Welcoming an innocent and sweet new baby to meet their wiser feline siblingcan be nerve-wracking for many cat owners. Being a cat parent, you want to ensure how your cat will react upon the arrival of a new member of the family. Your cat can easily manage to live together with your baby happily. All you need to do is prepare your feline to adjust to the family’s new addition.
It is better to set up your home for the arrival of a newborn. Moreover, it is essential to take proactive measures to prepare your cat for upcoming changes. To make your family live in harmony, take early steps to save yourself and your feline friend from pressure and unwanted behavioral problems.
So, if you have finally decided to expand your family, then keep reading! In this post, you will learn about some practical tips on making your feline member happy and comfortable with your future baby.
Preparation to Do Before Baby Arrives
It is crucial to start planning as soon as possible when you are expecting a baby. Follow the below steps to help the cat adjust with your baby to make the transition easy.
● Introduce Baby Sounds to Your Cat
Cats are unfamiliar with baby noises, and sudden noises can cause them some stress. Therefore, when the baby’s birth time is near, prepare your cat with some baby noises such as play recordings of gurgling, playing, crying, and screaming noises throughout the day. It will help your cat get used to these sounds, keeping it out of stress.
● Don’t Play Hand Games
Cats like to play hand games with their owner. But before your newborn’s arrival, you need to stop playing this game with your pet cat as soon as possible. If your cat remains used to playing this game, she may mistakenly harm and injure your baby. It would be best to teach your cat to play only with appropriate toys.
● Introduce Baby Smells and Toys into Your Home
Cats have sharp smell senses, so a new baby’s smell and sounds can offend your cat’s smell senses. So, before your baby’s arrival, bring some baby shampoos, powder, and formula into the home to help your cat get adjusted to these smells. In addition, also bring some baby toys and introduce those toys with your cat to develop positive associations.
● Prepare Cat to be Handled by a Newborn Baby
Some cats love to be petted, while others don’t. If your cat is one of those who dislike being rubbed, then it’s time to make her used to being touched more often than usual. Because when your baby becomes mobile, he or she will be more likely to intervene with the cat. Therefore, make your cat ready for getting touched and petted to avoid disturbing or grabbing your cat.
How to Introduce Your Cat and Baby
After arriving home from hospital with your beloved new baby, there may be plenty of things going on, including visiting guests, new routines, and gifts, etc. You need to take some time to introduce your cat to your new baby.
● Set the Time of Their First Meeting
Let your cat peacefully greet the new baby. Give your cat enough time to make some connection with you and let her meet the baby without any interruption.
● Give your Cat Baby’s item to Explore
Place a baby blanket or piece of cloth in a cat’s safe place where she could explore on her own time. This will make your cat used to the baby at its own pace.
● Supervise Cat-And-Baby Time
Cats love to snuggle, but this can pose a danger when your newborn can’t yet move its head. Always keep the door closed when you can’t immediately supervise your child and cat together.
● Safety Concerns to Watch Out
Once your baby and cat get used to each other, there are many more things to do. Your cat’s existence is still a little threat to your baby; therefore, consider the following safety concerns for your baby.
● Hygiene
Keeping your cat neat and clean, free of pests when your newborn is in the house, is important. Regular pay visit to your vet for maintaining screenings and preventive prescriptions. Your cat can create more mess with your baby’s diapers, so always place solid diapers in their place immediately.
● Suffocation
Avoid making your cat sleep near your baby, as your cat can pose a suffocation risk to your baby. Whether your baby is sleeping, either on the swing, bassinet, or an infant seat, ensure to keep your cat away from the baby.
● Cat Hair Ingestion
Living with feline animals, you will end up with their hair all over the place. Your baby’s GI tract is more likely to get blocked if they intentionally ingest cat hair. Therefore, if your baby is highly allergic to cat hair, then unintentionally ingesting cat hair can cause a reaction.
● Scratches and Bites
Unlike dogs, cats do not cause physical harm to children when exposing their claws or teeth. But you need to be careful because they can still harm enough while introducing a skin infection of scratches. In the presence of owners, cats are more unlikely to cause any injury to your baby if you always supervise their interaction.
● Jealousy Issues
Cats are as jealous as humans, and as a result, your cat may show signs of being aggressive against your baby. To reduce hatred for cats:
Try to maintain part of your cat’s normal daily life after your baby returns home.
Avoid throwing cats out of their favorite places in the house to set up a baby room.
If your cat behaves strangely, treat it patiently, not with punishment.
● Cat Intestinal Illnesses
Be very careful if your cat suffers from any intestinal disease due to parasites or any bacterial infection. These illnesses could spread to the whole family members if good hygiene practices aren’t considered. To avoid this, clean your pet messes immediately and wash your hands right after changing your cat’s litter.
Final Thoughts…
Cats and newborns can live together harmoniously, yet this may not be the case without your assistance. You’ll need to deal with some peace between your “kids” and offer both your baby and your cat the tools they need for successful sharing. Furthermore, never leave your cat alone with your child; always supervise human-animal interaction.
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