If you are looking for a cat breed that gets along with babies and toddlers, Siamese cats are your best bet. Siamese cats are the perfect best friends for your babies. As a breed, they are known to be loving, loyal, and affectionate. They are also incredibly playful and naughty- a perfect combination to keep up with your toddler’s energy.
Of course, the bond between a Siamese cat and a baby is not automatic- you will have to play your cards well to ensure that they get along perfectly. In this article, you will learn about the best ways to introduce your cat to your baby and how to ensure that neither feels left out.
Best Breed of Cat for Your Baby or Toddler
You will find thousands of Google searches when you try to research what cat breed to get for your toddler. You will find that your Google searches have one common answer: Siamese cats. According to these expert articles, Siamese cats are known to be the best breeds to entertain babies with.
This is mainly because Siamese cats are very social animals. They love big households where they get loads of undivided, constant attention. Just like kids thrive on attention, Siamese cats do too.
Siamese cats make great companions- they have a big heart and are also very intelligent.
Do Siamese Cats Get Along with Babies and Toddlers?
While the Siamese breed is great to introduce your baby to, you must be careful that your baby is always gentle with the cat. It is no secret that babies are careless and can get rough if not taught well. Before you leave your child around the cat, it is best to teach it that it cannot, under any circumstances, pull the cat’s tail, ears or throw them on the wall or floor.
Once your child understands the concept of basic respect, it is more likely that the Siamese cat will get along with your baby.
If you are bringing a new cat to your house, give it some time to get comfortable. Cats like to know their surroundings and rule out any threat of attack. Once your cat has had enough time to get to know the family, it has greater chances of getting along with your child. Soon, you will see that the cat is extremely caring, kind, and patient towards your toddler.
You know how toddlers like to throw little tea parties, dress up as princesses, and wear king costumes around the house? Even though you may get tired of the constant attention your child needs, your cat will not. This is the exact kind of thing that Siamese cats enjoy. They love getting and giving attention.
The best part is that these cats are full of energy. Toddlers have so much random and frantic energy, but Siamese cats do not seem to mind it. In fact, their energy matches that of babies! If you are looking for a cat breed that will get along with your kid, you should definitely pick the Siamese one.
How Will a Siamese Cat React to a New Baby in the House?
Siamese cats love routine. If anything disrupts that routine or there is a change to the environment they live in, it is natural for these cats to feel stressed and anxious. Bringing a new baby into the house can feel disruptive for the cat since it is not used to the presence of another family member.
Siamese cats do not like when they are not getting maximum attention. They start to feel threatened and become hostile. Moreover, they are also naturally territorial about their environment.
Struggling to understand? Think about how you would feel if one day you came home and there were new smells, sights, and sounds in your home. There is a sudden change of routine in your day, and you find loads of foreign objects around the house and in your space. Wouldn’t you feel uncomfortable, almost like you have no control over anything in your home?
Siamese cats initially feel the same way. Hence, it is important to properly prepare your cat for the baby’s arrival. This will ensure that your cat does not feel the “shock factor” too hard when the baby arrives.
You must also keep in mind that as the baby grows, it will become more energetic, active, and mobile. You need to give both the cat and the baby enough room to move around without invading each other’s space.
Getting the Siamese Cat Prepped for the Baby’s Arrival
Once you bring a baby into the house, a few things need to change. If you know that a baby will be coming and will affect your Siamese cat’s routine, it is best to implement some of these changes beforehand so that your cat can get used to them. This will ensure that it does not feel too overwhelmed when the baby arrives and is more accepting of the child.
If you want to ensure that your Siamese cat gets along with babies, here are some things that may change in the Siamese cat’s schedule:
- The location of the cat’s food, litter tray, food, bed, scratching post, and toys.
- When they are fed and who feeds them.
- Who stays and plays with them most of the time.
- Who cuddles with them.
- Places they cannot go to because of the baby’s safety.
Introducing the Siamese Cat to the Baby or Toddler
1. Introducing New Sounds
From the time the baby enters the house, there will be loads of crying, giggling, squealing, and all kinds of loud sounds that your poor cat may never have heard.
When your baby is on its way, it is best to get your Siamese cat used to the crying sounds that will persist in your house all day long. Do this by quietly playing some baby sounds. You can easily find these online. Over time, increase the volume of these sounds to match the upcoming baby’s crying. Slowly and gradually, your Siamese cat will get accustomed to the crying.
When playing the crying sounds, give your Siamese cat some treats as well. This will help make the process easier for them. Moreover, they will start to associate the crying sounds with treats!
Moreover, when the baby is at the hospital, and the mother is spending time under care, it is a good idea to bring home something that smells like the baby. Keep this item around the house and let the cat come to it itself.
These two actions will help your cat know the baby even before it is brought to the house.
2. Introducing New Sights
Soon, your house will be full of foreign objects thrown everywhere as the baby starts to crawl and play with things. Before this happens, you must gradually introduce these objects and furniture pieces to your Siamese cat.
When you get something new delivered to your house, whether it is a new toy, blanket, or piece of baby furniture, let it out in the open so that your cat can play with it. Encourage it to approach the item by leaving treats around the object. Through this, the cat will start to explore the object and get accustomed to it. However, make sure that it is not in their personal space like where they eat their food or sleep at night.
3. Give Your Cat Some Space
Some cats, regardless of how friendly they seem with you, need to be left alone to adjust to new changes. Regardless of how much you try to indulge them, this may not change. It is something you need to be at peace with. Don’t force your cat to interact with the baby. Instead, let it make its own decision so that it can come to the baby when it wants.
Don’t worry- cats are naturally curious animals. This means that your Siamese cat will want to know where the critter is coming from. Moreover, it will feel naturally attracted to the new baby when you bring it home. It may not come too close when there are too many people around, but it will want to get to know the baby in its own time.
Conclusion
Remember to never leave the baby and Siamese cat unattended. This is especially true for the first few days when both are getting to know each other.
You must be able to keep an eye on their behavior to ensure that they do not misbehave with each other. Kids can be super rough and careless, and once a cat is triggered, it may scratch the baby.
