Pets & Babies can go together like Peas & Carrots

Most couples have dogs. Or pets in general. I read an article that said that most couples my age start with dogs as their "first born children". Elsa is definitely our first born. Yes, we had two cats first, but they don't count. Cats can be fairly self reliant so it is just not the same. 

This might not be so much about advice to introducing pets to babies, but rather what we didn't do and how it all played out. 

When I was pregnant, we had plenty of people that seemed concerned about how our dog Elsa or our cats would adjust to having a baby around. I usually just dismissed it as my hormones did not like advice at that time. "Don't tell me how to raise my family, " my hormones would rant. Looking back now with some sanity, I was a maniac in regards to that information. I will declare that I am an animal nut case. I love animals. I would rather spend time hanging out with animals than people so those comments really hit my hormones hard. 

We were told of how a cousin of a friend of a friend had a cat that smothered their baby to death. This usually comes from people that have never owned a cat. Most cats probably would think, "Hmmm a really loud smelly object is coming into the house. I don't want to go by that thing." The idea that a cat would come and lay by the baby to smother is an old wives tale that dates back to the Salem Witch Trials to say that the cat was trying to steal the babies soul. I am happy to say that Inga is soulful and happy when the cats come around. 

I decided to buy a book and read up on introducing your dog to a new baby. Elsa is a bulldog and has a tendency to forget how strong she is and the cats are huge and have a tendency to forget that they weigh 20 pounds. 

The book said to bring home a blanket after she was born and have the dog smell it. Didn't do it. When introducing the dog and the baby, the dog should be on a leash. Didn't do it. The dog should be kept out of the nursery to establish boundaries. Didn't do it. 

Anybody want to buy a book??

One thing we did was that when we bought our pack n' play for the bedroom, we set it up immediately to make sure the cats would become acquainted with it by the time Inga came. Our one cat, Boo, was somewhat interested and jumped in a couple times but after we put in the dreaded CAN O' PENNIES it was done. No more jumping in there. We also left the car seat sitting around the house and after a couple corrections from our other cat, Gus, he no longer tries to lay in there. Not that we thought that he would try to lay in there with her in it, but more so about the hair. 

So let's get to how they have reacted now that she is home. Let's just say that we were SHOCKED by how our little children responded.

Let's start with the middle child, Boo. He is a fairly normal cat. Sweet, snuggly and somewhat cautious. He just weighs about 20 pounds. His reaction to Inga was pure indifference and still is 4 months later. The first couple days that she was home, he just slept downstairs probably thinking that this screaming thing will leave in a couple days. Once he realized that she wasn't going anywhere he started sleeping upstairs again and could care less about her. He may get a sniff here and there but he really doesn't even care. 

Then there is Gus. He has boundary issues to put it lightly. He is the sweetest cat with a heart of gold, but like my Dad says....he is just dumb. He jumps and climbs on everything and tries to race you to whatever room you are going to. And he will trip you to get there first. We were not as concerned about him just because he has been around kids before and he didn't even care when they yanked on his tail. Just like Boo, he is totally indifferent towards her. Even more so than Boo. His demeanor has not changed at all. 

As long as your cat is not an asshole, I think you would be fine with them around. Most cats don't like hanging around loud noises and most will just avoid it based on what we have seen. 

Now let's move on to our first born, Elsa. We had a plethora of opinions regarding Elsa and I am glad to say she put all of them to shame. Some people were concerned that she would snap and bite her face off because she is a bully breed. I don't think we could have asked for a better reaction out of her. Pure love and admiration. All she wants to do is lick her to death, which we don't allow. We let her lick her feet but not her hands and her face. She simply adores her and follows us to whatever room she is in. Have to go change her diaper? Make sure to be aware that Elsa has followed you in her room and is laying down right behind you. She has even made the decision herself that when Inga is in the bed hanging out with us, she will sleep on the floor. We did not train that. It is just a respect thing. Now, I am not sure if this is from her training as a puppy or what but ever since Elsa was a puppy she won't sleep on my side of the bed. Even when I would travel for work, she would not sleep there. As the alpha-female, she respects my space and she has already learned to respect Inga's space. 

In the end, we have the happiest family with lots of animals and they all get along. I think if you raise your dog properly to be low in the pack totem pole, they will have no reaction to another pack member. They know they have no authority so they just let it happen. As soon as Inga can use her hands like a normal person, we will have her feed Elsa by hand as well. This will help with bonding them together and let's Elsa learn that Inga will be a provider for her and not a play toy. 

With cats, we might have just been lucky or else we prepared them properly for when the baby came. Try to setup as much baby furniture as possible before the baby comes so you can allow the cats to become accustomed to it. You don't want to setup the crib the day the baby comes home because the cats will just want to climb all over it. If your cat is not a dick, they should be fine with the baby because the baby smells like you and the cats like you, right?

How did your pets respond to a new baby or comment on what you did to introduce your pets to your baby.