While expecting a baby, most expectant mothers want to prepare their home for the arrival of a new family member. This applies to both the environment and the pets. The question arises: what to do, for example, with a cat.
Cat and newborn allergies
Many mothers are afraid that the baby will become allergic to a cat. In fact, this is a very controversial issue. No one will be able to determine with certainty in advance whether the presence of such a pet in the house will adversely affect the health of the baby.
Some doctors believe that the risk of allergies is even lower in those children who have always had pets at home. This is explained by the fact that the immunity of the newborn initially fights with an external agent (microbes from the hair of a cat, for example), for which it is intended. This is a kind of immunity training. If a child finds himself in a too clean environment, then his body begins to look for "strangers" inside himself, which, in fact, is an allergy.
Therefore, it is not worth getting rid of a cat because of such fears even before the birth of a child. It is better to see how the baby's body will react to the presence of the animal. If later there are suspicions that the baby is still allergic to a cat, then it will be possible to take an allergen test and find out for sure.
Prepare your cat for a baby
You still have to prepare the animal in a certain way for the appearance of the baby in the house. Especially, this applies to those cats that walk on the street. Before the birth of a baby, it is better to stop letting her out on such walks. Also, the cat must be well washed from dirt and treated from fleas and skin parasites, if any.
Twice a year (in spring and autumn), the cat must be treated for worms. If the baby is expected in the family in winter or summer, then even in these seasons it is necessary to give the cat an anthelmintic drug for prevention.
A cat's relationship to a newborn
Some mothers-to-be are worried that a cat will offend a small child. But more often than not, such fears are completely not confirmed when a baby appears. Even those fluffy pets who did not really like children before, at the birth of a baby, show him care and affection. Many go to bed with the baby, and when he cries, they run and call the young mother. They sometimes even begin to defend the child themselves if someone offends the child.
Cats are more relaxed about the newborn in the house. But they rarely show aggression. They clearly distinguish between children who just came to visit, and those who were born and grow up in front of their eyes. The former they may scratch or be afraid of. With the latter, they usually do not do this.
Cats usually start scratching not a newborn baby, but an already grown one. Then it is more often a defense against him than an attack.
When is the best time to give a cat
The emergence of an allergy in a newborn to a cat is not at all a fact. But if the cat is very old, constantly ill with something, then it is better to give it to someone who can take care of it properly. In addition, very old cats often have dental problems that can cause blood or pus to flow from the cat's mouth. Such discharge on the floor is not at all good for the health of a small child.
Thus, if the cat is young and healthy, then it just needs to be prepared for the birth of a baby. There is no urgent need to get rid of it. After some time, it will become clear how the baby's body tolerates the presence of a pet and how the cat itself behaves with it. But in the case of a sick or very old cat, you can think about finding a person who can take care of her.
