Answer: The problems which may arise fall into two categories. One is the behavior of the cat towards the body, and the other is the health risk.
The established cat may resent the arrival of the body, feeling that it has been replaced in the owner’s affections. Consequently, it may show all the sign of the jealousy and resentment, i.e. the deliberate breakdown of toilet training with urine spraying, and refusal to eat or groom. In very extreme cases, the body might even be attacked.
It is therefore important to give increased affection and attention to the cat when the infant arrives to reassure it about its position in the household. And to minimize the transmission of disease from cat to child, they should be segregated, care taken to prevent each from consuming the other’s food or using the same utensils, and for the child not to approach the cat’s toilet area.
