Life transitions happen. Thankfully, your cat is more than happy to come along for the ride. Whether moving, marrying, or having a new baby, your cat can be there for all the joys!
If you are a soon-to-be parent or recently welcomed a bundle of joy, how to introduce your cat to a new baby doesn’t have to be hard or a struggle. My tips will help you make the transition smooth and painless!
How to Introduce Your Cat To A New Baby!
Changing the Routine
When preparing for baby, we find ourselves changing the decor, updating a room into a nursery, etc. However, to your cat these are big changes that don’t quite make sense. Gradual changes help to prepare your cat for a smooth transition.
Remember, this is your cat’s home too. Keep your cat’s favourite bed, toys and sleeping spot if possible. If you have to move these items, make sure she is aware of what is going on and included.
More Tips for Introducing Your Cat
Arriving Home
Bringing baby home is a very exciting time. It is natural that you want baby and kitty to become instant friends. However, like anything new and different, it is important to give your cat her space.
To begin with, don’t leave baby in a vulnerable situation such as lying alone, when first meeting kitty. The best approach is holding baby in your arms and allowing kitty to approach and smell. You want the first introduction to be as positive and stress-free as possible!
Remembering to Show Affection & Attention
Your cat is used to having a certain level of affection and attention devoted to her. With a new baby, your time will be spent with him. Make sure to set aside time to spend with kitty too.
When baby takes a nap, consider making it a habit to find your cat and giving a good 30 minutes to play/snuggle time. You will both be better for it! Like people, cats can become “jealous” over all the new attention you are giving to baby, so making time to play with your cat is super important as well!
Limitations
You need to consider what and if any limitations need to be set in regards to your cat and baby. If you have a much younger cat, you may find kitty wants to play with baby. It is important to ensure the safety of both your newborn and kitty.
For a cat, quick movements can be fun. Monitoring the time together early on will let you know if you need to be mindful and set limits.
Looking for More Cat Content to Check Out?!
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Maintaining Cat Furniture – Keep your cats favourite cat tree safe!
Jennifer (@momvstheboys) says
Great tips Kristen!
MyBitsandBleeps says
anythng done to ease the transition is a good idea … I’m certain you are the master of anything kitty too
kathy downey says
These are all great tips,thanks for sharing !
heather says
Great tips thanks so much for sharing. It is so important to ease into everything slowly with pets and babies.
Wanda Tracey says
These are great tips to know because I love my pets too and want to give them a chance to meet and greet baby.Thanks for sharing this as I was thinking about this and wondering how to handle the situation but I feel much better now knowing of course that other people have had to deal with this too.
kathy downey says
Great tips thanks so much for sharing,happy for them
kandi says
Thanks for the tips
Laurie P says
My cat adjusted a lot easier than I thought she would once baby was home (I swear I got the look of death, but that was it)….now she just runs at the sight of this toddler lol
Wanda Tracey says
These are great tips! I was always a little jittery thinking about how it would go but it wasn’t the nightmare I imagined.Everything just fell into place and my cat is a happy gal!
kathy downey says
My friends cat adjusted very well when she came home with the new baby,it actually loves to sleep under the crib when baby sleeps and runs to her when baby wakes and meows,she calls him her baby alarm lol
Dandy says
Thank you so much for these tips!! They are a good reference, I still want to have a cat and have my own family some day 🙂
Elizabeth Matthiesen says
These tips will come in really handy for those with a cat and a new baby at home. Cats can get jealous just like siblings can.
Darlene W says
My son and dil are expecting their 1st in December, they also have two cats so they will have their work cut out for them
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
These are great ideas. I think it’s important to introduce new pets slowly and methodically. They may be the friendliest pets ever, but they might be too excited when they meet the kiddos.
Jeanette says
We don’t have a cat, but when we had our son we had to introduce him to our dogs and we did a lot of the sam things. The more they get used to the scent the better!
Sarah says
Introducing a new cat to the family is always a difficult thing. Especially if the cats you already own are spoiled. I remember when we already had one cat and got a new kitten, my old cat acted at first like we had betrayed him, then he tortured the kitten, then he made our lives miserable, laugh, you’ve got to love their strong willed nature.
Liz Mays says
This is a great guide. I can see how gradual changes would make things easier. I sometimes wonder how my cats would get along with a new member of the family.
Amy Desrosiers says
That kitty in the image is too cute! I am really tinkering on the idea of getting a kitten with the new home. I am just not sure if my dog with like the idea.
Maria Carbone says
I had to giggle at the thought of this for a minute. Animals and babies are such an interesting combo but most of the time, especially if you follow great tips like yours, it can turn into a special relationship.
Jamie says
Our cats have had to get used to 2 more kids over the years. Luckily it was an easy transition for our family!
Claudia Krusch says
My friend is having a baby soon and is concerned about bringing her home to 3 cats. I will have to share this great post with her.
Sinisa says
Great tips. Will keep in mind when we have the next baby.
Sherry says
These are all great tips. I find that it takes time for my cat to warm up to anybody new in our house.
Melanie Walsh says
Great tips for making the transition smooth for the whole family. My parents’ cats always did really well when we had new babies, but they were just visiting. Treats always motivate me to play nice, though. I would imagine cats would be motivated too!
Dawn Lopez says
These are really great tips for introducing your baby and cat. I think all the changes can really be overwhelming for a cat so gradual is always better. My cat hates it when we switch up the rooms and furniture. He literally pouts!
Nellie Blazina says
This is so important. I was bit by a dog as a child and I think that slowly introducing animals to children is so wise. This is a great post.
Hali @daytodayMOMents says
I don’t have any cats, but these are great tips worth sharing! 🙂
Brianne says
I so remember introducing our dog with our babies. I was so nervous but they turned out the best of friends!
Autumn Reo says
Yes, it’s hard to ease your pet (the previous center of your world) to the baby (the new center of your world). Thanks for the help!
TARA PITTMAN says
These tips are so important as cats can get jealous of babies. Our cat used to knock my baby over.
Brianne says
These are excellent tips. We never had a cat, so I would have never thought of any of these. It does make sense to take your time and be methodical about it.
STEFANI TOLSON says
These are great tips. So many people have cats and babies on the way.
Heather says
This is such great info for parents who have a cat. We actually had a hard time with our puppy and our newborn.
Toni Dash says
These are really awesome tips!! I find it really important to formally introduce our pets to the new member of the family.
Eileen M Loya says
Introducing a new baby to your pet will need patience and constant monitoring. Pets can be a little jealous so make sure you also give them the attention and care that they are used to getting before you had a baby. Your tips are all great. I will share this post with my friend who is worried about her baby and her cats being together.
Anne Marie says
The younger a child is, the more closely they have to be watched around an animal. They LOVE to grab tails and ears and such. This post is a good reminder to protect both and set sensible boundaries to ensure a good relationship.