Tips for Preparing Your Cat for a New Baby at Home

Cats and babies can get along great with some easy preparation to help things go smoothly, build positive relationships, and ensure safety.

Jake and Bill, good buddies from the start.

My son is now 16. When he was born, we had 3 cats, all of whom have since passed. Bill (pictured above) and Sarah (last picture below) loved all the baby blankets, baby gym, and other paraphernalia so much that they tolerated being next to my son in order to sit on the blanket too. My son would wave his arms around, sometimes grab a handful of fur, which the cats didn’t particularly like, but they stayed. When they had enough, they would get up and leave. Abby, however, was more nervous around our son, and she kept her distance, staying on vertical spaces where she could watch what was going on, but she was out of his reach.

Top 5 things to consider prior to bringing baby home

Do Not Give Your Cat Extra Attention Right Before Baby Comes Home

If your cat is used to getting tons of attention, slowly back off since that will be confusing when the baby arrives and your attention is divided. Some parents lavish attention on their cat prior to the birth thinking this will last for a year, but it’s really just confusing when the attention stops;

Routine & Schedule is Key for Stress Reduction

Consider a schedule of feeding and play that you can maintain once baby is home and stick to it - cats thrive on routine so this will help decrease stress for your cat when they can anticipate what comes next in their day. Your cat is an important member of the family too, and their physical and emotional needs should be on the schedule such as feeding, playtime, litter box scooping, cuddling, etc.

Introduce Your Cat to Baby's Scent

Before your baby comes home, introduce the baby’s scent to your cat, if possible, by bringing home a hat or blanket that smells like your baby. Provide praise and treats for your cat remaining calm as they smell the blanket.

Let Your Cat Explore Baby Furniture

Baby Items shouldn't be off limits. It’s ok to let your cat hang out on the baby items such as the crib - let them get used to the new items. The novelty will likely wear off before the baby comes home. The more you resist this, the more your cat may show interest and feel frustrated that they cannot check out the new items.

Desensitize to Baby Noises

Before the baby comes home, you can play crying sounds from the internet, and pair with treats. If your cat is reactive, start at a low volume at first, and have sessions where you gradually increase the volume. As your cat listens to the crying sounds, give her treats to create a positive association with the sound. If your cat is noise sensitive, this is great to do ahead of baby's arrival. As your baby gets older and has noisy toys, be mindful if your cat is fearful. Provide safe spaces away from the toys or work on further desensitization.

Bill keeping Jake company during the dreaded "tummy time"

Once Baby Comes Home

Supervise Interactions

Supervise interactions between your cat and baby to ensure safety. Typically, cats will watch from a distance but stay away from the baby’s erratically moving arms and legs. My cat Abby lived in my son’s crib until she saw him moving around in there. She then found a new favorite spot.

Environmental Changes

You should already have vertical space and hiding spots for your cat, but if you don’t, now is a good time to add those.

Vertical Spaces ensure there are safe places for your cat to be when the baby arrives so they can be in the same room, but watch from a safe place. This is particularly important when your baby becomes a toddler and is mobile.

Hiding spots in case your cat needs time alone to decompress such as a cubby, tent or tunnel. Even spaces under the bed or in a closet can help where your cat will not be bothered.

Teach Your Child How to Interact

As your baby gets older, it’s up to you to teach your child how best to interact with your cat. Some basic considerations are:

Consent for Petting

Teach your child to hold out their fingers to let the cat sniff them and see if the cat leans in for petting. Cats tend to enjoy frequent, but low intensity interactions, so a few strokes around the head is great to start. Provide both your child and cat praise for positive interactions.

Respect a Sleeping Cat

No one likes to be woken up from a deep sleep. Teach your child to leave the cat alone while they are resting and interact with the cat when they are awake and approach for attention.

Teach Gentle Touching

No grabbing, hugging or squeezing - I see a lot of this when meeting with families and it really bothers me that we are not teaching kids not to do this. It’s not ok to grab cats in a way that not only do they not like, but may actually hurt them. This is a great opportunity to teach your child to respect other living beings, ask for consent, and then touch gently if the cat is receptive. It's ok if your cat does not want to be touched. That's their decision. Forcing touch is stressful and can negatively impact relationships and your cat's emotional health.

Sarah was our most gentle cat. She's letting Jake grab her ear in this photo.

Address Behavior Issues Before Baby Comes Home

Issues such as house soiling or aggressive behavior may be worse with the additional stress of changes in the home. See your veterinarian for a check-up first to rule out underlying medical issues and get advice. If more help is needed, hire a certified feline behavior consultant.

First written in June 2022, Updated November 2025.

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About the author: Jennifer Van de Kieft, CAFTP, FFCP, PNCC is located in Brooklyn, NY. She is certified in feline behavior and pet nutrition. She owns Cat Advocate, a feline behavior consulting company. She provides cat guardians with the strategies, tools and knowledge needed to address their cat's behavior issues. Jennifer provides virtual consultations throughout the United States.