2020-04-01_Mother_&_Baby

OUR EXPERTS ARE HERE TO SHARE THEIR ADVICE

I’mexpecting

myfirst baby

soonandam

worried ourcat might

beput out! Howcan

I preparemy pet?

HazelWalker,Amersham

Preparationis key.Catsare highlysensitive to

scent,andhow theirterritorysmellsis really

importantto them.Whena baby comesinto

thehousethere is a wholedifferentset of

aromas,whichcanbeveryunsettlingforyour

cat.Bringthingsforthebaby into yourhouse

early,andintroducethemgraduallysoyourcat

canget usedto thenew smells.

There are alsosomeplug-inproductsonthe

marketthatreleasea scentthathelps catsto

feelsafe. If yourcatis sensitive, startusinga

productlike thisassoonasyoubeginbringing

in new thingsforthebaby, asthiswillhelpher

copewiththechanges.It’s alsoa goodidea to

getyourcatusedto thenoisesa baby makes.

Thereare apps to downloadwithgurglingand

cryingsounds,whichwillhelpdesensitise your

cat.Startearly,andplay thenoisesquietly at

first, gradually increasing the volume.

If your cat currently has free access to the

whole house, think about whether there will

be any areas you would rather she stay out

of once your baby is here. Restrict access to

areas like the nursery or your bedroom as early

as possible so she gets used to the change.

When cats are worried or frightened they

prefer to move away and hide. Make sure your

cat has lots of opportunities to move away

from your baby and create lots of little corners

and safe places where she can keep out of the

way. A tall cat-scratching post – one of the

sturdy ones with shelves – is great for this.

Cats like to sit back, observe and assess the

situation before deciding whether something

is safe, so don’t try to force your cat to be

around the new baby. Let her stay away and

come over in her own time.

Your cat might find it difficult when she can’t

climb onto you because you are holding or

feeding a baby, so begin to limit her ability to

leap onto your lap before your baby is born.

Put a blanket next to you so she can be near

you but not actually on top of you – this way

of being close to you will be normal to your cat

by the time your baby is born. CS

ClaireStallard

is ananimalbehaviourist

forBlueCross,a charity for

sick,injuredandhomeless

pets; bluecross.org.uk

the big question

TiffanyNorris

is founderof TheMummy

Concierge,whichprovides

supportandhelpformums-

to-beandnew parents;

themummyconcierge.com

behaviour

DrTimUbhi

is a consultant

paediatricianandfounder

of theChildren’s

e-Hospital;e-hospital.co.uk

health

Hannah

O’Sullivan

is a midwife andruns

hypnobirthingbusiness

TheCalmBirthMidwife;

facebook.com/

thecalmbirthmidwife

pregnancy

THE BIG

QUESTION

WORDS CATHERINE BALLPHOTOGRAPHY SHUTTERSTOCK,

ISTOCK

Marta Neto

is a paediatric gentle sleep

consultantwho works with

parentsto resolve their

baby’s sleep issues; gentle

sleepconsultant.co.uk

Sleep

motherandbaby.co.uk | April 2020 | 75

Here to help