cats

i've got two cats. dd is six months old. one cat took a liking to the cot when i put it together months ago. whenever we went away for holidays, she didn't have anyone to tell her off so does as she pleases. other cat max sleeps on our bed. but cleo has slept on top of dd's blankets, but to the side not on top of dd. she also sleeps in the cot when dd isn't there. i keep moving her out and to the bed, but she really likes the cot. she won't go on top of dd, but i feel a bit worried about this. is it really a bad thing for the cat to sleep in the cot with dd?

I wouldn't really recommend it... your DD could roll over and bury her face in the cats fur and restrict her breathing that way. Also the allergens that come with cat hair might not be the best for a little baby to sleep so close to. Another thought is that if DD rolls over and knocks/squashes the cat, is the cat likely to lash out and scratch her? I know some cats wouldn't, but then again some would...
I'm not sure if I'm remembering the wrong thing... but I *think* I have heard of protective nets you can get for cots, to stop animals (cats) from getting in?

well unfortunately this is an old house and the bedroom is the old sitting room and has no door. dp has put a net curtain over the cot to discourage cleo. she took a liking to the rocker and the pram. they're all really snugly. she likes to sleep next to me under the covers. so she loves warm places. its hard to tell a ten year old cat to not go to certain places. thanks for the advice.

I worked for a guy who's daughter caught some kind of parasite off their cat. It was in her lungs, don't ask how it got there. I think is was because she kissed the cat. BTW she was not a baby, I think she was 10/11 years old. She was in the hospital for a very long time. (Don't want to scare you, I was not. We kissed our pets and nothing ever happend to us) BUT we also have a cat and she thinks that it's her house, so she is constantly trying her luck by sleeping in the cot, on the turntable, in her bed. I just flick her ear (not hard) for her to get off something and it usually works. She gets irretated by me flicking her. She currently sleeps in the bathroom on the mat infront of the toilet ??!!! Don't know for how long.

I also heard that it's a myth that cat's smother babies. I read that cats don't really like sleeping on bumpy-moving stuff. They like flat warm surfaces, like your car's bonnet after a trip to the shops! So a baby that breathes would not be acceptable sleeping matress for kitty. But yes, I think it is maybe wise to keep cleo out of Elouise's cot, if not only for the cathair!

Mads,
I heard the one about the mosquito net also, but when I look at how clever my cat is at jumping up on the windowsill by crawling under the curtains, I wonder. I am definatly buying one for Lelani for the summer, so I will check the cat out!!

We've put a screen door at the top of the stair to lock the cats in the living areas at night. Many years ago Dr Harry recommended putting a screen door on the bedroom on his show and I filed the idea for when we had a bub. If you're renting you'd have to have an understanding landlord.

Cats will sleep where they want - atm my white cat is sleeping on the navy spare bed doona. OT, but why is the light coloured cat attracted to dark colours and the black cat attracted to pale things - to show their fur more attractively or to annoy me?

malakili, its just means your cats love you so much they have to remind you constantly. our doorways are arches and soon enough my partner's parents want to renovate so it would be a waste of money. but we have put a net curtain on the edge of the cot, slightly overhanging taught over dd and that has shown cleo that she can't go in. so she wakes me up at an ungodly hour to say, hey can i get under the covers with you? i prefer that to when she used to boot my head off my pillow. oh the ways cats love us....

I've got one cat and I don't let her sleep in my DD's cot. I really don't think she would smother her, but I think its one of those things where its better to be safe than sorry.

Otherwise, the cat goes where she pleases and sleeps pressed up alongside my DD if I she is on my knee. There is a ton of research out there that shows that children raised in houses with pets, but specifically cats, generally grow up to have far fewer allergies than children in a pet-free home.

Our burmise cat loves sleeping in the bassinette. I tell you what, after spraying cold water from a sprayer bottle really teaches them fast not to go there. It took a few months but it worked. We just bought his own bed so he knows where is ok to go. The way we taught him is..... spray , pick him up, and place in hes own bed.

good ideas. the "barrier" is working. cleo can go anywhere else but 3 places, cot, rocker and pram.

We've got one cat. I caught her in the cot and swiftly let her know it was out of bounds. She has everywhere else in the house she can go, there is no need for her to be in the cot.

The relationship between the cat and DS is just amazing. They're always together and I'm not worried about the smothering thing at all. I just think that the cot is a boundary - it's not her bed, she has her own bed.

Hi there
I also have this problem. We have 1 cat -- very very fluffy and GORGEOUS!!! I am due end of this month and we are trying to work out what to do ...
I have already been keeping the baby room's door closed and the cat is pretty ok about it (she can't get in and she knows that she is not allowed to unless I am there). She has only had limited time in that room, so never been into the cot yet.

I am thinking about those gates because I don't want to put a screen door on the door to the bedroom but maybe I should? The gate I am looking at is a Safety First gate that is clear -- no bars -- but only about 600mm high.

What do you guys think about this option? The cat could jump it I guess, although I have yet to see her jump so high ...
Other than that, where and what kind of mosquito nets are you using? Are there ones that fit very tightly over the cot?

Mine can definitely jump gates - we have their food & kitty litter in the bathroom & toilet and a gate across the doorway to stop DS getting at the food, water & especially the litter tray. When we put the gate up they didn't want to jump because they were being obstinate, but after half an hour on the 'cat side' of the gate they just jumped and have been ever since - although the lazy white one waits if he thinks you're going through the gate soonish.

Hmmmmm .... I have never seen her exert too much energy! But you never know! I was also considering just shaving off some of the door -- so that it sat at 1m high ... BAH maybe the screen door option is best. I hadn't even thought of food and litter issues yet either. Separating them will be a problem as well as we don't have space for a cat side and non cat side, you know? Hmmmmm ....

So you all think that screen door is the way to go? This is a total inside cat ... so I want to make sure that she doesn't get into the bub's room without me.
Are there screen doors that aren't as heavy duty as external safety doors?

My indoor Burmese cats love sleeping as close to my head as they can get, esp when I am not feeling well. I also have one cat that bats and bites at my nose when I am asleep. He loves the breathing noise and thinks its all a game!
Bubs is due in just over two weeks and I am not allowing them to go anywhere near the nursery.

It does seem that there is quite a number of viewpoints about this -- I was out the other day and was just told that I HAD to get rid of the cat...
Another couple told me that if the cat is not in the habit of being close to your face, if you are co-sleeping, it should be ok.
I think that if the bub is in a different room you should make sure that the cat stays out. I have been looking into screen doors (fly wire ones) and some of the places have done this for a number of families before. I am looking into options that will not require hinging the door into the frame so I can remove it easily without leaving holes to fill in.