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Cat and baby questions

Just wondered how many of you have cats and if they're ever a problem when it comes to your babas. I have two who I have no intention of getting rid of, but I sometimes worry about having them around when my baby gets here.

The occasional poo in the hall I can deal with (the cats, that is!), and likewise although it's a constant battle keeping the hair under control I can cope with that. My main worry is that my cats, like all cats, want to sleep where it's comfiest, and this means the baby's cot and travel cot (which we have permanently set up in the lounge).

The cot in the nursery I'm not so worried about, as when the baby's sleeping in there we'll just put the monitor on and shut the door. But the travel cot in the lounge is the main problem - the idea is that we pop the baby in there when we need to eg. nip to the loo or stir the dinner. But I really, really don't trust my cats not to jump in as soon as my back's turned.

Does anyone use a cat net? They look like the best idea but how do they work - do they discourage the cat from jumping in, or are they actually strong enough to take the cat's weight? Any advice appreciated :\)

38+2

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Replies

  • we dont have a cat (im allergic) but my mum has a cat and we go there every wednesday for 4 or 5 hours and her cat has always been fine with sam being around. Sams now at the age where as soon as he spots him he chases him out the catflap so i would now say its more poor cat :lol: sorry not much advice!! xxx

    also - my mum has a 6 month old baby and her cat also decided he wanted to sleep in her moses basket and cot so my mum had to put the moses basket upside down in the living room when sophie wasnt sleeping in it and always has to have her bedroom door shut. no advice there really, you'll just have to keep an eye out, maybe put a sheet over the top of the travel cot when your baby is not in it ? x

    [Modified by: Emilie and Sam on November 21, 2008 09:15 AM]

  • hey,

    didn't want to read and run but dont have a cat and my pil's cat takes no notice of louise!

    looks like you'll be joining us in baby soon!!!

    apparently cats like to go in baby prams etc as they want to be cosy and warm. I've also be told my someone thatthey put the cat in with the baby once so that they knew what it was and it had a good sniff - then they didn't bother it again!
  • aaww are they related babe? Cat nets are great. My mums got my cat as James had a dog when we got together (who i love to bits) and Lolly(cat) is petrified of her so it wasnt fair on her.(love her to bits too) I used to be at my mums alot so has a travel cot set up there and a cat net we put it all up and chucked her on top (not flying through the air chucked her) it took her weight but bowed under her she is a tiny lil thing though but hated the feel of the mesh and the unstability and never jumped on it again!

    Elaine&Boys xx
  • Yeah they're sisters from the same litter :\)

    Unfortunately mine are fatties so expect the net would bow quite a lot. I imagine they'd hate the feel of the mesh & the instability, like yours, but I'm not sure they're bright enough to learn their lesson :evil:

    As for "flying through the air chucked her" - we do this quite a lot for fun, our cats don't seem to care! :lol:

    38+2 (and hoping to be joining you VERY soon, Loopy Loo!)
  • lol.

    I shouldnt think it would take long for them to learn it is very hard for cats to stand on - they dont feel comfy at all!!

    Looking forward to you joining us babe. Take care and good luck with everything. xx
  • If you're lucky your cats will behave like mine did. He was so unimpressed by the screaming, wriggling thing that we brought home that he spent the first 12 months of Millie's life trying to stay as far away from her as possible!! We did find him in the cot if we were stupid enough to leave the door open, but never when she was in it, he couldn't get away fast enough then. I think the cat nets work but they need to be a good fit, i once found our cat in the pram carrycot, fast asleep, under the cat net :rol: he had managed to sort of sneak under the edge of it!
    xx
  • Oh, how cute, Bedhead! That's just the sort of thing I reckon mine would try to do - and I'd probably end up halfway to the shops or something before I realised :roll:

    Thinking about it mine do hate small people - they run a mile when they see one tottering towards them! So hopefully they'll be really unimpressed and just keep out the way.

    Thanks for good luck brandollarz! EEEK.

    38+2
  • I also have 2 cats and an 18 month old son. When he was born we had a carry cot set up in the lounge. They didn't really go near it when he was in it but I did cover it when he wasn't in it as they are very sneaky and kept on getting in when I wasn't looking. I didn't leave them alone in the same room as the baby until he was a bit older. We always shut the nursery door and they are not allowed in the room. they do sneak in sometimes but never get in the cot when he is there. I personally didn't get cat nets as I didn't think we would use them and I didn't want to waste my money. I figured I could always get one if I found it tough to manage cats and baby!! You do need to take extra care but I think they were pretty cautious of the baby, especially when he was little and made loads of noise.
    You defo don't need to get rid of the cats - now that my son is older he loves them and will even stop crying if they come in the room. Also, it is good for kid's immune systems to have pets. As he gets older and can help take care of them it will be good for teaching him how to look after animals.
  • I have three cats and was kinda worried but when baby came along and they heard him cry they were off like a shot and were quite scared of him, they never jumped in the cot etc infact one of them used to protect him and would sleep under the moses basket (he also done that when my other cat had kittens) very cute.
    When ever they got close to the moses basket i would shoo them away and after a bout a day they acted like it wasn't there!
    Now he's crawling around and they just run away from himas soon as they see him heading their way! lol
    You do have to be careful but cats are inteligent and do learn it is out of bounds, and if the baby is in there, they will be off like a shot anyway! lol
    Are they british shorthairs? i have BSH's!!!

    xxx
  • Sounds like I'll just have to be vigilant, then. Think I'll also give the cat net a go, just for the travel cot in the lounge. The problem with my cats is they constantly change their favourite sleeping places - at the moment the spare bed is out of favour and they're only interested in the sofa (and travel cot :evil: ). Next week they'll have gone back to the spare bed, and the week after that they'll develop an obsession with our bed. It's the unpredictability of where they choose to curl up that worries me, rather than their temperaments.

    Yes SamanthaJ23, they're BSHs image (thank you wotastinkybum - they ARE gorgeous, except for all the hair they shed).
  • hi i have got a cat and a baby and they are best of friends even tho fin pulls her round she has never hurt him!
  • We have a cat who's a bit of a nightmare! Due to his previous life before he came to live with us he has a tendency to bite so we have always been really careful with him around the LO. He's actually really good as he knows he's not allowed in the cot or on the play mat if LO is in it and doesn't even try to go near her! I still wouldn't leave him alone with LO though even for a second! image
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