Cats and Kids #20

Warning. Listening to the following podcast may mean you are pussy whipped.

I know I am.

Coming Tiziano!

Welcome to the Cat Lovers Podcast. My name is Mark Gunn.

I am your host. I am a cat lover. And I also have a new baby.

The last show I mentioned that a baby was coming our way.

And lo and behold, Heather Kenzie Gunn. We call her Kenzie.

She was born last October.

And she's growing up, doing better and better despite heart surgery and other challenges that we have faced.

But one of the big things I wanted to do before she was born is I wanted to find out something about cats and kids.

Especially babies.

You know, what are the dangers? What are the challenges?

And that is what this show is going to be about.

Having lived.

Having lived with four cats and one little baby over the past nine months almost.

It's been a wonderful thing.

And the cats, they get along with Kenzie rather well.

Okay, mostly they avoid her.

However, over the past few months, she's gotten a little bit closer to them.

In fact, I kind of held the kitties still for a little bit so that she could try to pet them.

Pet being in quotes.

Because she is more likely to yank their fur out.

They are getting better.

In fact, Tiziano the other day sat there quite calmly while I petted him.

And she climbed all over him.

It was adorable.

And it's happening more and more.

Even Jenga, the big black tuxedo cat, she's getting a little bit more friendly.

She hasn't always been that way.

Torres will stay if I make him.

I try not to be too cruel to my kitties.

Because I know.

That babies are, you know, wild cards.

You never know what they're going to do.

So that's what this show is all about.

It's all about cats and babies.

And I'll tell you a little bit more about Kenzie through the show.

And in the meantime, I want to start off with some of my news.

If you visit catmusicblog.com, that is the website for the Cat Lovers podcast.

It's also a bunch of...

It's a bunch of cat-related blogs and such.

Originally, it was just a side bit for the Cat Drinking Songs website,

where I sell my album, Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers, and the entire series.

However, two weeks ago, the website was hacked.

And I lost all the content, unfortunately.

I was devastated by that.

Because it meant a total overhaul of the website.

So that's what I spent yesterday doing.

Overhauling the website.

But on the bright side, it looks better than ever.

I love the way the new site looks.

I have song lyrics up there.

You can buy CDs.

You can visit the Cat Lovers podcast.

You can read the blogs.

Check out some videos.

You can submit content.

Your own Celtic cat content, in fact.

So there's a lot of stuff to do.

Check it out, catmusicblog.com.

Let me know if there's any thoughts, corrections, whatever.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

And of course, if you do...

If you enjoy the website, or you enjoy the Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers,

you can now use the new Google Plus to plus it.

Is that what you say?

Plus it?

Basically, you can say, I enjoy it, and click one,

and show how much you enjoy Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers,

and all these projects.

It's a great way to show your support in between buying CDs.

All right, let's get on with the articles.

Your cat and the new kid on the block.

You're expecting a new cuddly bundle of joy to arrive in your home soon,

and no, your significant other is not bringing home yet another cute kitty.

So you're asking yourself, how your baby and your cat will get along.

Is it safe for your baby?

What about old wives' tales about cats smothering babies?

What about fleas?

What about the baby getting scratched?

More importantly, will the cat be safe?

Fear not.

For cat owners...

The cat has been bringing babies home for generations.

Often people will tell the cat owner that the cat has to go.

Wrong.

There are some simple precautions that can be taken to make the adjustment to the new member of the family

less dramatic than kicking out the furry member of the household.

Replacing the door to the nursery with a screen door is a good way for you to protect your child from a curious feline

without completely shutting the cat out.

The cat will be able to hear, smell, and see the baby, but not be able to get into the baby room.

If changing the door to the nursery isn't an option,

a safety net can be placed over the crib to keep the cat from sleeping with the baby.

Placing the cat's food and water bowls and litter box somewhere a safety gate can be installed

is also a good plan as the baby gets older.

Make sure the products you use to kill fleas on your cat are safe to use around the baby

and keep those kitty claws trimmed.

Cats have little to do with very small babies and tend to make themselves scarce

until they get used to the new little intruder.

Then when the baby becomes a toddler and the cat finds out the child thinks it's a baby,

the cat will be able to get used to the new little intruder.

The cat will be able to get used to the new little intruder.

If the cat finds out the child thinks it's a squishy toy and pulls out handfuls of fur,

the cat will discover it has somewhere better to be again.

Of course, like people, every cat is an individual.

My firstborn had a personal guard cat.

Every time my baby cried, the cat looked at me like it was my fault

and I had better fix the problem or there would be consequences.

Young children need to be taught to respect animals, to be gentle with them, and to care for them.

There's no better way to do that than with a family pet.

That is all some great advice.

While we never put a screen door in front of our baby room,

it seemed kind of silly, I must admit, to me.

Instead, we just close the door and we have baby monitors

to keep an ear open for her when there's problems.

Then, of course, it allows her better sleeping.

We have these nice dark curtains so that she can sleep easier.

And now we haven't gotten to the safety gates yet, too,

but that's next big things on our list because Kinsey is getting closer to crawling.

We're pretty sure she's done a couple, like three or four,

four little baby crawls, very short ones, and then stops.

That seems to be the thing she does.

She does a little bit and then stops and then gives up on it for a day.

So she's getting close nevertheless.

Either that or she'll be walking.

She's already standing and holding on to things and attempting to climb.

So I think the safety gates will be coming around.

But anything to protect her from the litter box and food and stuff,

it's going to be a good thing.

And, of course, yeah, the other big problem, the cat's face is being treated,

as a squishy toy.

Kinsey hasn't learned how to be gentle.

So she sees a cat and she's like, oh, my God, that's the greatest thing ever.

And then reaches over there and tries to yank their fur off.

I'm trying to teach her to pet softly, but it's a very slow process.

And consequently, the cats don't seem to want to hang around too long.

You can find more links to cats and kids in the show notes.

Toxoplasmosis is caused by a parasite and can cause birth defects in an unborn fetus

if a woman is infected during pregnancy.

Many animals other than cats can get the parasite, including cattle, sheep, and pigs.

The parasitic cysts are shed in the feces of these animals, which can then infect humans.

This is why most doctors will tell pregnant women with cats

to have someone else take over the litter box detail.

If you're pregnant and you must do it yourself,

wear disposable gloves and wash your hands directly afterwards.

Toxoplasmosis is a rare disease in the United States and can easily be avoided.

Cats that go outdoors and ingest raw meat, birds, or mice

are more likely to have that parasite than strictly indoor cats.

If you have an indoor cat, your risk of being infected is greater

from eating undercooked meat, unwashed vegetables,

or coming in contact with contaminated soil if you do gardening.

These are actually more common ways humans become infected

with the parasite than by having a cat.

That was definitely one of those concerns when we had cats,

but it was not even an issue.

Living in New Orleans, I was a little bit more concerned

just because we don't have a good seal on the house,

so critters could easily come in.

However, for the most part, it was never a problem.

In fact, I did all the litter box duties for my wife and our boys,

our indoor cats, so happily for us, it was not an issue.

When Cats Attack

I was completely unprepared for my father's reaction to getting a cat.

This is a man who is a college professor.

He has a master's from one of the top colleges in the United States.

We're getting a cat after the baby's born, I said.

What? My father said.

We're getting a cat, I repeated.

It'll suck the baby's breath, he said.

At the time, I had not heard of the killer cat myth.

I had watched Tom and Jerry cartoons,

and I'm an even bigger fan of Sylvester.

But in considering everything that could kill my child,

I hadn't really considered cats.

So I responded with, huh?

They climb up and suck the baby's breath.

The cat will smother the baby.

Now my knee-jerk reaction was,

why would a cat care about a baby?

If he'd like to suck breath,

why didn't more people die in their sleep

with cats sucking out their breath?

It reminded me of one night when I went to sleep

after enjoying a tuna sandwich.

Being a teenager, I went to sleep with a dirty plate

with tuna left on it on the table at the head of my bed.

Living in a New York apartment, it was a small room,

and I woke up to find my brother's cat

sitting on my face while it ate the tuna.

It was the easiest place to reach the plate.

But the fact is that the cat went for the tuna on the plate

and not the tuna on my breath.

My dad was very concerned about the cat's attacking

his future grandchild.

I emailed him an article about the myth,

and he emailed back, why take the chance?

In researching this myth,

I considered the physics of how cats could do this.

There's the need for suction.

Now, in my CPR course, we had to get a good seal

on the rescue dummy's mouth

in order to inflate her lungs properly.

So if the cat is going to suck baby's breath,

it would have to seal the baby's mouth.

Would it clamp on?

Would it suck?

Would it open its own mouth to cover the baby's?

Or would it stick its snout into the baby's mouth?

Either scenario seemed unlikely.

Why take the chance?

It's another one of those conundrums

that you have to consider as parents.

Getting a kitty may help the baby avoid allergies

and have a better life later on.

Or it may sit on his chest and suck his breath.

It's your call as a parent.

Mm-hmm.

Well, considering the mention of Sylvester,

I figure it's a good time to play

Big Strong Cat, my putty tat, Sylvester.

It's from Whiskers in the Jar.

I always hated Tweety Bird.

I really despise that bird.

Just like Roadrunner.

I don't know if it's a bird thing or what,

but I really could not stand Tweety Bird.

It's pompous little brr.

So consequently, when all of a sudden,

I was inspired to write this song

about Tweety and Sylvester,

I had to change the ending

so that there was a proper ending

to a good Tweety and Sylvester episode.

So this is indeed a happy ending to the story.

I want to thank you all very much

for listening to the Cat Lovers podcast.

I hope you enjoyed it,

and I hope to be back again in another month or two.

We shall see what we can pull together.

I will talk to you very soon.

Oh, if you want to find out any more about all this,

go to catmusicblog.com,

and also if you want to,

buy CDs,

catdrinkingsongs.com.

I'll talk to you very soon.

Sláinte.

I thought I saw a putty tat.

I did.

I did saw a putty tat.

I thought I saw a putty tat

Who lives out of my doormat

Did you hear about the putty tat last night?

Tried to swallow me with one bite

You can take all the alley cats away

I've got a cat trying to get in my cage

He used to be a lonely abandoned stray

Now he's hunting me every day

That is my putty tat, Sylvester

What a tat!

He's piled furniture upon a chest

Big cat!

He's built him a ladder to my nest

He never rests

I think of a bird, Tweety Bird

Don't rush, just climb

And hope that Granny doesn't find me

He's got a paw

Grabbed my head

Tweety's head!

And a mouth that will soon swallow it

He takes all the grannies and the ladies

To fight off the cat, Sylvester

Well, he broke into my cage in Italy

He thought that Granny didn't see

Threw him off the harbor in New York

He broke into my cage in Italy

He was chased by a great big shark

Well, he saw Granny leave in distress

What'd he do?

He put on Granny's old dress

What a stress!

Then he walked in the room with the key

Granny came back suddenly

That is my putty tat, Sylvester

What a tat!

He's piled furniture upon a chest

Big cat!

He's built him a ladder to my nest

He never rests

I think of a bird, Tweety Bird

Don't rush, just climb

And hope that Granny doesn't find me

He's got a paw

Grabbed my head

Tweety's head!

And a mouth that will soon swallow it

Nope!

He takes all the grannies and the ladies

To fight off the cat, Sylvester

I taught a tall putty tat

In Japan

So I pulled out a big frying pan

I dropped it on his head, left a knot

I heard Sylvester scream

You snot!

I was swinging in my cage, whistling

What'd he do?

Sylvester grabbed me by my feet

Beat me!

Granny walked in and yelled

Stop!

Then Sylvester bit my head

I am the pussycat, Sylvester

I piled furniture upon a chest

Big cat!

Me a ladder to his nest

I never rest

I think we're bird, Tweety Bird

Don't rush, just climb

And hope that Granny doesn't find me

He's got a paw

Grabbed his head

Tweety Bird!

And a mouth that will soon swallow it

Nope!

Now even all the grannies and the ladies

Can defend their birds from Sylvester

Suffering succotash

That Tweety Bird was tasty!

The Cat Lover's Podcast was produced by Tracy Tracy

and recorded by Mark Gunn

Celtic music, the traditional and the twisted

Read the show notes at catmusicblog.com

and if you have questions or comments

please email us at catmusicblog.com

or email Tracy at meow at catmusicblog.com

with Cat Lover's Podcast in the subject line

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