Worried about cat and crib

moyatoska · Jan 28, 2016

I have two cats, a Himalayan and an orange tabby. The orange tabby can get pretty territorial. We're expecting a baby in March and have been trying to keep her out of the crib using tin foil, but about every other night, I'll wake up to find her playing with the foil in the crib. She'll run out as soon as I get up to shoo her, so she knows she's not supposed to be in there. She loves to chew on the tape whenever we get packages, so I'm not sure the double-sided tape trick will work, but I'm willing to try it if you think it's worth a shot. She can jump into the crib from the nearby window sill and from the floor.

I'm especially concerned because today, the Himalayan got into the crib (and did NOT care for it, so not worried about her) and the orange tabby immediately became very agitated and chased her out. So now I'm worried that she sees the crib as "her territory" and will see the baby as an intruder. We have a studio apartment and will only be moving in October, so closing the door to keep her out is not an option. Any advice?

molly92 · Jan 28, 2016

You can try lining the crib with sandpaper. I've heard cats don't like the feel of that. I've seen some cat deterrent sprays before, but I'm not sure how well they work.

taylamo · Jan 28, 2016

I didn't have any cats, but 2 dogs when I had my kids, so this advice may not be useful. Feel free to ignore

My first thought, and we did this both times for our babies, is to bring home a blanket the baby has used in the hospital and let the pets smell it before you come home from the hospital with the baby. In this case, I would put that blanket in the crib. Kind of lets baby stake a claim on the crib. It's a small thing, but it can't hurt.

For the present, I am wondering if it would be possible to make the crib less appealing, maybe by filling it with baby gear like boxes of diapers or other baby equipment. You mentioned being in a studio, so if space is tight, you might need to use the empty crib for temporary storage anyway.

FWIW, my dogs were very cautious and gentle around our infants. I always felt like they understood the family connection--these were OUR babies. They never showed any aggression, just wanted to sniff them periodically. As long as the babies were in the infant-sized car seat, our female dog never failed to poke her nose in and check on baby as we came in the door and set the seat down. It was so sweet.

Best of luck and hopefully others with specifically cat/baby experience will weigh in soon.

fyllis · Jan 28, 2016

Try stretching a crib sheet over the top of the crib (like a tent) so the cat can't get in it. If they jump on the sheet it will obviously not hold their weight and they will fall into the crib. You might want to put some tin pie pans in the crib too so if the fall in they will rattle and make noise. Most likely, they will avoid it after that.

Also, please move the crib away from any windows. Babies have been known to get tangled in the cords and strangled.

moyatoska · Jan 28, 2016

Fyllis said:
Try stretching a crib sheet over the top of the crib (like a tent) so the cat can't get in it. If they jump on the sheet it will obviously not hold their weight and they will fall into the crib. You might want to put some tin pie pans in the crib too so if the fall in they will rattle and make noise. Most likely, they will avoid it after that.

Also, please move the crib away from any windows. Babies have been known to get tangled in the cords and strangled.

We're keeping the cords far out of reach and the crib isn't right next to the window. Just close enough for the cat to jump easily. There's literally nowhere else to put the crib in our apartment because one entire wall is windows. Thank you for the pie pan and sheet ideas.

moyatoska · Jan 28, 2016

Molly92 said:
You can try lining the crib with sandpaper. I've heard cats don't like the feel of that. I've seen some cat deterrent sprays before, but I'm not sure how well they work.

I hadn't heard of the sandpaper idea! I'll check that out. I'm wary of spraying cat deterrent sprays somewhere the baby will be sleeping.

TayLaMo said:
I didn't have any cats, but 2 dogs when I had my kids, so this advice may not be useful. Feel free to ignore

My first thought, and we did this both times for our babies, is to bring home a blanket the baby has used in the hospital and let the pets smell it before you come home from the hospital with the baby. In this case, I would put that blanket in the crib. Kind of lets baby stake a claim on the crib. It's a small thing, but it can't hurt.

For the present, I am wondering if it would be possible to make the crib less appealing, maybe by filling it with baby gear like boxes of diapers or other baby equipment. You mentioned being in a studio, so if space is tight, you might need to use the empty crib for temporary storage anyway.

FWIW, my dogs were very cautious and gentle around our infants. I always felt like they understood the family connection--these were OUR babies. They never showed any aggression, just wanted to sniff them periodically. As long as the babies were in the infant-sized car seat, our female dog never failed to poke her nose in and check on baby as we came in the door and set the seat down. It was so sweet.

Best of luck and hopefully others with specifically cat/baby experience will weigh in soon.

We're definitely planning to let the cats sniff a blanket. I'll have my husband bring an extra one to put in the crib. We do have a few boxes laying around so putting them in the crib is an option. Though then she'll just sleep on top of the boxes in the crib haha. She loves sleeping on boxes.

MoochNNoodles · Jan 28, 2016

Being in a studio apartment does make things harder.

My girls never went into the cribs because they didnt want to be near the kids when they were babies. We did keep doors shut when the kids were sleeping though. For their first 10-12 weeks the kids slept in a bassinet or the rock & play. There was no room in those for the cats.

I would try the sandpaper or tin pie plates like mentioned above. I always wished they still made crib tents; but those are off the market for safety reasons. At least here in the US.

fyllis · Jan 28, 2016

I had suggested putting a crib sheet over the crib to deter cats from getting in the crib. That would be well and good as long as the baby isn't in the crib because if the sheet happened to fall in on the baby it could pose a danger (suffocation). Instead, Google Jeep Crib Netting. This is a net that completely covers the top and sides of the crib, but it allows you to see the baby and air can easily pass through the netting. Because of it's design, there isn't a likelihood of it falling into the crib. The cat(s) would be able to see in, but I don't think it/they could get in. The good thing is, this netting could be transferred over to a playpen when outdoors to keep insects off the baby! And they cost less than $10

Something to consider!

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Worried about cat and crib

moyatoska

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molly92

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taylamo

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fyllis

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moyatoska

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moyatoska

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MoochNNoodles

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fyllis

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