How to Prepare Your Cat When You’re Expecting Your First Child
As a cat owner expecting your first child, there are several steps you can take to get your cat ready to greet a new, small, and vulnerable member of the family.
Here’s how you can have a smoother transition so your baby and cat can live safely and harmoniously together.
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Acclimating Your Cat to the New Family Member
If your cat is used to being the only recipient of your care, then they will need to get used to the fact that they have to share their carer’s attention and space with a little one. To get them used to living with a baby before the baby arrives, introduce some recorded baby sounds in the house, which may include loud crying and screaming. Gradually get your cat used to the sounds so that they remain calm when the baby makes noises.
Introduce baby smells like baby lotion, shampoo, powder, and products that you intend to use on the baby. The more familiar the baby smells, the less threatening the cat will perceive them as.
Make sure the cat learns which areas of the house are off-limits by putting sticky tape on areas that will be solely for the baby. Placing double-sided tape around the areas like the crib or playpen will teach them to avoid such areas.
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Things to Watch Out For
Always make sure that the cat is healthy and hygienic before and after the baby arrives. Supervise every interaction between baby and cat so you can watch out for potential dangers like cat’s scratches and bites, potential ingestion of cat hair, or suffocation.
Your special attention and patience are needed to create a safe environment for both your baby and cat to develop a friendship.
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