Introducing a Cat to a New Baby

To introduce a cat to a new baby, start during the pregnancy: make household changes gradually so the baby is the only big change left, introduce baby sounds and smells in small doses, keep the nursery off-limits, and give your cat plenty of high or hidden retreats. After the birth, let your cat approach at its own pace and never leave the two alone together. That’s the advice from the ASPCA, International Cat Care and Humane World for Animals.

And you don’t have to give up your cat while pregnant. The CDC’s litter-box precautions make it safe to keep your cat.

During the pregnancy: change things slowly

Humane World for Animals suggests making changes well before the due date, and the ASPCA suggests using the whole pregnancy to ease a sensitive cat into them. Some specifics:

• Moving the litter box? The ASPCA suggests starting several months ahead and moving it a few inches a day. Move it too fast and the cat may go back to the old spot; a solid object such as a dresser placed there can help.
• New furniture. Let the cat explore new nursery furniture for several weeks. Then, at least a month before the birth, the ASPCA suggests making surfaces you want cat-free (crib, changing table) unappealing, for example with cardboard covered in double-sided tape.
• Routines. The ASPCA suggests moving feeding, grooming, play and sleeping spots to whoever will handle them after the birth, one to two months ahead. Humane World advises keeping feeding, play and cuddle times steady.
• Sleeping spots. If the cat is moving out of the bedroom, International Cat Care suggests making that change gradually and offering comfortable new places to sleep.

Sounds and smells

• Sounds: International Cat Care suggests playing a recording of a baby crying at a barely audible volume, raising it slowly only while the cat stays relaxed, and rewarding calm behavior.
• Smells: the ASPCA suggests rubbing baby lotion on your hands before a pleasant activity with your cat. Before the baby comes home, let the cat sniff a used receiving blanket or a worn baby outfit.
• New items: International Cat Care suggests letting the cat investigate new things and rub its face on them. You can also wipe a soft cloth on your cat’s cheeks and then on the new item, but only if your cat is comfortable with that.

Make the nursery safe

International Cat Care advises keeping the baby’s room off-limits, closing the nursery door at nap time (or using a crib tent or screen door), and netting the pram or basket. A newborn can’t move its head well, so a cat curled up near the baby’s face could block its breathing.

Give your cat plenty of high or hidden retreats out of the baby’s reach: shelves, cat trees, boxes, space under beds. Once the baby starts crawling, use vertical space and baby gates to keep cat-only zones.

When the baby comes home

The ASPCA suggests greeting the cat quietly in a calm room before others come in. Let the cat approach the baby in its own time and never force contact. Keep early encounters short and pair the baby’s presence with treats or praise (Humane World; International Cat Care).

Never leave a cat alone with a baby. International Cat Care says all contact should be supervised by an adult who can step in, and Humane World suggests keeping that rule until the child is well past the toddler stage.

The litter box and toxoplasmosis

The CDC’s advice for pregnancy:

• Ideally, someone else changes the litter. If no one can, wear disposable gloves and wash your hands with soap and water afterwards.
• Scoop daily. Toxoplasma shed in cat feces takes 1–5 days to become infectious, so daily scooping removes it before it can infect anyone. (The ASPCA suggests at least twice a day around a new baby.)
• Keep cats indoors, feed commercial food (never raw or undercooked meat), and don’t adopt or handle stray cats or get a new cat while pregnant.

The CDC also notes petting is an unlikely route, because cats usually don’t carry the parasite on their fur, and indoor cats that don’t hunt or eat raw meat are unlikely to be infected. If you have questions about toxoplasmosis, talk to your healthcare provider.

Signs your cat is stressed

International Cat Care lists changes in eating, grooming or toileting; hiding, withdrawal or clinginess; playing less; overgrooming; soiling or spraying indoors; and, in the moment, freezing, crouching, flattened ears, dilated pupils and hissing. If your cat hisses, hides or stops eating, Humane World suggests adding hiding and perching spots and slowing down. The cat body language guide helps you read the early signs.

When to call the vet

Get veterinary care straight away if your cat hasn’t eaten in 24 hours or is straining in the litter box with little or no urine (VCA). New house soiling, spraying or overgrooming deserves a vet visit too, because Merck notes medical causes must be ruled out first; the free litter box troubleshooting checklist helps you track what’s happening.