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Conference misery::feline

Title:Meower Power - Where Differing Opinions are Respected
Notice:purrrrr...
Moderator:JULIET::CORDES_JA
Created:Wed Nov 13 1991
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1079
Total number of notes:28858

920.0. "reaction to new baby" by NEACS1::WENZEL () Wed Jul 26 1995 13:10

    
    I need some advice/suggestions for a problem we're having with
    Ashley, our 2 year old tiger.  We are (I am)expecting a baby in
    5 weeks and have really started to prepare the nursery over the
    last few weeks so she(Ashley) knows something is up.  She is
    a wonderful cat and very much spoiled and loved by myself and
    my husband and loves us back as much.  The nursery is currently
    her favorite room and has always been where she has spent most
    of her time (when it was a spare bedroom).  Her window perch is
    in there and it has the best view of the river we live on and
    the best sun all day.  I would hate to restrict her but ever 
    since we have put the crib up she won't stay out of it.  We have
    tried filling the crib with stuff (all baby shower stuff)but
    if we leave one square inch uncovered she will lay there.  If she
    can't get to that spot she will lay on top of the pile of "stuff"
    we have in there.  I hate to yell at her but she has gotten yelled
    at (well not really, just let her know it's bad)recently more
    than her entire life.  It sounds strange but I know exactly what
    she is doing and you all can probably figure it out too.  She
    senses our attention being paid to something other than her
    and knows what's coming.  I hate to have to restrict her from
    that room since we only have a two bedroom condo and she should
    have plenty of space since she's indoor only.  As usual, I'm
    rambling...anyone have any suggestions?
    
    
    Susan
                                                                   
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
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920.1PADC::KOLLINGKarenWed Jul 26 1995 13:302
    If I were a baby, I'd love to snuggle up next to a kitty in my crib...
    
920.2A GOOD SCARE MIGHT DO ITCSLALL::MHOLMESWed Jul 26 1995 13:587
    I don't know if this will help, but a friend of mine had a similar
    problem, cat wanting to sleep in the crib.  One day the cat had jumped
    in the crib when the baby was in there, and curled up in the corner. 
    All of a sudden, the baby moved, scared the cat, who leaped out of the
    crib and never got in there again.
    
    Marilyn
920.3We hung a screen door to the bedroomTUXEDO::COZZENSWed Jul 26 1995 14:0424
    When I was pregnant all my cats (4) loved to be in Lindsey's crib.  We
    just gave up and put a sheet over the mattress.  This way when they got
    in the crib, they wouldn't leave cat hair on the sheet.
    
    One of my cats was very jealous when Lin was born and would curl up in
    my are when the other one was holding Lindsey. 
    
    As for the bedroom, we hung a screen door to her room.  We had forced
    hot water heat and for some reason when the door was closed, there was
    no heat in her room.  My husband hung a screen door, wood on the
    bottom, screen on the top.  Served two purposes, let in the heat, kept
    out the cats.  They could go in her room during the day but not when
    she was asleep.  They didn't seen to want to get in her crib once she
    was home from the hospital.
    
    Something the hospital told me to do was to take the shirt that Lindsey
    was wearing while she was in the hospital and bring it home for the
    cats to smell.  This way they could smell her before she actually came
    home.  Three of my cats could have cared less about it and the fourth
    tore it to shreds.  This way we knew which one to watch out for once
    Lin came home. 
    
    Good luck. 
    Lisa Cozzens  
920.4SPESHR::JACOBSONWed Jul 26 1995 14:097
    We also hung a screen door. My 4 cat's always want to get into the
    baby's room. When she was really you I didn't want them jumping on her.
    Now if she starts crying all of the kitties run except for my 10 month
    old kitten Tyr. He is intrigued by her. I couldn't keep cats out of her
    room without the screen door.  Good luck.
    
                           Alice
920.5Maybe the novelty will wear off!YIELD::STOOKERWed Jul 26 1995 16:157
    Before my daughter was born, our cat Buddy also used to jump up in the
    crib.    We didn't make too much fuss about it and when we bought
    Jessica home, he never got in there again.   We didn't do anything in
    particular to keep him out.   He just seem to know that he shouldn't be
    in there.
    
    Sarah
920.6They know what's allowed *usually*USCTR1::TRIPPThu Jul 27 1995 15:4330
    I've been in two completely different directions with cats.  When I was
    pregnant we put up the crib, the cat immediately took it over as her
    bed.  I gently and without any judgement simply took her out and put
    her on the floor.  She did this about twice, and never bothered it
    again.  When he came home from the hospital(he was ill at birth and
    stayed three days after I came home...I appreciatd the time to rest!)
    she sniffed him but never jumped into the crib.
    
    In our current home, about a year ago, I agreed to take my small infant
    nephew a few times over the summer and fall.   We set up the crib for
    him.  The cat I mentioned above has since gone to "kitty heaven", but
    here comes Barney, my huge Siamese who adopted us.  He declared it HIS!
    in no uncertain terms.  I suppose because the crib isn't occupied on a
    regular basis he just figures it's a nice soft place to sleep.  Only
    once did I have a problem getting him out of the crib for the baby. 
    Should have seen me trying to move a 14 pound Siamese with one hand and
    juggling a sleeping infant of similar weight with the other hand! and a
    questionable back on top of it all.  When the baby is awake and active
    all my cats stay as far away as possible from him.  The same as when my
    son was small.  They sniff, but at the first sign of movement color
    them GONE!! and looking quite intimidatd at that! Oh and when my nephew
    isn't visiting, I keep an old afghan over the sleeping (head) area to
    keep the dirt and cat hair to a minimum.  Gee, just last Sunday at a
    party I had to "find" the crib, remove the cover so he could nap.  It
    was just as clean as it should be.
    
    I think you don't have too much to worry about, probably the cat will
    know what its limits are without being told.  
    
    Lyn
920.7CRONIC::SHUBSHoward S ShubsThu Jul 27 1995 16:522
Is it possible that cats can tell that the new infant is yours, perhaps from
smelling it, and then know better than to mess with your kid?
920.8very interestingNEACS2::WENZELThu Jul 27 1995 17:377
    Re:.7
    
    That's a very interesting theory and I wouldn't be surprised if 	
    it had some truth to it.
    
    Anyone else....?
    Susan
920.9Going through the same thingSMURF::KATETKate Comiskey ThompsonFri Jul 28 1995 09:5732
    Hi -
    
    I don't have any real experience here, because baby won't be here until
    September. I had very reasonable discussions about this with both my
    doctor and the vet. Neither was very concerned but agreed that you
    definitely have to keep kitty out of the crib. The risk of kitty
    unintentionally harming the baby is very small, but also very real. 
    The vet said that, given Poppy's personality, she will probably ignore
    baby as long as baby ignores her. (Poppy does not like to be handled).
    She is a cuddler, though, and if there's a heat source around, she'll
    be right on it. 
    
    I bought a contraption called a crib tent, which is a metal frame with
    netting that stretches over it. you put this on top of the crib. It
    keeps kitty out now and keeps baby in later (all of this in theory, of
    course). They're kind of expensive retail, around $100 I think. I got
    mine for around $35 at an auction. You can also get netting that just
    stretches over the top of the crib. 
    
    There's also a discussion of this in the Parenting notes file, which
    you might find helpful. Both my doctor and the vet were adamant that
    there is no reason to give up the kitty. Not that I would have
    considered that. I can understand your concern. The thought of bringing
    this little thing home from the hospital scares the heck out of me
    sometimes. But what helps me is to think everything through and come up
    with a plan for dealing with it. That will allow me to deal with all
    the unexpected things once the baby is here! 
    
    Best of luck to you. 
    
    Kate                                        
    
920.10Only when the baby criesUSCTR1::ESULLIVANMon Feb 19 1996 10:398
    
    My Siamese, Fleur, appears concerned when the baby cries.  If I am
    holding the baby when she is crying, Fleur will nip me or extend
    her paws as if to scratch or get my attention.  I was wondering what
    this cat behavior meant.  Is Fleur upset, protective of the baby, or
    jealous?  Fleur only reacts this way when the baby is crying.
    
    Eleanor
920.11Sympathy?PCBUOA::FEHSKENSlen - reformed architectMon Feb 19 1996 10:467
    
    Just guessing, but to my ears, a baby's cries and a cat's crying
    (especially in distress) are often very similar sounding.  I think
    Fleur may be concerned that you are hurting your baby?
    
    len.
    
920.12A protective reactionREFDV1::ESULLIVANMon Feb 19 1996 11:518
    
    Len,
    
    	That is what I thought, too.  I thought that maybe Fleur was
    	hearing the baby cry, and reacting in a protective manner, as if it
    	were a kitten crying in distress.
    
    Eleanor
920.13WRKSYS::MACKAY_EMon Feb 26 1996 09:5815
    
    Our Siameses thought the babies were kitties, it took them a
    while to figure out that the babies were little people. They
    were a little confused too since the babies didn't smell like
    kitties, yet they sounded like kitties (Siamese ones). My
    cats were a little jealous and very curious at the beginning, 
    but they never hissed at the babies, then they got the idea that 
    the babies could be potential space heaters and warmed up to them 
    after a while. When the babies had crying fits (from colic), the
    cats would ask to go out, I guess they couldn't handle it neither! 
    
    Maybe Fleur needs some reassurance.             
    
    
    Eva