We don’t believe in myths about cats. Like the one that your cat will steal your baby’s breath like that old wives tale says. It’s also very unlikely that a regular household feline will deliberately attack your new baby. At the same time, your cat doesn’t deliberately mean to scratch, pinch, cause discomfort, or simply wake your baby up. Yes, this usually happened right after we had spent several hours of trying to lull the kid to sleep.
In this article, we are going to explain how to keep your cat out of a baby’s crib, how to ensure your baby’s safety, and equally as important, how to keep your cat less stressed because of these restrictions.
Table of Contents
5 Steps on how to keep the cat out of the crib
1. Do you keep your cat out of a crib or the baby’s room?
So how do you want it? Do you want to keep your cat out of your baby’s room completely or should you be worried about only the crib?
This depends on your cat’s personality and of course, how fond you are of your cat. We suggest letting the cat inside the room but maintaining a healthy distance from the crib or bassinet where your newborn baby sleeps.
First, it’s easier to do this, and second, it creates less stress for your cat. Third, in your cat’s view, the baby will be a less of an inconvenience in their life which is good for their relationship.
If you think your baby’s room must be completely off limits to your cat, you should read our related article on how to keep a cat out of the room. Otherwise, this article contains everything you need.
2. Add some cat furniture to the baby’s nursery
A huge part of why cats want to get inside a crib is their curiosity. They want to sniff, or at least to see what’s inside and as a rule of thumb, cats want to climb. It makes them feel safe, comfortable, and helps to satisfy their curiosity.
A cat tree or a bed on a window sill would be great. Just place them more than a leap’s length away from the crib. Your cat can nap on the cat tree, soothe his curiosity about who’s in the baby’s bed, and still feel relaxed.
If you are interested, see this article for tips on making your house appealing to your cat, because it really makes a difference. Your cat will be less interested in the crib and these tips will also reduce other potential cat behavior problems commonly associated with the arrival of a baby.
3. Place an ultrasonic cat deterrent next to the crib
Now you are ready to actively keep your cat away from the crib. The easiest and the most effective method is to use an ultrasonic sound-emitting pet deterrent, like this one.
It’s a motion-activated device, which emits an ultrasonic sound every time it detects movement. The thing is, this sound is disliked by most cats but is not audible to you or your baby. As soon as your cat approaches the device, the sound will go off and your cat will stop in its tracks and go away from the annoying sound.
Watch this video to see how it works:
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We have tested several cat deterrents and the most effective ones are those that release a burst of air or loud beeps upon detecting movement. Unfortunately, they aren’t very practical when keeping cats away from a baby’s crib.
The best choice in this situation is an ultrasonic sound emitter. Its advantage is its consistency and working when you aren’t around. The sound is released every time your cat approaches the baby crib with no exceptions. This way your cat sees absolutely no point in continuing to trying getting close to the crib. Another benefit is that your cat does not associate you or your baby with the annoying sound. They will associate that area with an unpleasant experience and will avoid it in the future.
You can buy an ultrasonic cat deterrent here. Our suggestion is to turn it off whenever you are nearby. First because your movements may trigger the sound and second, your cat may connect you with the annoying sound if you accidently trigger it.
You may be tempted to spray water from a spray bottle over your cat. However we find several problems with this approach. First, it requires your presence; second, it requires consistency to be effective; third, your cat will make the connection that water is squirted on them only when you are around. Connecting you with an unpleasant experience can hurt your relationship with your cat.
If you are still waiting for your baby’s arrival you can start to get your cat used to the situation right away. Get a crib if you haven’t already, put it in its assigned spot, and put the motion-activated pet deterrent right next to it. This way you will have an opportunity to observe how the whole setup works. Second, your cat won’t connect their new limitation with your baby’s arrival. And that is a very positive difference for their relationship in the future.
4. Close the door and use a baby monitor
Regardless of whether or not you have a cat, using a baby monitor is a sound decision. It provides peace of mind for you. Your baby will be able to sleep undisturbed. Most importantly, you will be able to know that everything’s alright without disturbing your new child.
If your budget allows, we recommend getting a baby monitor with video. When we first wrote this article, baby monitors with video were extremely expensive. The most common ones were audio only. However, we invested in the video monitor then and would again today. The peace of mind of having the live picture of your sleeping baby’s face while you cook for example is irreplaceable. Best of all, you can use this baby monitor to keep tabs on your four legged children when you are out of the house.
In the meantime, your cat may be either outside the closed door or napping in their own cat tree inside the room. In either case, your cat is a good distance from the crib. The situation is cute and safe. While you think they’re both just sleeping, in cat terms they are napping together and your cat considers this bonding. It’s a safe environment for your cat and they will grow closer to your child at this early age.
5. Keep your cat active during the day
Yes, like many of our patients you are probably saying, “How? We are new parents, I don’t have time for sleep much less play time with the kitty.” We understand. As parents of 2 babies and many four legged fur babies, we understand how very short on time you are. Playing with your cat is way down the list of priorities.
In this situation, telling you to play with your cat more is like training a fish to fly. Sorry no, it isn’t going to fly.
Please understand that play is very important to your cat’s sanity and good behavior. Click here to learn why.
What we want you to be aware of is that you should at the very least, try to make some time for your cat even with your insanely crazy schedule. Treat it like any other must do task. Just like doing the laundry or preparing food, schedule some time every day. Playing just prior to feeding time is the most ideal. This is because the play mimics hunting activity which your cat’s ancestors and wild counterparts do prior to eating their prey. Also your cat will do less “hunting” or other undesirable behaviors.
Another recommendation we make to our patients is to involve other family members as much as possible. As your baby gets older, you can even play with your cat and your baby at the same time. This furthers the bond between your child and cat.
How to keep the cat out of the crib?
By using the above 5 ways, you will keep your cat out of your child’s crib or bassinet. You can find more tips about playing with your cat when short on time here. Solo play toys and electronic toys are your cat and your best friends.
If you keep all of the above in mind, we’re sure you will become an expert on how to keep a cat out of a crib. You will also ensure that your cat’s quality of life will not suffer as a result of the baby’s arrival. This is important for everyone. Especially for you, your baby, and your cat. The months where your baby is a toddler will fly by. We hope your child will grow up being able to appreciate the joy that loving a pet gives.
This way you will be happy and your cat will be happy. And keeping your Pet happy is what we all want.
