will our cat suffocate our baby?

Hi there, ladies

This might sound really silly, but we're concerned about an urban myth type thing that DH and I have heard - that sometimes, cats will sit on and go to sleep on top of warm little babies - which can suffocate them.

Do other cat owners know anything about this sort of thing? Does it actually happen, or is it just a silly myth?

Obviously, we could close sprog's door, but that's not really ideal, as we'd like to allow as much air circulation as possible...

Would love others' feedback!

Thanks.

Something I heard of too when I had my first.
I have a cat..she has been around longer than my kids and is very wary of them. She wouldn't even think of going into their cots and never has attempted too, she has slept under them to get away from a tormenting toddler though :lol:.
Funny enough this urban myth is sooo common I remember my FIL and still is, always worried about my little fur ball.
I think your pets need to be aware and familiar with your kids from the time you bring them home otherwise it could cause other behavioural issues with the pets such as jealousy.
My cat (she is a beautiful Rag Doll) is curious and will sit up on the couch arm while I feed but that's the extent of her curiousness, she doesn't go near my youngest when she is on the play gym on the floor.

Not sure if it has every really happend that a cat has smothered a baby??

Good topic though....I am curious to know of other peoples experiences with cats.

We've got three cats, and from my experience, the introduction of a squealing, alien creature into their territory is far more likely to send them into hiding in the linen closet rather than in the cot! When we had DD1, our (very affectionate and companionable cats) flat-out refused to even set foot in our bedroom until she was over six months old and they'd finally worked out that she wasn't going to kill them (of course, then she started crawling and they had to learn to get up high or she'd grab their ears and give the killing scenario a damn good try!). If your cats aren't used to babies, chances are they'll be far too frightened of this strange little thing that makes heaps of noise and steals all the attention, to go anywhere near it, for a while at least :)
When DD2 came along, the cats had got the whole 'baby' concept sorted, and although they still avoided her as much as possible, they weren't so petrified every time she cried :) Our female cat had just had a litter when DD2 was born (they were 8 weeks old and went to their new homes the week before I gave birth), so she understood this time and would 'mother' the baby by sticking her nose into the blankets to check on her and would lay on the floor or couch near her bassinette to watch over her, but she never got in the bassinette or lay up close to the baby (still too scared of getting her ears tugged lol).

I'm sure your cats will be similar when your baby arrives, but if you're really nervous, is there any chance you could room bub in with you for a few weeks just to see how your cats react to the new presence, and know that you'll be right there (and up at all hours of the day and night for feeds) to check and get the cat out if it does venture too close for your comfort? Best of luck, I hope it all works out for you :)

We've always had cats when we brought a bubs home from hospital. The boy cats we had when DD1 came home checked her out and then walked off, they weren't very interested. About 3 weeks later I nearly had a heart attack when I found one in the bassinet with her, right at the other end, very carefully not touching her at all, just looking at her. I think he was just keeping an eye on her.

The the girl cats we have now just sleep in her room under her cot or on the chair. They aren't particularly intersted in her other than trying to get my the attention away from DD2. :rolleyes: they are very jealous cats.

I have found cats and babies mix quite well, and as long as you introduce them they are usually fine. Good luck!

before DD2 was born our cat memphis would often be found having a lovely kip in her cot, but since she's born he hasnt even gone in her room!
when we bought her home he had a little sniff, and often if im feeding her on the couch he'll give her head a little lick, or clean, however u want to see it!(he loves snuggling next his mumma on the couch) but he hasnt been back in her room.
animals have a 6th since about babies.
we leave DD2's door open at night and havent had him go in there, but to be honest most nights he's outside in the kennel with the dog

Thanks for all the replies, ladies!!

Very reassuring. We've had puss for 9 years, and she's never really exposed to babies or mini-people ... we've had puppies with her, and she was pretty wary of them! Lots of the cat hissing at the puppy, rather than the puppy barking at the puss! She was however much better with the second little pup than with the first, so maybe sprog will be the natural progression of this ...

Ah, the things that become concerning at this time ...

I haven't owned a cat since having children, but I wouldn't trust any animal unattended around my child.

But friends of ours put a screen door on the baby's room. That way, air still circulated, they could hear and see bub, but the cat couldn't get in.

Hey,

We have two cats and live in an apartment. My husband was OBSESSED with the idea that the cats would try and sit on our baby's face. He kept talking of getting rid of them! However the reality couldn't have been further from the truth.

The cats are not particularly interested in Mitchell. When we put him on the floor they will occassionally go over and have a sniff but that's about it.

There was a publication issued by the Victorian Government which was quite good. Essentially, their approach is 'Supervise or Seperate'. This is what we do. If Mitchell is asleep in his basinette then his door is shut. We have to make sure we chuck the cats out when doing night feeds as they will follow us in there.

We do let the cats in the nursery when Mitchell is not in there. I think if we tried to keep the door shut all the time they would become obsessed with what is in there and try actively to hide when we go in there.

As long as you use common sense then you will be fine.

Fiona

total urban myth!

My cats, given half a chance, would sit on the baby.

People love to warn you about this one, but I did read/hear some where that there actually isn't a case on record in Australia of a baby every being smothered to death by a cat...

I was a bit worried myself before we had DS (and I am still cautious, we always shut the door to his room when he is in his cot) but I have to say I have never seen my cat even attempt to get in the cot. Someone told me that before we had DS it would be a good idea to put balloons in the cot from the time we set it up. That way if he did try and get in it (before bubs arrived) he would pop the balloons, get an awful fright and never want to get in there again. I must admit we didn't do that, but I had planned to if he did get in there.

Yep as Lucy says complete urban myth... It used to be because the babies smelt like milk and cat's like milk... LOL!

And, following on from the times when people lived through superstition and old wives' tales, it was believed that cats' association with witches and witchcraft made them 'dangerous' around babies - apparently a cat would try to steal a sleeping baby's soul.
But... I'm pretty sure my cats are incapable of doing so, seeing as they're too useless to even catch a stray moth that flies too low to the ground lol ;)