Cat Jealous of New Baby

[reba]

Hey there.  Guy I work with has a new baby and the cat has about pushed them over the edge, peed on the baby's clothes, scratching furniture, keeping them up all night, etc.  I guess they're trying kitty prozac (and unfortunately thinking of declawing the cat - vet's claiming that it's not traumatic because he uses a lazer-grrrrrr).  Is there anything they can do?  

 

[dave_l]

Are they giving the cat lots of attention, maybe even more than usual, so that the cat knows that he/she is not being neglected because of the baby?

 

[reba]

HI Dave, I don't have a lot of information in that regard, my intuition is probably not.  With the cats anxiety issues I imagine if they declaw her things are going to go from bad to worse.  

 

[dave_l]

That would be a easy thing to try then. And it's free.

It seems analogous to introducing a new cat into the house. The resident cat will be jealous, and needs to be shown that he's not getting slighted.

After all, babies are commonplace. Cats are special. :eyebrows:

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I would suggest giving Feliway a try and spending lots of time with the cat.  My own vet recommended Feliway when I was pregnant with my 2nd (she was also pregnant).  Feliway needs some time to build up.  

I've been giving Noodles some calming treats to help with an over-grooming issue.  That might help her as well.  I've also used calming collars; but Noodles tried to groom them off of herself.  

When my first was small; Noodles got so she would race me to the kitchen.  It turned out it was attention she wanted; not just food.  It was an adjustment for all of us I guess!

 

[janean]

I would suggest giving Feliway a try and spending lots of time with the cat.  My own vet recommended Feliway when I was pregnant with my 2nd (she was also pregnant).  Feliway needs some time to build up.  

I've been giving Noodles some calming treats to help with an over-grooming issue.  That might help her as well.  I've also used calming collars; but Noodles tried to groom them off of herself.  

When my first was small; Noodles got so she would race me to the kitchen.  It turned out it was attention she wanted; not just food.  It was an adjustment for all of us I guess!

What is Feliway?

 

[Norachan]

What is Feliway?

Hi @janean  Feliway is a spray that mimics feline hormones. It can help to keep cats calm and happy. It's a little expensive, but some people have great results with it.

http://www.feliway.com/uk