Hellobee

Papa Jumper and I have two rescue cats, Maya and Bailey, that we adopted a few years ago.  Both cats came from abusive backgrounds and while they’re so sweet now, it did take us a while to train them both to be kind and gentle kitties.  Today, you’d never know that either were abused.  They’re both super snuggly lap cats and love being petted and played with.  They love each other, too, and you’ll often find them curled up in the same cat bed.

Maya is so snuggly that we truly worried she’d try to sleep with the baby in her crib.  We caught her sleeping in the crib a few times (we had the nursery set up weeks before Baby Jumper’s due date), so we had to work hard to break that habit.  Bailey, our calico, isn’t a very big fan of house guests.  She’s super sweet to Papa Jumper and I, but after three years she’s only now getting used to my mom and sister.  We worried that Bailey wouldn’t care for the baby and would hide under our bed like she does when we have guests.

We wanted to prevent any bad behavior and make the transition into a family of three as seamless as possible.  To do so, we came up with a few things that really helped in the end.

1.  We set up the baby furniture and gear a bit early
We had the nursery completed about 6 weeks before Baby Jumper was born, and had the bassinet set up in our living room in late summer.  The cats were curious and we found Maya sleeping in the crib a few times, but we trained her to not even go in the baby’s room.  Maya responds best to distraction and positive reinforcement.  Whenever Maya would go into the baby’s room or jump into the crib, we’d simply pick her up, say, “no” in a stern voice, and put her down in our living room.  We’d give her a a few treats to help teach her to associate not going into the baby’s room with good behavior. It took us a few weeks, so I’m thankful that we had this “extra” time to train her.

2.  Papa Jumper brought home Baby Jumper’s blankets from the hospital
Papa Jumper came home from the hospital twice during my stay to shower and feed our cats.  Both times he took home a blanket that Baby Jumper had been using, so they got used to her smell.  He’d let them sniff the blanket, then give them both treats so they associated the smell with something positive (like a reward for good behavior).

3. Papa Jumper entered our house first
They’ve always been curious kitties who love to greet us at the foot of the steps as soon as they hear the garage door.  When we bought Baby Jumper home for the first time, Papa Jumper ran ahead to greet the cats and give them a treat.  Then he brought Baby Jumper upstairs and set her on the living room floor, still in her car seat, and let the cats look at her.  Neither of them could care less and were already accustomed to her smell (see above), so in the end, neither of them really noticed that we introduced a new person into “their” home.

Baby Jumper & Maya

We nicknamed Bailey “Mama Bailey” because her mama bear instincts kicked in almost right away.  If Baby Jumper started crying, Bailey was running toward the bassinet and would sit underneath it until we could calm the baby down.  Baby Jumper is 8.5 months old now, and Bailey still follows us in the room when we put Baby Jumper in her crib — and she’ll stay there until Baby Jumper is fast asleep.  If the baby starts to fuss in the middle of the night, we often find Bailey lying on top of the dresser keeping a close eye on the baby.  It’s really cute, and not what we expected from our cat who isn’t a fan of new people in her home.

Both cats are amazingly patient with Baby Jumper, and will let her pet them and even pull their tails.  We’re teaching Baby Jumper to be more gentle to her furry friends.  She gets so excited whenever she sees either cat and tries to follow them around the house.  It’s so sweet watching her interact with our pets!

Do you have any pets?  How well do they interact with the baby?