cats, a baby and people

Question
Hi there,

I have two cats and a dog. Recently my sister had a baby boy and is now home with us in the maternity leave. The cats are great with the baby. they just ignore the little human as much as possible. however, the presence of cats is sure disturbing the neighbours and some other relatives. they keep giving hints about how the cats can devour the baby alive. how the hair is bad for a month old baby and how we should throw the cats out. our family gets really irritated when such points are raised as we don't believe such old wives tales. However, just to keep the mouths of the relatives shut, can you provide information on any research that shows the good effects of having cats around a baby? This is more of a people question than a cat question, but hoping nevertheless for a speedy reply.

Regards,

Shravni,

India

Answer
Shravni,

You are correct that there is no problem having both cats and babies.  Most of the stuff written about cats eating babies, sucking out the babies breath are just silly tales based on ancient superstitions.  However, here are some links which will help bolster your case with people who are giving you trouble over having your cast with your new baby:

Cats and Babies can Coexist:

 http://www.messybeast.com/cat_baby.htm


Cats and Babies can Coexist:

 http://www.cat-world.com.au/cat-worldbaby.htm


Can cats suck out a baby's breath?

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


New Baby and Your Cat:

 http://cats.about.com/cs/catmanagement101/a/newbabyandcat.htm



This is a start.  Of course there is more, just do a search on www.google.com using cats, babies as your keywords.


Best regards... Norm.