13 Tricks to Tone Down Your Cat’s Chaotic Reaction to Getting a Hooman Sibling

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Jul 29, 2026 9:30 AM EDT

Your first bundle of joy (your cat) is always going to be the light of your life, but when it comes time to bring home your second bundle of joy (you hooman baby), well, it is better to be prepawed for the possible chaos rather than not. So we put together this list to help you pawrents who are expecting to prepaw your cat children to lose their number one spot in the house.

It is with thanks to Reddit's r/catcare subreddit that we have this incredibly valuable information straight from the first hand experiences of pawrents who have had to handle the coming home of their hooman baby. It is no easy time going through pregnancy with a cat child at home. And the moment that your bring that baby home, things will furever have changed. So it is critical that you take steps to ensure your cat child is prepawed and is not going to lose their mind that they are not the most special being in the house anymore.

There are several ways to do this, some will depend upon your cat's demeanor and others will depend upon the set up in your home. Either way you will hopefully find more than a few suggestions that will speak to your situation and help you calm the chaos that could otherwise befall your household upon the arrival of a bonafide baby.

 

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  • 01
    "I had a cat that stole the youngest favorite toys and tried to flush them down the toilet."
    via RidgyNomes

    Gray cat with orange eyes hissing at robot toys falling into toilet

    Cat represented by model

  • 02
    Jerry_Boner When my sister had my Nephew she put an indoor screen door on his room. Her cat could see in and smell but not get in unless let in and supervised. No sneaking in the crib this way. Worked really well for her.
    via RidgyNomes
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    Ketchup
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    adephage Just had a baby five weeks ago. My husband and I have three voids we read the book "Tell your cat you're pregnant" lots of good info and ways to prepare cats before baby arrives.
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    FRESH SCENT QualiCat SCOOPABLE CAT LITTER FRESH SCENT QualiCat
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    RightConversation4... Put a used baby blanket in his bed
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    Cheezburger Image 10649660672
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    pidgeononachair The cat will introduce themselves. If they're too wigged out then same as with the baby wanting things that smell of you, so will kitty. A couple of your shirts around the house before you start to smell of baby and milk will go a long way to ensuring kitty has a couple of safe spaces. I see a lot of people saying to keep the cat out the crib. Trust, no cat wants to go share a bed with a crying baby.
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  • Well, we have certainly picked up quite a few different approaches to this issue here and it is hard to say what is right. Obviously it seems that no sort of forced or set up meeting should take place, if the cats want to interact then great, if not then no problem. But if the cat is interested, supervision is paramount. Of course according to the suggestions it would also be helpful to give your cat child something that smells of your baby before they come home to get them used to the idea.
     

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    Cheezburger Image 10649659136
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    [deleted] Keep cat away from bb unsupervised. Don't really need to introduce..... they shouldn't be friends until later.
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    Cheezburger Image 10649660928
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    Rude Historian3649 Our little girl is 5 months and we have 2 cats. Here's what we did. Set up all the baby stuff ahead of time, let the cats check them out but made it clear the stuff wasn't for them. Once baby was born we had a family member bring a used baby blanket or two home so the pets (we also have a dog) could get used to the scent.
    via RidgyNomes
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    暴
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    TheBoss7728 Put the newborn in a cage so the adult cat can't attack it because it might on first impressions, also supervise them if they're side by side for a week to see if the bigger cat would start some sl t
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  • Erm ok, we need to stop a moment to address these last two suggestions. The previous one is very clever but also takes careful work and consideration. Cats as we all know always assume that new objects in the home are brought inside for them. So they will immediately take ownership of said things. Teaching them that the unoccupied cradle is not for them will not be easy, but will likely pay off in the future. Now onto this suggestion. Please do not put your hooman baby in a pet carrier, and take the term cage very loosely here. It should mean no more than a protective covering that separates the cat and child. But doing so can actually ehpl a lot, ensuring your baby’s safety while giving the cat escape options if things get too much. 
     

  • 15
    دلم
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    hananunsan I've not used one myself, but i've heard good things about "cat pheromone diffusers". They're plug ins, and they're supposed to be good at helping cats who may be stressed or acclimating to a new person/cat. It might work for you, too.
    via RidgyNomes
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    Cheezburger Image 10649660160
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    MissZippy41 I had a cat that stole the youngest favorite toys and tried to flush them down the toilet. She'd cuddle with her too. Just watch out for flushing toilets, toys are not good for the plumbing. Lots of luck with the new family member!
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    The Windermere Just like that. A lord must meet his new subjects from above.
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    turtlelyfe When your baby will start to crawl and walk on all fours, it'll be important to give your cat a lot of vertical escape options (cat tree, shelves, ways to step on or off furniture). Toddlers are a serious source of stress for a cat.
    via RidgyNomes
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    Cheezburger Image 10649660416
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    [deleted] If the cat was there first, it's the cats house. Get rid of the kid. In all reality, slowly introduce them to the kid. Keep them separated and have the cat with it during short, supervised visits at a time. Maybe 5-10 minutes to get your cat comfortable.
    via RidgyNomes
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    pickedthewrongone Be careful allowing or encouraging them to share a bed unsupervised, as cats are not always awesome at personal space/respect for the face when they love somebody! Once baby's born, as long as kitty is still eating their usual amount, try feeding them near where baby hangs out frequently. It's possible the fur baby will want nothing to do with the flesh baby and if kitty is unbothered by baby's presence when eating, they can learn that baby is nice, and is gonna be around for a
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    Cheezburger Image 10649659904
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Cats chaotic getting reaction hooman siblings tricks cat photos reddit thread cat advice
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