Cat + Baby = Advice Please?

[Kogarashi]

So Hubby and I are cat people. We haven't had any yet in our marriage due to living in apartment complexes that either did not allow furry pets or had a pet deposit/rent that we couldn't afford due to Hubby's low salary.

However, we moved over the summer to a new town where Hubby has a better-paying job, and now we have a house so there aren't pet restrictions involved. We plan to get a cat, possibly two, come spring.

Thing is, we're also having a baby in the spring (we already have three kids, so this is not a new adjustment for us).

So what I'm wondering is if anyone has any advice for owning a cat while having a new baby in the house? Things to look out for, for instance?

We do plan on adopting the cat from the local humane society. Not only do we feel that's the best approach overall, they've got a pretty good deal where they cover a lot of the basics and initial medical stuff for a much more reasonable price than we'd have to pay out of pocket if we got the cat elsewhere. So win all around.

[Kit-Ginevra]

Cat + baby = No the result would be some sort of genetic half human half feline monstrosity. That would be playing God.

[purple]

Best advice I have heard is to fill baby's bed with balloons. Theory being cat should only jump in once.

I recently saw someone who replaced the door with one that had a hole cut out and covered in mesh so there was still airflow and could still look in on baby but cat couldn't enter.

[BlaqueKatt]

there's a ton of information on the internet, mostly geared towards introducing your baby to existing feline households, but I'd imagine some is useful.

first article

second article

third article

[mathnerd]

There's a ton of advise already out there, but I did have one thought as to timing:

Get the kitty now or wait until the baby is a couple months old. Trying to adjust to two new babies in relatively short order is probably going to be more than any sane person can handle, so getting the cat now will let both you and the cat adjust before the baby. Getting the cat after the baby is a few months old will allow the cat to avoid a second adjustment period, so that's something to think about as well.

Also, are you looking to get a kitten or adopt an older cat? An older cat is likely to be more mellow, but might have already learned some bad habits, so there's pros and cons either way. Just something to think about.

[Food Lady]

Get one of these:

[Kogarashi]

Thanks for suggestions and links! (Even somewhat less-than-helpful ones )

Get the kitty now or wait until the baby is a couple months old.

Also, are you looking to get a kitten or adopt an older cat?

Thanks for the suggestion. We'll definitely keep that one in mind.

And we don't know yet. Part of it will depend on what the humane society has. I do know they have a questionnaire system where they can try to help you pick the right cat or dog for your family based on what you're looking for, so they have an idea of the animals' personality already. Odds might be slightly better that we'd go for a kitten, but that's also partly because they seem to have a lot more kittens than adults on their website too.

[EricKei]

I second the notion of letting your human baby come into your lives first, waiting two or three months, and then figuring out if you both have the time and patience to deal with a wee furbaby being added to the equation. One upside to having them both there as yung'uns is that -- if you are fortunate -- the cat(s) may come to regard your baby as a fellow pack member who is to be protected...but ya never know. Be careful, either way.

[Seshat]

What occurs to me most is the possibility of catscratch on a baby with a low immunisation system. Once the baby is a toddler and old enough to mishandle the cat, I suspect he should be old enough to handle getting swatted with extended claws.

If you have a cat who can handle plastic claw-tip covers, they never hurt our cats any. Though one of our cats refused to wear them - she'd gnaw on her nails until she'd got them off. The other ignored them once they were on.

http://www.softpaws.com/ is the brand we used. This doesn't mean I'm recommending just that company - it's just the one we had.

[darkroxas45]

Cat + baby = No the result would be some sort of genetic half human half feline monstrosity. That would be playing God.

but we need to try and make real furries then we make them of different species

[DataHound]

Make sure to get all the testing done before bringing fur-baby around human-baby and get fur-baby vaccinated. The list of stuff the veterinarian gives you can be daunting and confusing so I'll give you a quick breakdown of the important stuff.

The necessities:
-Rabies Vaccine: for obvious reasons. Rabies kills. Some clinics offer a "PureVax" vaccine that is made for cats to prevent vaccine site sarcomas (little tumors that can form due to the chemical irritant in other vaccines)

-Intestinal Parasite Screen: This tests for all but one intestinal parasite. Cats crap in a box, babies put everything under the sun right in their mouth. This makes for parasite transmission from cat to baby very easy.

-Giardia Snap Test: This tests for the one parasite the Parasite Screen can't test for.

-Bartonella Testing: Bartonella, A.K.A. "Cat Scratch Fever" is transmitted by scratches from an infected cat. It's a good idea to get kitty tested.

-Flea Preventative: because fleas can carry tapeworms.

The good but not vital for baby health:
-FVRCP: This is the "Feline Distemper" combo vaccine that helps protect against various kitty diseases, none of which can transfer to humans but it can help keep kitty healthy.

-FeLV/FIV Testing: tests for feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency disease, both of which are not curable, degenerative, and lead to an early death. Neither disease can infect humans but again, it helps assure you kitty is healthy.

-Heartworm Preventative: Humans can't get it, but kitties can and treatment is expensive and dangerous.

-Feline Leukemia Vaccine: It helps protect kitty against FeLV which can be transferred from cat to cat through saliva so if your kitty will be encountering strange cats, I strongly recommend this.

-Spay/Neutering: Helps with urine marking, prevents unwanted babies, and keeps cats from feeling the "call of the wild" so to speak. Cats in heat can be nuts.

The things some vets may try to push on you as "necessary":

-Prescription foods: Not necessary unless your kitty has a health issue.

-Vitamin Supplements: Not necessary unless your kitty has a health issue requiring it.

-Declaw Surgery: Scratching posts, catnip, a spray bottle, and a good set of kitty nail clippers can prevent unwanted scratching. It's a bit of a hot button topic in the vet world, but I try to avoid declaws because it's essentially an amputation and can cause behavioral issues, especially in multi-cat households.