could also do is just shut the cat out of your room at night. (although if your cat is anything like mine, she would bang on the door until we opened it...she is a little spoiled)

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My cats did the same thing both times I was pregnant. It's just something new for them to explore etc... Once I brought my boys home, the cats wanted nothing to do with them! Plus, you can always shut the bedroom door! You can also trying spraying her with water everytime she goes in it, before the baby comes of course!

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Sara is exactly right about the screen door. We did the same thing. Just a cheap wooden screen door along with the existing door. I have 5 cats and just didnt want all the hair in the room and bedding. I certainly would have NEVER considered "getting rid" of ANY of them! And stop scolding the cat for anything having to do with the baby or it will never like him or her.
Just put up the screen door and forget about it.....Such an easy fix.

We had the same situation when I was expecting. We decided since our kids would be here for a long time and we did not plan to get rid of our cats-we put up screen doors on our kids bedrooms-in front of the normal wood door. This works very well and the doors stayed up till the girls went away to college. At that time I ws so used to having a duel set of doors to their rooms it took a while for me to get over it. I truely recommend this action and the kids enjoyed all the animals and have their own now (no grandchildren yet) just grand kitties and grand puppies. It really is a great experience with the whole bunch!

I wouldn't keep the cat around i'd find it a good home to go to.Why well because I don't like indoor pets and who knows if your baby will be allergic to the pet dander/fur from the cat.I think its to much of a risk with the baby that the cat is sleeping in the bassinet and crib.You hear from others that the cat licks the face of a baby because of the milk and in that I fear suffocation.

Well, when I was in your situation I got rid of the cat. He wasn't in the crib he kept walking on the counters in the kitchen. I couldn't break him of it and all I could think of is that those are the feet he walks in the litter box with and that was all she wrote. I didn't feel bad for a second.