ReikiAnge Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 Friends of ours are expecting a baby and they have a cat and I think they have heard from a few people about how it's not a good combination and now they're a bit worried about it all. I wondered if anyone on here who has had a cat and then brought a baby home, would share their positive experience? I will print the thread out and send it to them as they're not online much. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzeanna Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 I not only had a cat, but she was a Siamese cat...and anyone who has Siamese will know how very attached they become to their owners! my main worry was that she might sleep on the baby, so I bought a cat net for the cot and another for the pram, and made sure they were always on. The main thing is to be aware of where the cat is..don't leave it in the room where the baby is asleep for instance if you aren't going to be in there too, and don't let it sleep in the baby's cot or pushchair when the baby isn't in it, as you don't want the baby to inhale cat hair! once the baby is bigger and starting to crawl, the cat will learn to make itself scarce pretty quickly Personally, I don't see a problem so long as they are sensible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chasta Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 Ive had cats and babies at the same time. I had no problems apart from one of my cats took a fancy to one of Sian's cardigans and would try to suck it I made sure that the cats didnt get shut in the bedroom or anything like that but on the whole life went on as normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cycas Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 My parents had their cat before they had either of us children. We grew up thinking of the cat as a sort of grumpy and self-important older brother. In any conflict between small children and cats my parents always seemed to be on the cat's side! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K9Fran Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 I had cats and dogs when my oldest was born - as above - don't let the cat sleep where the baby sleeps, even if baby isnt' there. Cat's are normally too spooked by the way a baby squeaks and waves arms and legs about to hang around. To be honest, nets might even be more of a problem than a solution, as they are a barrier between cat and baby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greys mum Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 (edited) I grew up with cats and dogs, as have my children. The cats were never allowed to sleep in/on the childrens beds. Had a cat net for the pram in the garden. But children don't seem to have their morning sleep outside now a days Usually used to find the cat, dog and child asleep cuddled up together on the floor once they had got to the toddler stage. Most important rule (or 2) was, the child was never allow to pester the animals and had to learn respect from the very beginning. Edited July 6, 2009 by greys mum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ailsas mum Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 I'm another one that had cats before I had the brats, when I brought the brats home from hospital I used to put them on the floor so the cats could come and have a good old sniff, once they had done that they never went near them again. I never bothered with nets as a cat landing on one of them would make it pop of anyway, unless of course they are made of stronger stuff than they used to be. I would imagine a cat getting tangled in a net would be of more danger to a baby if it started to panic ( the cat that is ). Terri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith gsd Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 Cats, dogs, horse, chickens all came before babies. Teaches children respect for animals and that there are others that need attention too. I agree with what has been said so far. I did use cat nets from time to time, but mostly as a Mum's instinct will be to have baby near, so you can keep an eye on her/him. Midwives sometimes "worry" Mums to be about cats, but be aware of litter trays, and either get someone to do them for her, or wear rubber gloves and wash hands thoroughly to avoid toxoplasmosis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chasta Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 when I had the first rounds of bloods done I asked Dr to check for toxoplasmisis immunity too. Most adults, especially those who keep cats will have had it, but better safe than sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 I had 4 cats and 2 babies. No problems whatsoever. I was cautious & careful, but never used nets or wore goves when cleaning out the litter tray. My 2 children (now young adults) love animals & have great respect for them, I'm so pleased they grew up with them. I have a great photo of one of our cats snuggled up in my sons pushchair, she looked cute, but I didn't encourage her to use this as her bed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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