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Nush 
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Location: New Zealand
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 Topic: Pets and new baby
Posted: 16 March 2007 at 9:08am |
Hi Everyone,
I'm looking for some advice from mums out there who have had to deal with introducing a new baby to a pet.
My cat absolutely FREAKS out whenever any of our friends bring their kids over to our house. I've never seen him so terrified. I'm a bit worred how he will cope when I bring home my new baby in August. Has anyone else been through a similar experience and how did your pet cope?
I really don't want to contemplate having to give him away 
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fattartsrock
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Joined: 01 January 1900
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Posted: 16 March 2007 at 9:24am |
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Our cat hates EVERYONE. She just got used to it, and now she hides when Jake is making a beeline for her. I'd say He will hide for a bit, but He will get used to it. If you are worried about him getting into cots etc, blow up some ballons and put them in there, so when he jumps in they will pop and give him a fright. Our cat used to get into the pram alot, so I just loaded it up with double sided tape, and she hated that, so dodn't take too long to get her out of that habit!
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The Honest Un PC Parent of 2, usually stuck in the naughty corner! :P
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Bombshell
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Posted: 16 March 2007 at 9:30am |
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well we introduced Gabriella to the dogs first...one thought she was a toy - she loves to play, so she got a smack on nose when she mussled bubs....not her fault but couldnt let her get away with mussling like that (open mouth)
the other dog could care less and neither takes any notice when she cries. They do live outside admittedly but right next to living areas.
as for the cats...one freaked out and will not come near her the min she breathes let alone cries...another wont come near anyone anyway, and the third well she is soo curious that she jumped up on sofa next to me but then jumped over bubs and left a little scratch on her face...OMG!!! she is one to watch as she wants to be close to bubs and tried to snuggle next to her on sofa the other day...too close for my liking....
my advise be careful as as you can see they are all very different and dont leave them alone with bubs. you wont know how they will react til you get bubs home.
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MyMinis
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Location: werribee Vic
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Posted: 16 March 2007 at 10:38am |
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my mum and dad said when they introduced me and then my sister to the cats they did supervised time for short periods kind of like introducing pets to a new pet, they always closed the animals away from our rooms whether we were asleep or awake as we ahd very cuddly cats.
but when my sister wouldve been about 2months old our cat gave birth to kittens in my sisters cot, luckily she wasnt in it hehe.
it will take it time to get used to bubs but you jsutneed to be patient, my cat was always terrified of children cause one kid pulled his tail and he swiped the kid back and got told off so stayed away, but once he got older he jsut walked away from them.
we havent had to introduce a cat to haleigh yet, we are getting a cat once our bubs is born for haleighs 2nd birthday present.
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mummy_becks
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Posted: 16 March 2007 at 10:40am |
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My in laws have cats and at first they didn't mind Andrew as he was their size but once he started moving they vanished. Now he is a bit older and bigger they don't mind him. It does take time for the adjustment. And your cat will have the baby there all the time so it will get used to it.
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I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived!
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peanut butter
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Joined: 20 February 2007
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Posted: 16 March 2007 at 10:59am |
We are going to have fun with our two cats. First we are moving in a few weeks, then we will be introducing my fiances dog to them (he he he) and then a baby! One is going to be pissed off and he will probably sulk. the other is going to be thinking "oh cool, new friends" and he will be one to watch with the baby. As for the dog....poor thing he is going to go straight to the bottom of the pecking order and will be confused. 
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Posted: 16 March 2007 at 3:56pm |
They do get used to it.
Larabee is a really quiet independant cat and he still runs away from Ella but hes getting used to her.
Smudge is just a random who loves attention so she thrives off having her fur pulled along with her legs and tail 
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yummymummy
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Posted: 17 March 2007 at 9:38am |
Our two cats still run a mile when friends bring over their boy (he's 5yo) but have been fine so far with bubs. I have not really allowed them anywhere near her and her nursery and our bedroom (she sleeps in our room still) are currently out of bounds for them. However, when I have her in the living room etc one of the cats is quite curious eg hangs around watching us, the other doesn't seem to care. Things will prob change later on when she starts moving and chasing after them but for now the impact has been minimal (if any). 
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Carmel
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Posted: 17 March 2007 at 10:30am |
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When I was in the maternity unit the nurse suggested it and gave DH a suit piper had been wearing for a couple of days so we could get the dog used to the smell of her before I came home. Our dog never bothered her and just ignored her to start with, as for the cat he refuses to come into the house if shes up
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Nush
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Posted: 17 March 2007 at 3:44pm |
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Thanks everyone! It's great to hear your experiences. I feel much more confident now that he will cope OK. It much just take a while for him to adjust.
We got him from the SPCA two years ago and I think he might have had a bad experience earlier in his life. We will just have to make sure that we get a cat flap put in so that he can escape if he want to.
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Katherine
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Posted: 17 March 2007 at 10:02pm |
Do you know that in the US you can get a video about this very issue? I think it's called "I used to be your baby" and it has a picture of a sad-looking dog on the front, and supposedly contains images of babies for your pet to "watch" to get used to the sight of a baby, and baby crying sounds you can play to acclimate them to their noise? Yikes, you can buy ANYTHING over there!
When we brought Emma Rose home, we followed our vet's advice. I went in first, holding a blanket that Em had been wrapped in at the hospital, so our dog could smell me and the blanket and get used to the new smells (milk, baby, whatever). Then DH came in with the baby still in her carseat, and put her down on the floor. We let the dog have a good sniff of her, and then we took him outside and gave him the biggest bone we could find (pre-purchased at the pet store on the way home from the hospital!). The vet said this would give the dog good associations with the baby's entrance into his life. I don't know if it was a load of crap or what, but Em and the dog have been best mates right from the start.
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Pets and new baby
