Introducing cat to baby

GingerLily

Hi, expecting our first child next week and just looking for advice on how to introduce my cat, 2 years old, to the baby safely?

She's half outdoors so will be able to get some peace from the baby during the day. She's met other babies before and generally just had a sniff and a stare from across the room at them. She's terrified of toddlers mind, but we can deal with that when it happens.

The cat is a rescue, generally shy but friendly. She can be needy so I'll be making sure to prioritise play with her in the evening/meal times.

So far we've let her have short visits to the babies room to have a few sniffs and she's mostly ignoring my pregnancy bump even when the baby has definitely kicked her! We've changed a lot lately over the last few months (rooms and furniture) and she's generally handled it okay.

Any tips / advice?
We're obviously going to supervise at all times and not allow the cat to sleep near the baby!

Loveinapril

The biggest tip I received was to let my cat smell the clothes the baby had worn before we got home from the hospital. Our cat was about 8 when my son was born and she did not react well to change previously but she largely ignored him for the first 8 months or so.