Having a cat and a newborn

We got our cat Millie about a month and a half before I found out I was pregnant. I got her when she was just a kitten and she was pretty used to having all of our love and attention before Aoife got here. She used to spend her afternoons sleeping on our laps or playing with her toys with us. 

So obviously that changed a little bit when Aoife arrived. So like some people, I was a little worried when we bought Aoife home for the first time. Millie was already our fur baby and now we we're introducing another baby to her. You worry if your cat will become jealous or upset.

To prepare Millie before Aoife got here we started getting her to sleep in the living instead of the bedroom where she used to always sleep. For the first few weeks she'd meow constantly at the living room door and you'd feel bad because she just meow and meow.My honey bought her a little radiator cat bed to help her sleep better in the living room. After a while she got used to it and she continues to sleep in the living room at night.

Inevitably, many people ask 'how is the cat with the baby?' 

To be honest, Millie doesn't really bother with Aoife. Every now and again she'll go up to her but she doesn't do it very often. Millie prefers her own space. When we returned home with Aoife we'd let Millie come up to Aoife and let her smell her whilst we were there. It appeared that Millie had a little bit of a sulk the first few days Aoife was home. She wouldn't come to us that much and stayed out the way which was unusual behaviour for her. We treated her to a bit of salmon and that put us back in her good books.

We always make sure that we show Millie the same amount of attention that we always have. Granted, she may sometimes choose the wrong moments like when I'm in the middle of feeding Aoife, but she will still get her cuddles like always. I've had a few times where Aoife has been asleep on my chest and Millie is asleep on my lap. I think that is definitely the most important part of ensuring a good relationship between your cat and your baby. 

We also never leave Aoife alone with Millie. I don't know if you'd call that being overly cautious but you can never be too certain what will happen when you leave the room. Even when I pop to the toilet I bring Millie out of the room and close the door. I also don't let her into our room unless I'm in there in case she sleeps in the cot. I know that some people may do some things differently, but this is what I prefer to do. Cats can be vicious too; just because they're small it doesn't mean they're not dangerous.

When my 2 year old nephew comes round Millie also tends to stay away from him also, but he is very boisterous and will chase her around. As Aoife is only three months old there's still a way to go but hopefully Aoife and Millie will be good friends as they grow up together.