Pet Prattle and Products

A friend of mine is expecting her first baby and has made some great preparations to get her dogs and cats ready for the new arrival.  She got these from her veterinarian, so that’s a good resource for more. 

For her dogs, she got them used to walking beside empty pet strollers.  This allowed them to get used to the sounds the pet strollers made before she got an actual baby stroller.  She also moved the large dog beds into a separate room.  Previously the large dog beds had been where the baby is going to be.  She used treats to reward them for walking calmly by the pet strollers and for staying in their dog beds.

The cats were a bit different.  She placed the cat beds on elevated places like bookshelves and cabinets to start getting the cats aware of where they were.  That way they would know where their cat beds are to escape to when the baby starts crawling.  She also put a crib tent on the crib so the cats couldn’t get into the crib. 

Throughout this time she’s playing baby sounds, gradually increasing the volume, so her pets can get used to it.  The moving of the pet beds, use of baby noises and walking with pet strollers well ahead of her due date should make for a much smoother transition for the new arrival.

Till next time …