Picture of silver tabby Maine Coon and baby's head

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This is a cat photograph which caught my eye because it brings out that question about whether allowing domestic cats to sleep with babies is a good idea. In this example we have what I believe is a silver tabby Maine Coon living with the Reddit.com user u/breaker_h, who took the photograph. I have read quite a lot about cats and babies and recently I wrote an article about whether a Maine Coon jumping onto a pregnant woman is dangerous.

Picture of silver tabby Maine Coon and baby's head
Picture of silver tabby Maine Coon and baby's head. Credit as per para above the picture.



My personal conclusion is that domestic cats can benefit the health of babies. Parents shouldn't be worried about cat sleeping near to babies provided they are supervised until you feel confident enough about the arrangement. Domestic cats like the smell of babies, that is obvious. They seem to instinctively realise that it is a little human even when they're very small. They don't treat babies as hostile aliens invading their space. I guess they could do but they don't. They approach inquisitively, sniff and then accept judging from the videos and photographs that I have seen on the Internet.

3-MONTH-OLD BABIES CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CATS AND DOGS

No doubt different cats respond in different ways but I would feel pretty confident that the vast majority of domestic cats including Maine Coons respond positively once they have got used to the presence of a baby in the home. Anything new and different takes adjustment for a domestic cat because, as we know, they like their routines and rhythms. Changes require investigation and changes can be detrimental to them, they perceive.

COUNTER ARGUMENT: STUDY SAYS CATS DON'T BENEFIT KIDS' HEALTH

I have said that I think babies benefit from the presence of domestic cats because it is said that it helps to reduce the prospect of the baby becoming overly sensitive to allergens in the environment when they become adults. A baby's presence also benefits the cat I would argue. As shown in the picture, it appears to bring them pleasure to sleep next to a baby.

Sometimes it appears that domestic cats treat a baby as either one of their offspring or they know that the baby is an offspring of their owner and in both situations, they protect the baby. That's happened before. Overall, there is a positive aspect to the cat-baby relationship. That's my take on it.

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