How to introduce my cat to a new baby without stress or crib issues?

Thank you for submitting your question. A newborn can be stressful for cats (and parents)! Unfortunately, it is possible for the cat to smother the infant. To keep your child safe, the cats will need to be kept out of the bedroom where the infant sleeps at all times. Be sure to provide each cat with attention and affection during waking hours to ease this transition. I hope this information helps!

I suggest you put some Feliway diffusers in your house starting about a week before the dog is to come over. This is basically "happy cat" pheromones and they really work to decrease stress. Their website has a lot of great information. ( https://www.feliway.com/uk/Products/FELIWAY-CLASSIC-Diffuser ) Also, make a "safe space" for your cat so that, if needed, she can get away from the dog. The best way to do this is to put a baby gate up across the door to one room so that the cat can get in but the dog can't. Put the litter box, food and water in there. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

The key is with slow introductions. Adding in barriers or baby gates that your cat can get over but your dog can't can also make it easier for your cat to get away if they need. It is also a good idea to make sure your cat has access to their own access to food, water, litterboxes, and bedding/hiding places without your dog being able to harass them. Adding in a pheromone diffuser such as Comfort Zone in shared spaces can also help with stress. You also only want to let them interact when you are home to supervise as even the best behaved dog can still accidentally injure a smaller cat. Otherwise, giving them time to observe and interact, and separating them if they become too stressed can help during the adjustment period.

Moving can be a stressful time for both cats and people. Some cats begin to experience stress when the first box is packed. Try to keep this time as normal as possible for your cat by continuing a normal daily routine and avoid packing your cat’s bed, cat tree, and toys until the last minute. Calming pheromone products, such as the Comfort Zone® Calming Diffuser or Comfort Zone® Spray and Scratch Control Spray, may minimize some of this stress. When moving day arrives, be sure that your cat is safely secured in a cat carrier before the door opens and boxes start leaving. We recommend plugging in the Comfort Zone® Calming Diffuser into your old home during packing, as well as in your new home during unpacking and the settling period. If possible, try to move your cat as early in the day as possible and confine them to a bathroom in your new home with their normal bed, litter box, bowls, and toys. This will keep your cat from escaping during the move and may pose less stress if they see less of the action. If your cat is prone to high stress, resulting in self-trauma with overgrooming or inappropriate eliminations, it may be best to discuss short-term anti-anxiety medication with your veterinarian.

Great question! Make sure to keep Tazi's bedding and familiar object with her, Don't wash them beforehand, that way the old scent is still on them and that will reassure her. Leave the carrier out now, in the open where she can see it and get in it if so inclined. Then it won't be such a shock when it come time to put her in it. Get calming pheromone based diffusers and put them throughout the current house and in the new on as well as soon as you can. In the new house, make sure she has plenty of places to hide, perch, get up off the floor and look out the window. Scatter her toys throughout the house so there are familiar things nearby. If she hides somewhere when you finally move, let her. Put food, water and litter where she can get to it and let her explore on her own. It may take some time, but your cat will get used to her new home. I hope this helps!

Sometimes despite best efforts cats never get along. Often they can coexist if you set up individual habitats for them equipped with seperately feeding bowls and litter trays, so they can choose to be apart. Things like pheromone diffusers can also help. Unfortunately there is no way to force them to be friends.

You can use baby gates or covered X-pens to help make the open space a bit smaller as you gradually introduce the kittens to the area. This can help control where they go and make it easy for them to adjust. Shutting doors, etc can also help control the number of areas they go to at once. Once they are more used to the area, you can then open up more space. I also highly recommend a pheromone diffuser plug-in such as Feliway in the room you'll be introducing them to in order to help with stress.