Create nests for them that are high up and accessible to them, to provide a place of refuge from the changes to their environment. If this isn’t possible, try encouraging them to use rooms or spaces that are often baby-free, such as home-working stations.
Make sure the places where they feed and their litter tray, if used, are in quiet, tucked away areas. They should not be placed in main thoroughfares of the home.
Our cats heard the sound of our neighbours’ babies through our thin walls; it wasn’t a totally alien sound. If this isn’t possible, you could play the cats the sound of baby cries before you bring your baby home.
Try to remain as calm and confident as possible with your pets. It’s ok for them to be unsettled, possessive or sleep a lot out of sadness at the beginning. It will be hard to meet their needs in the early months. It is upsetting to witness, especially if you, like me, treated your pets like your very own fur babies before your actual baby came along. But I assure you, there will come a time where you eventually find a routine with your baby that allows you to comfort and cuddle your pets on a regular basis once more. They will soon realise that you still love and care for them, and this will form the foundation of their adjustment to the new rhythms of the home.
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