This mother was minding her business when she got an alert from her infant web cam. Kelly De Alba opened her cam app to see the family’s little black cat, Luna, cuddling her child, Kallie. Luna had actually crawled up and into Kallie’s baby crib.
In a now-viral TikTok video, infant cam video programs Luna purring and nuzzling into the infant while “You Are My Sunshine” plays in the background. It’s a really charming minute.
“When your cat manages to get the door open to get to her baby. Their bond amazes me. Don’t worry, mommy was there within a minute,” she captioned the viral video.
“I got a notification, so I opened it, and I just saw Luna rubbing all over [Kallie],” De Alba informed The Dodo. “The camera was right in her face, and they were both looking at it like, ‘Mom, please don’t separate us. Please don’t. Let us stay.’”
Kallie and Luna have actually been buddies because the day De Alba brought the cat home from the shelter. As quickly as Luna smelled Kallie, she understood they were suggested to be together.
“She instantly was on Kallie’s car seat [at the shelter],” De Alba said. “And I was like, ‘I can’t leave without this cat. This is the one.’”
“It doesn’t matter where it is, Luna just seems to always be right next to [Kallie],” De Alba included. Luna isn’t really singing, however offer little meows whenever she hears Kallie’s name discussed. And Kallie responds the exact same when her mother raises Luna. “She gets the biggest smile every time,” De Alba said.
“Kallie will lay and rub her head for 20 minutes at a time and they are both just in heaven,” De Alba continued. “Luna still tries to get in Kallie’s bed when she can, but ends up sleeping with the bigger kids at night and with Kallie during naps.”
However much these 2 wish to cuddle, De Alba understands they cannot be close to each other without guidance for too long. Worrying that it may be hazardous, she eliminates the cat/baby duo from their welcome.
“I hate separating them, but I know it’s not safe,” she composed on the video.
Janet Cutler, Ph.D., Board Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist that focuses on cat & dog habits, would praise De Alba’s impulses. Cutler says children and family animals can connect, however any co-mingling must constantly be monitored.
“All animals should be supervised around young children and babies. Babies can be scary as they make unusual noises, have different smells associated with them, and move differently than older people,” she describes to Scary Mommy.
“As they grow up, new stages can bring new elements, such as crawling, toddling, babbling, and more. Cats can react aggressively when fearful, or accidentally harm a young child, so you do want to supervise at all times.”
Dr. Christina Johns, pediatric emergency situation doctor & Senior Medical Advisor at PM Pediatric Care, echoes this belief. She informs Scary Mommy, “Adult supervision is always a must, and animal education should be a routine part of a pet-owning family’s life.”
So, what can moms and dads do to help their kids comprehend safe borders with family pets? Johns says it takes “consistent modeling and conversation” for kids to actually internalize what they require to do.
“Kids should be encouraged to treat animals gently and with consideration, just like they would their peers. Additionally, it’s important to talk to kids about what to do if a conflict with an animal occurs: alerting an adult, disinfecting cuts and immediately distancing from the animal, etc.,” she describes.
As for Luna cuddling up inside Kallie’s baby crib, specialists state that’s a huge no-no. “Animals can carry infections and bacteria that can be harmful to a baby, whose immune system is still developing,” Johns describes.
“Allowing cats or dogs inside baby cribs lets the animals know that they are welcome there all the time, resulting in pet hair and dander shedding inside the crib. Also, animals can try to snuggle up to the baby in a way that could obstruct breathing.”
It doesn’t appear like Kallie and Luna’s fading around is going to concern an end anytime quickly with De Alba offering regular (and charming) updates on the besties on her TikTok account, however it must be kept in mind that family animals, like cats, are still animals. Parents ought to constantly have a careful eye on their kids when they connect with family pets.
“Supervision, supervision, supervision,” Johns notes.
