Babies and Cats

[AbbyMom]

Although I don't have kids, can I add a story about my coworker?

She had four cats when she had her first child. When she came back from maternity leave, I asked her how her cats & baby got along.

She said three of them didn't pay the baby any attention. But the fourth...a female...she felt it was her duty to help monitor the baby and "help."

For example, if my coworker would be washing the dishes and the baby would start crying, the cat would come in the kitchen and start meowing and meowing. (Translation: Can't you hear the baby cry? Hurry up!)

My coworker would always tell the cat...OK OK I'll be right there.

By the way, my coworker still has the four cats and another baby.

[Cataholic]

Buy a crib tent. Serves dual purposes...keeps the cats out while the baby is napping, AND, keeps the baby in once the baby gets adventuresome. Start with the tent now so that the baby gets accustomed to the tent. They sell for about 30 bucks.

[RICHARD]

I also heard some "cat myths" and the one where cats can "steal the breath" from a baby....


I finnaly figured out that a cat will sleep anywhere there is warmth, (i.e. on top of my fat arse.) -so if you have a small toddler in bed....

A cat of any weight might climb on top of a small child to get warm and smush them up...


I would invest in the tent and keep the cats.

[Cataholic]

I finnaly figured out that a cat will sleep anywhere there is warmth, (i.e. on top of my fat arse.) -so if you have a small toddler in bed....

Are you currently sleeping under a tent?

[Catty1]

"Smush"?

Are you serious?

I have never heard of this happening. Have you, Richard?

(I know you have a great way with words and a sense of humour, but this is not helping the cats' cause very much....I would think a baby would be lumpy and uncomfy for cats...)

[RICHARD]

"Smush"?

Are you serious?

I have never heard of this happening. Have you, Richard?

(I know you have a great way with words and a sense of humour, but this is not helping the cats' cause very much....I would think a baby would be lumpy and uncomfy for cats...)

While I have never actually heard of a kid being suffocated by a cat, I tend to believe that there is some truth to every old wive's tale. There tends to be a little truth in myths and streotypes...why else would they come about?

(Notice that there are no old husband's tales...... )

THere are times I wake up feeling pretty uncomfortable when the cat sleeps on top of me. I wake up either looking into my cat's yellow eyes or his one brown one.


I can only imagine walking into the nursery of my child and seeing the cat sleeping on top of and face to face with my child......
The baby is not breathing and to me it looks like the cat is "sucking the breath" out of the child...

It's not an indictment of the cat or the parent. It's just the fact that people who bring newborns and pets into the same household need to take extra steps and be even more vigilant about the arrangement.

----------------


I do sleep under a tent....his name is Edward,.

[Pam]

For example, if my coworker would be washing the dishes and the baby would start crying, the cat would come in the kitchen and start meowing and meowing. (Translation: Can't you hear the baby cry? Hurry up!)

This reminds me of something that happened when my grandson (referred to in the post above) was very small. Dandy used to lay in the windowsill - - nothing new for a cat, but one day she apparently leaned too heavily on the screen and it popped out. My grandson was probably only 18 months old or so at the time and he went into the other room where my daughter was and said *Dee Dee* (that's what he called her) and got my daughter's attention so that she followed him into the living room. Dandy had apparently fallen out of the window (fortunately it was a ranch house and her fall was probably only about two feet ). The neat thing is that my grandson knew that this was not a good thing and his actions possibly saved her from getting lost or worse. She was his little buddy and he knew she was in trouble.

[Cataholic]

Pam, if I might share a story similar to yours....

I have two escape artists-Allie and Monte. Sometimes, Jonah is NOT very careful with the front door, and out the cats run. He immediately starts screaming about how it isn't safe outside, MOMMY, and he runs to pick the cats up. He will invariably get Allie in a headlock, and carry her towards the door. While funny, it isn't too great for Allie, I am sure. He couldn't pick up Monte for all the tea in China.

Jonah literally freaks out if the cats are outside. When they cry at the window when we are in the back yard, he gets so mad at them, "no crying, not safe outside, TATS (cats, jonah-speak)".

[Catty1]

Maybe THIS should go on Craigslist!

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=127220