Babies and cats

how big is that cat?
and how old is that littly baby?

Cats have been known to smother babies, but I don't think the reason they do it has been clearly established. Some say that cats just like the feeling of laying on someone's chest and they accidentally smother the babies because they're too small for this. Others think that the cat will actually get jealous of a baby and due to their tendency to be territorial they'll smother the baby on purpose.

Who knows.......

But I wouldn't risk it. Definitely not worth it.

My parents had a cat since before I was born. The cat, according to reports from the 'rents, more than occasionally slept in my crib with me.

I suppose their is some risk of a cat smothering a child and perhaps scratching it, but somehow that never happened to me (or my sisters or brothers).

And this news report, interestingly enough, suggests that growing up with a pet in the house could result in a child growing up with an increased resistance to developing allergies

Quote:[url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,296869,00.html]Fight Against Germs May Fuel Allergy Increase[/url]

While avoiding excessive contact with germs can help prevent the spread of infections, going overboard with cleanliness could be at least partly responsible for an increase in allergies among children, mounting research suggests.

"We've developed a cleanlier lifestyle, and our bodies no longer need to fight germs as much as they did in the past," said Marc McMorris, a pediatric allergist at the University of Michigan Health System. "As a result, the immune system has shifted away from fighting infection to developing more allergic tendencies."

More than 50 percent of Americans ages 6 to 59 years are sensitive to at least one allergen, according to a national survey conducted from 1988 to 1994 by the National Institutes of Health. That's two to five times higher than rates found in a previous 1976 to 1980 survey.

Recent research has found evidence for the so-called hygiene hypothesis, which explains how more sterile environments can lead to higher rates of illness.

...

[b]A study published in a 2002 issue of JAMA concluded that children living in a house with two or more dogs or cats during their first year of life were much less likely to develop allergic diseases compared with children raised without pets.

"Epidemiology would suggest if there are 10 cats in the homes, [kids] are less likely to develop allergies," said Bruce Bochner, director of the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.[/b]

more [url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,296869,00.html]here[/url]

Now that I'm really awake, I'd really advise against getting a cat.

My parents had a cat when I was born, and it was insanely jealous. It ended up running away and living with a family we knew on the next street.

When I grew up a few years, the weird thing came back to live with us, but always hated me.

I'd wake up in the night and it would be on my chest, staring at me. When I'd freak out and try to push her off, she'd hiss and lock her claws onto my blanket.

Grey Siamese-mix... looked like the evil cat from "Pet Cemetary.".

Also...don't listen to lodgerly... [img]http://www.rateitall.com/itemimages/17046.jpg[/img]

Sorry, but I have to agree with Americanbeijinger on this one. I just had another CHinese friend ask me the same questions over the weekend, basically I think she wants me to take her cat. Chinese tend to be overly cautious about the animal thing, especially cats

I don't think a cat would purposely smother a baby. Cats are smart animals, but I don't think they would understand premeditated murder. Most cats like the warmth of sleeping next to a person, so that could be dangerous. I also heard that a cat would possibly lap up a baby's spit up or the milk aorund a baby's mouth, thereby "stealing the baby's air".

I think as long as the cat isn't allowed in the room where the baby sleeps and the house is kept especially clean of cat hair, then there wouldn't be a problem.

http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/catsuck.asp

Claim: Cats suck the breath from babies, sometimes killing them.
Status: False.

Quote:although I have no idea what that disease is

Thanks for the info.....

Watson wrote:Quote:although I have no idea what that disease is

Thanks for the info.....Watch Trainspotting again.

Watson wrote:Quote:although I have no idea what that disease is

Thanks for the info.....

Unlike certain others, I have no fear of the phrase "I don't know that"

Hutong_Harry wrote:blucat wrote:Watson wrote:Quote:although I have no idea what that disease is

Thanks for the info.....

Unlike certain others, I have no fear of the phrase "I don't know that"

That's okay ... most of us know how to use google.

smart arse!

Anyway, prior to my posting, the whole ridiculous thread was about cats smothering babies! As if a cat would stay sleeping on top of a baby struggling for air!

i was almost smothered by my cat when we fist got the ashole.

he used to love sleeping on my neck.

but i know people with cats and babies, i really dont think its a big deal, depends on the cat of course. I wouldnt let my cat near a baby... or a small adult even.