How will your cat react to having a new arrival in the house and how do you ensure your cat and baby get along? Vet and behaviourist Francesca Riccomini offers advice on how to prepare your family feline for a new addition .

For many owners their cat represents another family member and as such has equal access to all the resources their home has to offer. In feline terms, this includes human attention, which is often available on demand whenever anyone is at home. So can cat and baby get along?

Centre of attention

It is not unusual for a pet to be nurtured and even spoiled, becoming the 'baby' of the family. This is fine if it suits the cat's temperament and everyone is involved, but problems can arise when a baby is suddenly introduced into the household.

The problems can be severe if the cat is mature and has had little, or only negative, experience of babies and young children, particularly during the important kitten socialisation period of between two and seven weeks. Many of us acquire our cats when they are well past this stage or don't have the opportunity to introduce tiny kittens to small children. Although it is not impossible to make up for this lack of early experience, it is best to make plans and preparations well in advance of a baby's birth.

Different responses from different cats

How an individual cat responds to a new arrival will depend upon genetics (breed and parentage as well as species), personality and experience. Sometimes, these do not predispose a cat to coexist harmoniously and safely with babies and young children. Some owners, after careful consideration, decide that they cannot take the responsibility of keeping a particular pet when they have children and so find their cat a good home which is more suited to their needs. Sadly, the decision to relinquish a pet is not always so well considered and aggression towards children or urine spraying (for which the unprepared arrival of a baby can be a stimulus) is not an uncommon reason for cats to end up in a rescue centre. It is not always possible to prevent such a sad outcome by pre-emptive action but it can often be avoided by careful thought and forward planning.

Living in harmony

For the best chance of your extended family living happily together, two aspects need to be considered: the environment and the pet. Your cat needs to have their own bed, feeding and water dishes, toys, litter tray etc. These need to be sited somewhere convenient for all the humans in the house, but also in the right spot for your cat. The litter tray should be in a private position away from your cat’s food and away from areas of busy traffic, like the kitchen and hallway. Your cat’s scratching post should be near an external door or close to where your cat already chooses to mark their territory by clawing. If possible, find somewhere elevated for your cat to eat or rest, or an area which can be sealed off with a baby gate. This gives them a way to escape the advances of a toddler. If the current location of your cat's bed, litter tray and other requirements are going to impractical or unsuitable when the baby arrives, you will need to make changes now. It is important, particularly for an elderly cat, that these changes are made gradually.

Somewhere to hide

The preferred feline method of dealing with something unsettling or a potential threat, is to hide, preferably in a high, dark, secluded place from which there is a good view, so that the situation can be assessed in safety. Such sanctuaries can easily be provided by putting cardboard boxes on their side, or igloo beds, on top of furniture or sturdy shelves. Provide a number of such retreats in various areas of your home, but especially where you will spend time with your baby and encourage their use by putting favoured blankets or tasty treats in them.

No entry

Often the room which is to be the nursery is one the cat had been allowed free access. It is advisable for this to be stopped well before the baby takes up residence. To reduce an adverse reaction to the change and to prevent 'barrier frustration', spray the closed door and frame with Feliway or rub with 'facial cloths'. Don't forget that indoor cats will be more affected by even small changes in their environment, territory and lifestyle, than those with access to the outdoors.

Changes to territory

The feline olfactory system is very sensitive and scent is an important means of communication. Any disturbance in the scent profile of a cat's territory can have a major impact and cause real distress to a pet. This is frequently unrecognised, but explains why new equipment for the baby often becomes the target for urination or spraying, as a cat attempts to 'mark' the articles with their own scent. It is worth acquiring from friends and relatives as many everyday baby items as possible so that your cat can be introduced ahead of time to the wide range of often pungent odours they will later encounter! These may be minimal to us but could represent a major stressful intrusion for a cat. Bringing things into the home in a gradual and controlled way should not only reduce any aversive qualities associated with them, but should help by creating opportunities to condition positive associations. Also, offer tasty food or indulge in a favourite game, when something new first arrives.