Cat wont stay away from crib

Question
Hello, I am a fellow behaviorism expert on here in the canine section but my question refers to my cat. My cat does not have any current issues but I am now 4 months pregnant and I see an issue developing before my eyes. I set up the crib for the new baby the other day and the cat seems to think it is his own little bed. How can I keep my cat away from the crib and away from the baby's new room?

Answer
Hello Kayla,

Close the door to the baby's room? (*smile*)

A rolled up newspaper cures a lot of behavior problems. When you see the cat in the crib whap him with the newspaper, saying loudly and firmly "No! Get out of the crib!". Cats go by association (both words and actions) and he should soon associate the newspaper with the crib. It won't hurt him, but the noise and your raised voice will scare him. Love on him in a few minutes though because you want him scared of the newspaper but NOT scared of you.

When the baby is actually in the crib, the cat will probably be scared of him/her anyway and avoid it. Now, it's something new that he probably thinks you put there for him! Cats do not have any reasoning ability so he won't understand that you didn't.

Actually, I let my the cat sleep in the crib with the baby and had NO problems. He was never scared or jealous of her as she got older, and she grew up (healthy!) to be a cat-lover. Of course, not everyone is open to that....and neither is every cat.

Here is a link to a good article about cats and babies that you may find informative:
http://www.petplace.com/cats/helping-your-cat-and-new-baby-get-along/page1.aspx

I hope this helps.....and congratulations!!

Tabbi