How to Help Cats Adjust to New Baby?

Updated on February 07, 2012
M.B. asks from Clearwater, FL
6 answers

i have 2 cats both are around 4 years old. my male cat i know will do great with the baby around because he adores my son! but my female cat is a little skiddish, and i was looking for tips on how to help her adjust? she's a very sweet cat but she doesn't handle change very well. she's very vocal, and tends to run and hide from my son, but has taken a few swats at him. TIA

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So What Happened?

@ jo why do you think she's terrified of my son?! He's pretty rough on the male but he takes it she's smart enough to run lol also the male cat is my SONS cat, he loves my son more then anyone, trust me its not tolerance its LOVE, Walle has bitten and sratched me and my husband but never even hissed at our son...and like i said he's ROUGH on him..
i should add the cats are not allowed in the rooms, except my sons cat sometimes sleeps in his room...the female cat is very loud all day everyday, and she shed so yea no sleeping on anything the baby uses :( and getting rid of them never crossed our minds, they are part of our family and very special to us.

More Answers

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M.L.

answers from Colorado Springs on

She may get frightened some more. She'll wonder what will happen and will take the initiative in defending herself. Some cats are also divas, worrying about their status at the drop of a paw.

One of my grandcats is like that - not cuddly, not a very, um, gracious vocabulary, pretty worried and defensive all the time. Of course, that's understandable since she spent her early weeks in a college dorm, poor thing. My granddaughters have been taught to let her alone, speak to her gently, and know that she's just not a love bug.

Consider giving the kitty some good places to hide. That might help, if she has her own territory. I assume you've taught your boy to let her alone unless she decides she wants to play. You can play with your kitty and stroke her when you have the opportunity, so she'll know you still love her. Talk to her gently, especially when she's in the same room as the baby (you might close off the baby's room to the kitties when you're not in it, for a while).

You might even get some tuna or cat treats that she loves, and give her some *only* when she's around the new arrival. She might connect the baby with something good that way. As a matter of fact, would a few treats make her more amenable to your son?

I guess what I'm saying is that you'll need to ensure the safety of both cat and baby until the cat decides the newcomer is acceptable. (It's HER house, after all!)

1 mom found this helpful

J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

I wouldn't even worry about it. There is a huge difference between a child and a baby. Cats have no use for babies, they just ignore them. When the child gets mobile they hide from them and when they get old enough that they can catch the cat they will swipe at the child. By that time the child should know better than to grab the cat when they want to be left alone. If the don't...

Hun, she is not terrified at your son. Stinky (hey I didn't name him) loves my daughter to death but my daughter bugs him when he wants to be left alone. Kids just don't have the sense to leave a cat alone when they don't want to be bugged. Heck some adults don't get it either. They tend to swipe because they are annoyed with the attention, not out of fear. Fear they run.

The male just has a higher threshold of tolerance.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.L.

answers from Miami on

Fist of all, I just want to say thank you for not wanting to get rid of your cats! I had 2 friends (now acquantances by my choice!) who got rid of their "supposedly so loved" cats simply because the cat was going to be too much to take care of along w/ their new baby.. Pets are our babies too! I love my "pretty girly" (cat) & she & my son get along very well! Of course she runs under the bed when he gets too loud. ;)
I see great suggestions here! Let the cat smell baby stuff & divide your attention! She might even sleep on the baby's changing pad (as our cat did!) to get your attention. :) Good luck & God Bless..

1 mom found this helpful

R.A.

answers from Providence on

We let our male cat sniff his blanket, and then our son. He was very cautious of him at first. But then after the initial intro, he would stay by his side, and not leave him. I also made sure to give my cat lots of attention, so he didn't feel left out..

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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

I'd get out the baby stuff and let her investigate. If you have a friend with a baby, maybe bring that baby around or let her smell something that baby has used. Give her an escape from the noise (maybe a doggie door to the basement?).

D.D.

answers from New York on

Some cats tend to avoid children instead of interacting with them. You might want to take something with the baby's scent, like maybe a blanket or t shirt, and put it where the cat usually sleeps.

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