Expert: Becky - 1/29/2006

Question
Dear Becky, my husband and i are expecting a baby in may, and we will be moving into a bigger home about a month before that.  it will inevitably be a stressful transition for all of us, and i want to try hard to make it as small a stress for our 2 cats as i can.  they are littermates, and we have had them since they were kittens - about 2.5 years.  i'm really concerned about how stressful these transitions will be for them.  they are really good cats, very social, curious, well behaved, not aggressive at all.  but they also have pretty quiet, predicable lives, and their little cat worlds will be changing dramatically this spring, with me and a noisy baby home much more often!

if you have any tips at all about how to make this a less stressful experience for them, we would really appreciate them!
thanks so much in advance, Jen

Answer
Hi Jen!

First, don't let people tell you that you need to get rid of the cats!  When I was pregnant with twins, that's all I heard. At the time, I had three cats and we lived in a mobile home.  Although I loved my cats, I knew I didn't want them in bed with the babies.  So, my husband installed a screen door on our bedroom and the babies' bedroom.  This way, the cats could see what was going on, but couldn't get in to shed cat hair all over everything. It worked out great!  Later, we moved to a house and by then my daughters were old enough that it wasn't such a worry.  Yes, the screen doors looked a bit odd, but it was worth it.  My husband actually made the doors, so it wasn't very expensive either.

Now, about the change your cats are about to face.  Cats do not like change.  But I think if you give them lots of love and make sure they know where there food and litter box is, they will do fine.  To make it a little easier, you could start them out in one room, then gradually let them explore the rest of the house.  But honestly, I think as long as YOU are there, they will do fine.   When the baby comes,  let the cats sniff his/her feet.  I never let my cats in the babies face, but I never saw a problem with letting the cats smell the babies.  You might be surprised how well they adapt.  I don't remember having any major problems with my cats or dogs when my babies were brought home. They were just curious, and once you let them see what you have, then they will do fine.  

Congratulations on the pending birth of your baby and may God bless you for not getting rid of your cats because of this.

Becky