Separation Anxiety

[symplestytches]

So since I found out in May that I'm pregnant, I've been trying to acclimate my very needy kitty, Isis, to the idea that I won't be able to be just hers any more. She no longer sleeps in our bedroom (that's where the baby will be for the first 6 months to a year), and she has coped with that quite well, aside from the first night of crying so much she puked all over the house. I've been trying to make sure I still give her cuddles in the evening, but since I am no longer working, she thinks that means I can be with her every second of the day that I'm home. I can't be in any room with the door shut without her yelling to be let in, and this hasn't changed at all for the past 6 months. I never let her in a room when she is yelling, and I try to make sure I don't come out of a room when she is yelling, so she doesn't think that it will get me to come out.  

There are certain rooms in the house that I would like to keep cat-free, and she just doesn't like it. She wants to be with people every single second of the day, no joke.  Visitors have even commented on how clingy she is to people, even to strangers that come in. We have 2 cats total, and the other acts like what I'd expect a "normal" cat to behave, cuddles when she feels like it, slinks away when she doesn't want pets, etc.

I've played baby noises via youtube for the cats and that doesn't faze them at all, and we have had babies and toddlers running amok when friends/family come over and the cats have done great with that. It's just the clinginess that I need to work on with Isis, but I don't know how, since all the "how to introduce cat and baby" things say to prep by not giving as much attention, which i've done but it doesn't work with her, she just gets noisier and needier when she does have us available to her.

Any advice, suggestions? magical cat whisperer/therapist that can talk to her about her fears of abandonment?

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I didnt really do much to prepare our cats for bringing our first home. Mooch is the cuddly one who likes to be in my lap at all times. When we came home from the hospital I greeted the girls and then we let them sniff DD in her infant seat. I tried to carry on with life as normal; but being sure to give the girls attention too. I've fed the kids with Mooch in my lap. :lol3: We always kept the girls out of our bedroom because DH is allergic to cats. So that was no problem for us. You might find that once your baby is here; they naturally keep a little distance. Or you might find you have a feline helper.

Are you the primary caretaker for your cats? It might help if someone else can take over feeding duties and also spend time playing with the cats.

Feliway difusers help some cats adjust and calm down too.

 

[symplestytches]

That's what I'm hoping, is that Isis will adjust to the baby and not be too stressed out by a new "pet" in the house. DH and i share in feedings and cuddles, honestly Isis would take cuddles from any adult or even a calm child, it doesn't matter if she met them before or not. She does get very jealous if the other cat is sitting on one of us and she wants to be there, so will try to smack the other cat off. She's done this to the bunny we have as well. So the worst case I can imagine is a claws sheathed bop on the head for baby.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I do think to a certain extent they take some cues from us. So try to be positive too.

I've had more to deal with after my kids were mobile. The cat tree and gated off areas of the house became my biggest helps in kid-cat relationships. The girls still don't really like my kids; but we have boundaries set in place. Its a work in progress!