My 1.5 year old cat is hissing at my newborn baby girl, any ideas??

My cat acted the same way when we got a kitten. After a while she would walk by and pop him in the head.

What made the cat COMPLETELY accept the kitten was this plug-in called Feliway. It covers up phermones in the air so the baby wont be a threat.

***I highly suggest this. Go to your local pet store and ask about it. I know they will suggest the same

Because your baby if only 5 days old shes not going to be reaching out trying to pet him or what not, so I personally don't think your cat is going to do anything but hiss and run away. Just show affection to your cat, play with him, give him treats when he does come upstairs and is interacting with all of you. This baby thing is brand new to him and very strange to suddenly have a small screaming machine all the adults are fussing over.. So give him time, He'll come around. I would think it's better to have the kitty scared then having to be worried all the time if the cats going to lay on the baby and whatnot. Please keep im mind though he is an animal and he is unpredictable, don't force the baby on him and make sure you know where he is at night if he does suddenly change his mind and want to cuddle with the baby. Good luck and congradulations!

I just went through this same thing... My son is almost 5 months old and my cat puffed up and continued to act the same way for 5 months... I have had this cat for more than a year also... He was a sweetheart... Sadly just today I had to get rid of him because of this problem... I thought that by now he would have grew out of it but with the baby changing the way he acts all the time I guess it was too much for my cat to handle... I just can't imagine what would have happened when my baby started to crawl...

There are alot of good ideas on here some of which I have tried... I have tried talking to my vet, the cat facial hormones, giving my cat more attention and none worked... My cat continued to feel threatened and out of place... When my cat ran up and swatted at my 5 month old baby that was the straw... I delt with the uncertainty and the hissing and growling but my cat could not deal with the constant changes in my son... A few months he is stationary barely moving and cried not so often... Now he is moving around more and causing a lot more noise... My cat was never abused or mistreated by anyone... In fact he ruled the roost... He just simply wanted to be the dominate male and only thing in the house with my husband and I... I am sure he felt replaced when we brought Dylan home...

We gave him away to a good home due to the fact of him taking a swipe at my son... The only thing I could think of is him hitting my baby's eye or something... The vet said some animals (dogs and cats) just can't handle their environment changing... They get used to the way things are for too long... They also suggest not buying new animals until the child is 2... I hope you don't have to go through the same thing I did... I had my cat since it was 6 wks old...

Hissing Cat

I feel your pain, but letting it go might be best. I recently had to give our cat to my mother. The same thing happened. The cat did not like the baby, When the baby was 2 months and taking a nap I heard him making a funny cry. He was crying but it was muffled. When I went to check on him the cat was laying across his face. I was horrified and did a little research on the net. Come to find out it is common for cats to smother babies because they are attracted to the milk smell in their mouth. And your cat weighs 11lbs??? The baby would not have a chance.

See if you can let a relative take care of the cat until the baby is at least crawling around and can bat the cat off in such an event. I have read about babies dying this way.

That would just be awful right??? SO what is more important.

Good Luck

Remember the cat does not mean to harm or scare the baby, It does not know any better.

Cats can find unfamiliar smells and sounds very threatening. Your cat doesn't hate the baby, he's timid and afraid of the unknown. (Especially when his experiences with human strangers have not always been positive ones). Hissing and growling are signs that he is afraid, and are designed to make the "threat" go away.

When the baby cries (and he's in another room) try offering him his favourite food treats, so that he begins to associate the sound with good things. Allow him to smell baby products such as talc, shampoo etc., so that he becomes familiar with them and doesn't feel threatened by them. Consider purchasing a Feliway plug-in, as they emit an aroma that cats find soothing. (You'll need to use it for around 3 weeks before you begin to see the benefits.)

The article below have lots of information and advice on helping cats adjust to having a baby in the home. They should also help allay your wife's fears about him attacking the baby.

http://www.messybeast.com/cat_baby.htm

http://www.bluecross.org.uk/web/FILES/Literature/Y...

It's only been 5 days, and once he realises that the baby doesn't mean him any harm, he will settle down. Be extra patient and loving with him, because he is probably feeling very stressed right now.

1st why would you let your sisters kids tease the cat? Also, he is old and scared of this new situation. He may never like the baby so NEVER let him alone with your child. Talk to your vet to make sure he is not sick. squirt him with water when he hisses at the baby. but don't stick the baby in his face either. Just go about your normal day and let him come to the baby. But, if he bites the baby, or if it doesn't get better before she learns to crawl, then he needs to go to another home.

He's just wary of this new person in his house who makes sounds he doesn't recognise and has brought in scents that he doesn't recognise. In time, he'll get used to your baby. In the meantime, I think feliway is an excellent suggestion. Some rescue remedy in his water might help too. If you are willing to sacrifice a babygro - try giving him something your baby has worn (unwashed) as bedding to help him get used to the scent of your baby. Also, try to pay lots of attention to your cat if you can - he is probably a bit jealous of the baby if he is now getting less attention than he's used to. 5 days is a very short time - he will get used to your baby eventually. Try to make sure he has a safe place he can go and hide away in if the baby crying gets too much for him.

don't let people try to convince you to let him go. It's not like having a big dangerous dog or anything, and the poor cat is traumatized, clearly, about the "invasion". we tend to anthropomorphize and say "jealousy" but it's often fear. Our cat, docile & sweet, was presented wth ONLY the t-shirt from the hospital that our newborn had worn and it hissed and ran for the hills.....I am not exaggerating--this is before the cat "met" the baby.......your sister will be on the ocmmittee to tell you something that might not be helpful re the cat since she let her kids terrorize it so be careful who you speak to about this. some simple things (but get advice from a vet oover the phone too--if you have a regular one he or she will take your call, just as a pediatrician would): they we re introduced too soon. the cat needs lots of patience nd love. try feeding it and helping it associate something it likes, like kitty treats or

catnip, on one side of a door with baby stuff on the other. think of it like a dog--would you bring your cat to gether with a dog suddenly without noticing some friction?

Your wife is probably fried from newborn stuff and there may be arguments over this. if she is getting sleep (you can help with this one--bring nursing baby to her at night, change, tc.) she may be more tolerant of the cat....it would not just be a shame to let him go, it owuld be v ery nifair to you and the cat since it is not posing any danger and the old wives' tales are just that. some separation is needed for now of course but your cat can come around just as our 2 did. it will take patience on our part but you do not want to associate the loss of your cat with your new baby--it's stressful enough without all of that coming between you. just don't take too much advice from people who don't understand. when the cat is in the basement make it pleasant ther for him--go and play, comfort--do some work or phone calls from there, etc. speak to other cat owners with kids. Our cats have been great for our kids and I am glad I did not subject myeslef to the guilt and sadness of giving up and getting rid of them over what could be worked out and was not a safety issue. good luck.

It sounds like he's just scared of her. Especially considering that your sister's kids have harassed him. Just watch him if they're in the same room. There will be enough time for him to get accustomed to her before she starts getting mobile. As long as there's some space between him and the baby, it'll be fine. (Don't make it seem like you're punishing him, but the distance is to make him feel secure) Also, don't forget to continue paying attention to him. He needs to know that he's not being "replaced".