Cat's Obsession Over New Human Baby Is the Definition of Love

In the classic animated film The Lady and the Tramp, the titular Lady, a spaniel dog, is understandably nervous about the arrival of her owners Jim Dear and Darling’s new baby. And for good reason: she’s been scared that the new baby will supplant her place in Jim Dear and Darling’s hearts, and she will be relegated to a backyard dog house.

And while, sadly, this is the fate of many dogs who are neglected or even abandoned when their family’s have children, it was not the case for Lady, whose loving circle of humans just became bigger with the arrival of the wee one. And that seems to be true for the Siberian adventure cat in this video, too, who might have been skeptical of the baby at first, but soon learned to love her as much as everyone else.

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This video, about a Siberian cat named Loui living in Germany, cannot help to touch hearts. In it, you can see the cat’s range of reactions when first meeting the human infant (who goes by the name of Baby Lu, a choice that shows the family definitely likes that sound—but may become confusing as the child and cat both age). Here is Loui peeking over the edge of the crib at the sleeping tot, and looking to his humans as if to say, “Are you serious?”

Related: Baby Scolds the Cat for Being a 'Bad Kitty' and It's Pure Gold

Then again, here is Loui snuggling up next to the baby, or trotting alongside her carriage, or even riding in the lower deck of the stroller. Life with a cat and a baby can be wonderful for both creatures. You just need a little patience.

Superstitions About Cats and Babies

There are, unfortunately, plenty of superstitions and old wive’s tales about cats and babies. On elf the oldest is that your cat will “steal the baby’s breath”—i.e., suffocate the baby by covering its mouth with their face. This was thought to be because the scent of milk on your baby’s breath. It’s also decidedly untrue. Though cats may be curious about your baby’s breath, they are also curious about yours, because cats like interesting smells. They will do little more than sniff the baby and move on. (To be fair, they may also try the diaper area, too.)

But this superstitions has caused countless cats to be abandoned when babies come into the house, when in truth there is no reason that cats and babies can’t be excellent companions to each other.

Introducing Your Cat to Your New Baby

Cats and babies can get along perfectly well. Of course, it always pays to supervise your pets when they are in the company of small children and infants, particularly because they may not realize how delicate tiny humans actually are, but gentle, well-trained cats can be excellent companions for babies. You know your cat best. If they are good natured and gentle, they will likely recognize that there is an even greater need to be careful. Cats aren’t dumb, they recognize babies as “human kittens.”

In fact, allowing your cat controlled and supervised access to the baby, as the family in this video is doing, is the best way to help your cat bond with the new arrival and understand that the little one is now part of the family as well.

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