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Overview:
Most pregnant
women hear horror stories of cats smothering babies. While this
is more myth than fact, it is still advisable to discourage a
cat from sleeping with an infant.
Sadly, some
families do believe that once the baby arrives, the cat must go
& shelter workers can verify that cats are often surrendered due
to the arrival of a baby. This really is unnecessary & with a
few adjustments the new baby & cat can co-exist happily &
safely.
Many people will
suggest spraying the cat with a water pistol if you see it jump
into the cot. The only problem with this is that the cat will
just avoid the cot when you are around. So if you want to use
'aversion therapy' the trick is to make it an act of god. That
is, it happens without you being there.
Tips:
- Set up the
cot prior to the arrival of the baby so your cat can see,
smell & check it out. Cats are creatures of habit & don't like
change, so helping your cat become familiar to new baby
products will help reassure him.
- Look into
buying a crib net, this is made of mosquito like netting which
prevents your cat from accessing the cot.
- Put a screen
door on baby's room so that your cat can still see & smell the
baby but cannot access the room.
- Prior to the
arrival of the baby, place balloons in the cot. When the cat
jumps in it will get a fright.
- Lay some
aluminium foil over the cot, cats don't like the feel & this
will discourage them.
- Buy some
plastic carpet runner & turn it upside down. Place this in the
cot. Once again, cats don't like the feel of this & will avoid
the cot.
- Put some
double sided tape on the cot mattress, cats don't like the
feel of this.
I would like
to hope that it goes without saying that once the baby arrives
you will need to remove any 'booby traps' you have put in the
cot to discourage the cat from using it. With exception to the
crib net of course. Most of these suggestions are to be used
prior to the arrival of the baby.
If you have any
other suggestions on how to keep cats out of cots/bassinets I
would love to hear from you. You can contact me
here.
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