Do Cats Get Jealous?

Earlier this morning our cat Jasmine jumped onto our bed and proceeded to come to rest right on Helen's belly. We had to shoo the cat off my wife and Norbit, just to be safe.

It got me wondering what, if any, feelings animals have when it comes to babies? I imagine, given her uncanny sixth sense that Jasmine can tell something's different about Helen these days. There are times when she seems more needy than before, acting like a dog and following Helen around wherever she goes - even into the bathroom.

I originally told Helen we'd have to get rid of the cat once the baby was born, to make sure there would not be any conflicts or problems. I read somewhere that back in the day, people feared cats would steal the breath of babies and kill them. I worry more about biting and scratching, or the cat hair in the air causing the baby asthma.

Since then I've softened my stance and can see there may be positive benefits to having a baby coexist with an animal. I wonder if Jasmine feels the same.

UPDATE: Helen insists that it's usually the cat who ends up suffering worse than the kid. Her case in point, from a website she found called sh*tmykidsruined.com:



From the person who took the photo - My daughter “painted” the cat with 4 different colors of nail polish. Cat is OK.