How cats adapt to having a newborn baby in the home

Animals and newborn babies may well live under the same roof if the adult population of the family takes appropriate measures. The birth of a child brings serious changes to the family for each of its members. The following guidelines can help your pets prepare for these changes.

New location

Even before the baby is born, equip the nursery and let the cat get used to the new location in the house. Consider placing a self-powered motion sensor in your crib to prevent the cat from using the crib as its bed.

New sounds

To help your cat get used to the peculiarities of the arrival of a new family member — to the sounds from the nursery, invite friends who have small children to visit. If not, try to get an audio recording of a crying baby. Baby cries to a cat can be a serious irritant. Try to reduce the sensitivity of the cat to the sound factor of the presence of the child in the house in advance.

New smells

Introduce the cat to the new scents that it will hear when the baby come home, use powders, creams and lotions that you will use for baby's hygiene. 

Before bringing your newborn home, bring the baby's unwashed diaper home so that the animal can smell it. Companion animals identify people primarily by smell, not by sight.

New daily routine

One month before your baby is born, make the necessary changes to your pet's daily routine. For example, because cats love to cuddle, it is not advisable to allow the cat to be in the newborn's room when the baby is sleeping, so the cat should be taught in advance that when the door of the nursery is closed, it should not be entered without permission.

When your child is at home, try to keep your pet's daily routine as close to normal as possible. This applies to regular meal times, toilets and play activities. Don't wait for your child to fall asleep to play with your pet. If the pet gets praise and attention when the child is in the room, it will associate the new family member with something good, so you avoid competition between the cat and the child for your attention.

It takes time for both humans and pets to get used to new circumstances. If your cat is a little annoyed when the baby is first introduced, remember that despite your best efforts to calm it down, this is still a dramatic change for all family members. But with the right patience on your part, your pets will accept the change. The main thing is that during the adaptation period, your cat does not receive a negative experience, which it could associate with the appearance of a child in the house. If successful, your pet will be imbued with unconditional love and devotion to the child. And your child will become more sensitive to our smaller brothers — this is a quality that he or she will preserve for the rest of his life.