Preparing your pet cats for the Baby

As soon as I broke the happy news to my family & friends, I was quite surprised and amused when almost all of them asked me about what I intend to do with my cats now that I was expecting. 

The question sounded silly & absurd to me. Do you ask existing family members to leave to make way for new members? No, you accomodate and learn to live with each other. Then why should it be any different for pets be it cats or dogs.

And as always ADVISE & SUGGESTIONS poured in

Cats are jealous creatures they may harm the baby, leave the cats at your parents place for sometime

Put the cats up for adoption, you won’t be able to manage the cats with the baby

Babies need a clean environment & Pets are messy hence I should give up on my cats

Every second day one comes across posts of abandoned animals on facebook. People choose to abandon their pets because they believe that pets and babies can’t co- exist. My simple request to everyone, please do your research before you take such a drastic step. You mean the world to your pet and they are absolutely lost without you.

Babies and pets can get along beautifully, it is only a matter of time and effort we choose to invest in that relationship. 

I am a pet parent to two cats, both with very different personalities. Maya is the lady of the house, all prim and proper, she absolutely loves to socialise. She loves to be in the company of humans.

Chintoo on the other hand is more of a recluse and very skittish, easy startled by new sounds and chooses to hide in a corner till our guests are gone.

I think it would be quite evident from my description that the one on top is the social Ms Maya and the gentlemen below is Chintoo :)

So how have I started preparing my cats for the baby?

Cats love consistency and detest change. Anything new needs to be introduced to them gradually. You cant thrust a baby in their face and expect them to love it from day one. Keeping this fact in mind, I made a few changes already and intend to make a few in the future

• I intend to keep my babies crib in my room next to the bed. Currently my cat, Maya’s sleeping bed was also kept in the same room. The first thing I did was to move my cat’s bed to the second bedroom and gradually got her in the habit of sleeping in the other room. Any changes in habit need to be introduced gradually and before the baby comes. Too many new things and too many changes for the pet are likely stress them out and also add to your stress in turn.
• Now for all those who claim that pets are not clean, all I can say is pets are as clean or as dirty as you choose to keep them. Its the habit you inculcate. I have got my cats in the routine of having a bath every 7-10 days and also clip their nails often so that they don’t scratch us and the furniture. This habit would ensure cleanliness and protect the baby from any scratches in the future. I have also installed a scratching post in my house which allows them to indulge in their natural instinct without harming us or the house.
• One things I read in almost all articles is that the biggest mistake pet parents make is to shower their cats with a lot of attention before the baby arrives. Thats because they are aware of the fact that the attention would shift to the toddler once he/ she arrives. Thats the worst thing one can do. Schedule your playtime with your cats and avoid giving them excessive attention now because thats not something you will be able to continue in the future.
• Also as I mentioned, cats are creatures of habit so be it there playtime, food or litter clean up time, have a fixed schedule that you will be able to follow even once the baby arrives. The last thing you want is a cranky cat while you are still trying to adjust to the baby
• I would highly recommend you spay/ neuter your cats a few months before the baby arrives. Cats tend to be noisy & more aggressive when on heat and that could disturb your baby. 
• Now babies can be loud & cranky and such loud noises could startle or make your cats uncomfortable. I have begun to play baby noises for a few minutes every day before my cats to get them used to the idea of those sounds
• Another thing I intend to do is get them comfortable with the smell of the baby, use the baby powder & cream on myself a little before the baby arrives so that baby smell seems familiar to them later
• I also intend to ask a family member to bring home a piece of baby’s clothing to the house a day before I actually bring the baby so that the cats can be comfortable with the smell
• Now one thing that most parents are concerned about is what if the cat accidentally jumps and hurts the baby. I intend to keep the baby crib off limits for the cat. I shall keep a few cans with coins around the crib to startle the cat in case they do choose to play around the crib. That should be enough to drive them away. I also intend to do some more research about the crib tent like the one shown in the picture. If I find it suitable I may invest in one to keep my cats away from the baby initially.

Still exploring the idea of getting a crib tent

• When the cat attempts to sniff and meet the baby please be calm. Be mindful thats animals can sense tension. Hence we need to work towards making the first interaction as pleasant as possible. Praise the cat if it gently sniffs the baby in your presence, making all associations with the baby positive for you cats

Now thats preparing your cats. One precaution that I have taken is to stay clear of the cat litter. I have domestic help who helps clean it regularly. The reason for the same being risk to the foetus from toxoplasmosis. While cats may be carriers of toxoplasmosis, you could also get this from handling raw meat and not washing your hands properly or using the same chopping board to cut raw meats & vegetables or from eating undercooked beef or pork. So throwing your cat out is not a solution, you just have to be careful. You may request a family member to help with this in case you don't have domestic help or simply wear gloves and wash your hands well after handling the litter. Also be more regular with cleaning the litter because oocysts are shed in the feces of the cat. The oocysts take 1-3 days before becoming infective once they are shed. 

So just as you start gearing up to welcome your tiny tot, make a few changes to make the transition easy for your pets also. I’ll be honest I am quite anxious about how my pets would react to the baby and hence am making all possible efforts to make this transition easy and smooth for all parties involved. I have done my research and am trying. Hope everything falls in place.

By the way on a lighter note, you guys have to watch tho video of cats with babies. Its hilarious :) Happy watching

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsDd35Jxxzs

Image source: http://www.balancingmotherhood.com/2007/11/19/crib-tent/