Before and after pregnancy: Preparing cat for your baby
Although you experience emotional and physical changes during pregnancy, your kitty experiences certain behavioral changes throughout and after pregnancy as well. Since cats enjoy consistency, something abruptly influence their habitual routine that makes them grumpy and skittish. Sudden inclusion of an unfamiliar face to your home could bring fear and stress into your furry darling's life. Therefore, before you bring a new baby home, you must gradually introduce your kittens with new environs so as the change won’t appear "all-of-a-sudden" to your cat. Here are a few tips to help you out before and after pregnancy.
Before pregnancy
1. Be safe
If you are pregnant and also a cat owner, then you should know about toxoplasmosis. This parasitic infection can result in miscarriage and other serious birth defects such as blindness, deafness, epilepsy or hydrocephalus. Because cats are more likely to get this infection by eating small mammals and birds, keeping them indoors would be safer for the health of your fetus. Moreover, don’t feed her uncooked or raw meat.
2. Take precautions
While you scoop your cat's feces, wear gloves or better ask your spouse to handle the scooping thing. The less exposure you have with dirt and feces, the better your fetus health will be! Since cats usually pee and use garden as a litter box, ensure to put on your gloves when gardening or washing raw vegetables.
3. Help kitty bond with others
Most importantly, resist yourself from giving extra care and attention you give to your kitty and keep gradually minimizing the hour you spend cuddling and interacting with her. Better yet, try to strengthen her relationship with someone other than you. This diversion will help your cat to schedule her interest and your slight ignorance and isolation won’t be agonizing for her later in times.
4. Acquaint cats with baby related noises
Some cats cannot really tolerate any implied changes. Utilize your pregnancy period as a way to supervise your cat and to get her acquainted with baby related noises and odors. For instance, play tapes of baby crying and wear baby lotion whenever interacting and playing with your cat. These small yet important things create intangible association with soon-to-come baby and she won’t feel strange if she hears your baby crying for the first time. Meanwhile during all these supervision and guidance, don’t forget to encourage her behavior by offering lots of praise and treat. If she realizes that these changes are interesting and productive, your efforts won’t go waste and she will welcome your new baby with all her heart out.
5. Allow your cat in the baby nursery
Decorate your home with nursery furniture such as swinging table or baby’s crib and allow your cat to play her once in a while and have her investigation. Once she will be acquainted and be comfortable with these stuffs, she will not be surprised to watch any stranger lying down in the crib and the like. However, don’t let her develop unnecessary attachment with these stuffs so that when the baby arrives she unreasonably feels like her territory has been claimed by an unknown stranger. If the litter box is somewhere near the planned-to-be baby’s room, slowly begin the transition of the box to its new location.
After pregnancy
Once your arrive back from the hospital with your new born baby, greet your cat somewhere alone in a room and introduce your baby to her. This could have two outcomes. Either she may be felicitous to see a new lovable creature that within a few minutes, she will bond with your baby, or she might hide and run away immediately after seeing the child. Either the outcome is healthy.
1. Help your kitty connect
If she doesn’t connect with the baby right away, you have to help her connect. For instance, you could keep your baby’s cloth where she can solely investigate and try to initiate cordial feelings for your child. With times, she certainly will begin to like and appreciate your child as a part of the family.
2. Do not isolate your cat's room
If the baby’s room is off limit to your cat, don’t isolate her completely from the room and redeem her from small, but worthwhile experiences. Installing sturdy barrier such as a screen door or a removable gate will allow your cat to visually and verbally interact with the child as they still enable to see and hear whatever happening inside the room .
3. Do not make your cat feel like an outcast
When you are engaged with your baby, make sure your cat doesn't feel like an outcast. Have her by your side and allow her to have a little interaction with the baby (even if it’s visual). To encourage healthy relationship between your baby and the cat, interaction is pretty essential. But avoid her from closer to the crib, for you never know when she might urinate. Until your child is at least one year old, don’t let him play near cat without consulting your doctor. Your child could be allergic to cats.
Remember no matter how much you are busy with your infant; do spend some quality time with your kitty.
