Alder's Tone

Our vet had a leaflet on the subject, and to be honest the advice was pretty common sense. If you are emmeowing on this route (embarking is for dogs, no?) then I suggest you get the leaflet. And as if by magic, here's a link to it!

Our cats are little shits at times, but they have certain rules, they know them and abide by them. Rules like they are not allowed on the worktops in the kitchen, they have to get "dressed" before going out (collars on), and they aren't allowed in the nursery.

It's all about the training. I've got the Fat Lady trained pretty well, but it's not her I'm talking about. A water pistol from being kittens was very useful, and when used with that certain tone of voice they quickly learned when to stop without the use of the water pistol.

As luck would have it they've never really spent much time in the nursery apart from when it was a "displacement room" for all the junk dumped in there as rooms got decorated. So to keep them out is an easy task, just a short sharp "no" will do.

Still, when we're asleep I trust them to behave as much as I trust the Fat Lady won't bury her nails into me during labour. So what we've tried is:

1. A gate across the nursery door


2. A cat net over the cot

So far differing degrees of success. The net acts as a hammock. And when in place it means the cot is out of bounds for us and the baby, so it's not a day-to-day tool but a training tool. Chocolate fireguard going on the shopping list then. The gate, however, has worked a treat. We have no evidence of the cats having jumped it. We got a travel gate, so it's fabric mesh rather than the traditional poles, so not even the skinny one can get through. The net, well it hasn't actually been used as a hammock as they haven't jumped the gate. So the gate has proved successful, and the net remains untested.

We do have a net for the pram, which will be used. During the late summer the Fat Lady will be leaving pram outside with baby getting some fresh air and sleep, so even if ours are in the house there's no guarantee from the other local cats. No chances will be taken, but it's all common sense.

Should I stay or should I
go now?
The one thing we haven't done is keep them out of our bedroom. Since we first got them as kittens we've left our door open and they have free and easy access. And we haven't restricted that so far, so that could be a problem if we have a crib in our room for a while. That's clearly one mistake, of many more to come I imagine, that we've made.

We are intending on going back to a water pistol if needs be, but after 4 years of the harsh "no" working I don't see a need just now.

That's it for now, no major change. We'll have to make sure food is out of reach once crawling starts, and I'm not talking about me getting home after wetting the baby's head. But that's some time off yet, so bridges and crossing thereof.