cats and newborn babies?

hi, all.

my husband and I will be trying to start a family soon. I keep worrying about how our two cats will behave (or not)... they are two-year-old neutered males from the same litter, VERY active and VERY curious.

I worry that they will jump inside the crib, poke inside it, etc. we live in an apartment, and can't lock them up on a particular floor, like some folks do.

I'd love to hear other folks' experiences and any advice.

thanks!

Well, I have 2 cats and my wife's due date was last week, so once Kaylee (the baby) is born, I would be more than glad to inform you. However, keep in mind, all cats react differently.

Oh and cats love to snuggle up to warm babies, so never ever leave them together unsupervised.

You can get a screed door for the baby's room or put a screening net over the crib.

But I had cats when my son was born - didn't do anything special. The cats were allowed in the room to see things. For the most part they didn't care one way or the other; other then when the baby cried they ran!

Let them sniff the baby stuff - blanket, powder, etc. so they get used to new smells. I'd keep them from laying in the crib - only cause they could accidently lay near the baby's mouth and you don't want that.

Also do NOT feed the baby milk laying in the crib - that way the smell will not attract cats - babies shouldn't go to sleep with milk anyway. Don't know if you will breast feed or not - that might solve part of the problem.

Always greet the cats first because they were there before the baby. When the baby is crawling, teach him/her to be nice to the kitties and not to pull hair, ears, tail, etc. Make sure ALL nails are trimmed on the cats too.

If your cats are extra inquisitive, you might want a screen door for babies room, but I have never had a problem with pets and newborns.

My kids are older now, but I must say the interaction between kids and pets is so phenomenal! My 6 y/o son has been carrying a foster kitten around in a backpack tonight! Earlier, he got all excited because the foster "blinked' at him, and he knows that means the kitten loves him! My pets and fosters have totally enriched my kids lives. I'm sure yours will do the same!

When my oldest son was born my exhusband and i had 3 cats that lived with us and they were aloud to come and go as they pleased. We had no problems really. For the first 3 months my son was in a bassinet and i had a masquitto netting over it, the cats never relly seemed to notice him. At 3 months we moved him to a crib and the male cat would sleep at the foot of the crib with him but other wise we never had any problems really.

I don't have any children myself, but the only interactions I've seen between cats and very small children have either been positive or neutral. My parents' cat seemed to regard my infant cousin as a human kitten and was extremely protective of her: she would only let people she knew (myself, my sister and my parents, for the most part) near my cousin while my family was babysitting her. Anyone else (including my cousin's parents, when they came to retrieve her at the end of the week) was hissed at and threatened off. She wasn't violent, but she made it very clear that the human-kitten was part of her family and was not to be messed with. I have other friends whose cat would come and get them any time the baby started crying -- who needs a baby monitor? Otherwise, the cats I've known have just shown a bit of curiosity (new smells, new sounds, plus the humans are all acting differently around the new baby) or are completely disinterested, and run away when the baby starts crying.