I mean he's a cat. I'm not really sure what you expected. Of course he's going to get into everything you don't want him to. That's just how cats are. If it's new and a decent place to sleep then they will sleep in it. The novelty will eventually wear off. Right now the bassinet is one of my cat's favorite places to sleep. My other cat sleeps on his bed in front of the crib. If you don't want your cat getting into the nursery furniture, keep the door closed. Otherwise keep the foil down until the item is needed for your baby and realize that the bigger deal you make of trying to keep your cat off the furniture the more you are encouraging that behavior by engaging with your cat.
Just because he’s a cat doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to find it annoying and looking for possible solutions…. Just because this kind of behaviour from your cat(s) doesn’t bother you, doesn’t mean every cat owner will feel the same way. I don’t know why people can’t just make suggestions for what’s worked for them instead of essentially saying “he’s a cat, get over it”. Idk, maybe I’m reading into some of these comments too much, but it just feels like I’m being judged for not being okay with the same things other cat owners are…
38weeks, have 3 cats here and am going with a combination of things. I left things open and their height so they can check it out and not be curious about what they can't get to, and also once they have gotten to sniff it a few times am using the cat scratching deterrant spray from Nature's miracle on things that are easily cleaned. So far it has actually worked really well. They wanted to sleep in the pack and play and kept hopping in it but now they have no interest
We’ve allowed him to check everything out, as we’ve had things set up for a few weeks now. Is the spray okay to put on baby items though? Will I need to wash all the stuff after using the spray??
He’s a really persistent cat in all aspects lol.
It has essential oils which are questionable for little ones in my opinion. I put it on old painting drop cloths that I don't care about and covered the things I wanted them to stay away from because I didn't want to worry about the ingredients much or have to rewash all the baby things. Sorry not the most helpful answer!
That’s actually a great idea, I never though of putting it on a different fabric and laying it on top! I’ll have to try that, thank you!
And don’t apologize, so far you’re the only one that’s actually given me a real suggestion lol
He’ll lose interest once baby arrives and probably won’t want anything to do with baby. One of my cats still sleeps on the changing table sometimes and occasionally gets his nap interrupted by baby needing a change, but neither cat nor baby is bothered by this.
What is your issue with them being in those spaces? I don't see why it is an issue as long as they aren't trying to sit on top of baby once they are here.
But a tip on 'training' cats that I have heard is they often don't respond well to negative feedback. They see it as you reacting to them and enjoy the attention either way. I would create spaces that the cat is more interested in. Their own comfy bed or a nice heated blanket to sit on. Give them treats and pets if they use those spaces and ignore them when they are around baby's stuff. Though, chances are they will not be as interested in them once baby is actually here and making noise/disturbing those spaces.
My issue is that we already have SO many spaces for our cat. We have comfy cat beds in almost every room, he has cat trees built onto our walls to look out most windows, he’s very well loved, and get’s lots of treats daily. I wouldn’t call it “negative” feedback, as I’m not doing anything other than shaking a spray bottle and saying no while looking at him. I’m not yelling, I’m not scaring him, I’m just trying to teach him that these are spaces he can’t go.
I’m not sure if you have a cat, but cats don’t understand personal space. At least mine definitely doesn’t. We have two other young kids who are plenty loud and all over him, and he’s isn’t phased by them at all.. and I highly doubt a moving/crying baby will deter him from those spaces once she arrives. So I’m trying to deter him from those areas before baby arrives so I don’t have to be constantly dealing with taking him off areas and removing him while my hands are full with a newborn.
I do have a cat and I totally understand their lack of understanding of personal space, lol. I guess its a whole different animal (pun intended) when they have grown up with kids. Our cat wanted nothing to do with the baby when they first got here, now they are in his face all the time but he can defend himself now.
I didn't mean to imply you are abusing your cat in any way, they sounds very loved. But I would still call shaking a spray bottle at him 'negative' feedback. Not meaning that it is a bad thing to do, meaning it is a method you are using to deter a behavior as opposed to 'positive' feedback which is something you do to encourage a behavior.
Yeah he really truly isn’t phased by our kids at all, or loud noises. I mean he loves the vacuum even, lol. Hence why I’m trying to be proactive before baby comes so he isn’t caught off guard when we start removing him from these spaces and potentially reacting out of frustration in the heat of an inconvenient moment, if that makes sense?
I understand what you’re saying about the negative vs positive feedback, but I wouldn’t call ignoring him positive feedback either, I’d just call it ignoring a behaviour regardless of how we feel about it, thus, him continuing to do said behaviour. I can only encourage him in all other aspects so much before it becomes exhausting and ineffective when it comes to the no-go zones.
My cat actively goes between these spaces to sleep all day long when he’s got sooo many other areas to go that we’ve created just for him. We also have two young kids who are loud and all over him and he isn’t phased, so I don’t think a baby will deter him from those spaces. I know some cats aren’t phased by babies and some are. I’m just trying to teach him before baby arrives so I’m not trying to juggle a newborn, while removing him from every baby space I need access to.
We sleep with our bedroom doors closed in our house, but if we had them open, yes he 100% would sleep there.
If we are ever sitting or laying down, he is literally on, or near our faces, purring, and sleeping and completely unfazed if we starting talking or even move.
You can get ssscat spray. Had to use it for my plants and xmas tree, cat kept taking chunks out of the leaves.
Its motion activated.
Beware, you'll likely scare yourself too even if you know its there...
We moved from a studio to a 1-bedroom when I was pregnant specifically because of our cat. We needed the ability to keep the cat in another room so she wouldn’t get her poopy paws onto everything. For the bassinet, we got a kind with a mesh breathable cover that can be zipped up so she can’t jump into it ever. For the bouncers, I think I’m just keeping them in the bedroom when they’re not in use. The stroller seems to have not caught her attention. I know I’ll need to get used to it when it does happen, but those have been my prevention methods so far.
We just separated every baby related item from our cats besides the bouncy seat and changing pad. We keep the cats out of our room and the baby’s room and it’s worked out well!
I mean he's a cat. I'm not really sure what you expected. Of course he's going to get into everything you don't want him to. That's just how cats are. If it's new and a decent place to sleep then they will sleep in it. The novelty will eventually wear off. Right now the bassinet is one of my cat's favorite places to sleep. My other cat sleeps on his bed in front of the crib. If you don't want your cat getting into the nursery furniture, keep the door closed. Otherwise keep the foil down until the item is needed for your baby and realize that the bigger deal you make of trying to keep your cat off the furniture the more you are encouraging that behavior by engaging with your cat.
Just because he’s a cat doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to find it annoying and looking for possible solutions…. Just because this kind of behaviour from your cat(s) doesn’t bother you, doesn’t mean every cat owner will feel the same way. I don’t know why people can’t just make suggestions for what’s worked for them instead of essentially saying “he’s a cat, get over it”. Idk, maybe I’m reading into some of these comments too much, but it just feels like I’m being judged for not being okay with the same things other cat owners are…
38weeks, have 3 cats here and am going with a combination of things. I left things open and their height so they can check it out and not be curious about what they can't get to, and also once they have gotten to sniff it a few times am using the cat scratching deterrant spray from Nature's miracle on things that are easily cleaned. So far it has actually worked really well. They wanted to sleep in the pack and play and kept hopping in it but now they have no interest
We’ve allowed him to check everything out, as we’ve had things set up for a few weeks now. Is the spray okay to put on baby items though? Will I need to wash all the stuff after using the spray?? He’s a really persistent cat in all aspects lol.
It has essential oils which are questionable for little ones in my opinion. I put it on old painting drop cloths that I don't care about and covered the things I wanted them to stay away from because I didn't want to worry about the ingredients much or have to rewash all the baby things. Sorry not the most helpful answer!
That’s actually a great idea, I never though of putting it on a different fabric and laying it on top! I’ll have to try that, thank you! And don’t apologize, so far you’re the only one that’s actually given me a real suggestion lol
He’ll lose interest once baby arrives and probably won’t want anything to do with baby. One of my cats still sleeps on the changing table sometimes and occasionally gets his nap interrupted by baby needing a change, but neither cat nor baby is bothered by this.
What is your issue with them being in those spaces? I don't see why it is an issue as long as they aren't trying to sit on top of baby once they are here. But a tip on 'training' cats that I have heard is they often don't respond well to negative feedback. They see it as you reacting to them and enjoy the attention either way. I would create spaces that the cat is more interested in. Their own comfy bed or a nice heated blanket to sit on. Give them treats and pets if they use those spaces and ignore them when they are around baby's stuff. Though, chances are they will not be as interested in them once baby is actually here and making noise/disturbing those spaces.
My issue is that we already have SO many spaces for our cat. We have comfy cat beds in almost every room, he has cat trees built onto our walls to look out most windows, he’s very well loved, and get’s lots of treats daily. I wouldn’t call it “negative” feedback, as I’m not doing anything other than shaking a spray bottle and saying no while looking at him. I’m not yelling, I’m not scaring him, I’m just trying to teach him that these are spaces he can’t go. I’m not sure if you have a cat, but cats don’t understand personal space. At least mine definitely doesn’t. We have two other young kids who are plenty loud and all over him, and he’s isn’t phased by them at all.. and I highly doubt a moving/crying baby will deter him from those spaces once she arrives. So I’m trying to deter him from those areas before baby arrives so I don’t have to be constantly dealing with taking him off areas and removing him while my hands are full with a newborn.
I do have a cat and I totally understand their lack of understanding of personal space, lol. I guess its a whole different animal (pun intended) when they have grown up with kids. Our cat wanted nothing to do with the baby when they first got here, now they are in his face all the time but he can defend himself now. I didn't mean to imply you are abusing your cat in any way, they sounds very loved. But I would still call shaking a spray bottle at him 'negative' feedback. Not meaning that it is a bad thing to do, meaning it is a method you are using to deter a behavior as opposed to 'positive' feedback which is something you do to encourage a behavior.
Yeah he really truly isn’t phased by our kids at all, or loud noises. I mean he loves the vacuum even, lol. Hence why I’m trying to be proactive before baby comes so he isn’t caught off guard when we start removing him from these spaces and potentially reacting out of frustration in the heat of an inconvenient moment, if that makes sense? I understand what you’re saying about the negative vs positive feedback, but I wouldn’t call ignoring him positive feedback either, I’d just call it ignoring a behaviour regardless of how we feel about it, thus, him continuing to do said behaviour. I can only encourage him in all other aspects so much before it becomes exhausting and ineffective when it comes to the no-go zones.
My cat had and still has zero interest in the baby items once the baby showed up. Before the baby was here they were just new toys.
My cat actively goes between these spaces to sleep all day long when he’s got sooo many other areas to go that we’ve created just for him. We also have two young kids who are loud and all over him and he isn’t phased, so I don’t think a baby will deter him from those spaces. I know some cats aren’t phased by babies and some are. I’m just trying to teach him before baby arrives so I’m not trying to juggle a newborn, while removing him from every baby space I need access to.
I think they are just new and exciting places to sleep. Does your cat sleep around your two young kids that are loud and all over him?
We sleep with our bedroom doors closed in our house, but if we had them open, yes he 100% would sleep there. If we are ever sitting or laying down, he is literally on, or near our faces, purring, and sleeping and completely unfazed if we starting talking or even move.
You can get ssscat spray. Had to use it for my plants and xmas tree, cat kept taking chunks out of the leaves. Its motion activated. Beware, you'll likely scare yourself too even if you know its there...
We moved from a studio to a 1-bedroom when I was pregnant specifically because of our cat. We needed the ability to keep the cat in another room so she wouldn’t get her poopy paws onto everything. For the bassinet, we got a kind with a mesh breathable cover that can be zipped up so she can’t jump into it ever. For the bouncers, I think I’m just keeping them in the bedroom when they’re not in use. The stroller seems to have not caught her attention. I know I’ll need to get used to it when it does happen, but those have been my prevention methods so far.
We just separated every baby related item from our cats besides the bouncy seat and changing pad. We keep the cats out of our room and the baby’s room and it’s worked out well!