We have two cats (female and male), both around 10 years old. The female has always been the “alpha” and more bonded to me, while the male is very friendly and gentle. They’ve always gotten along really well — they snuggle, sleep together, and almost never fight. Neither of them is aggressive with people.

We recently brought home a newborn baby. Since then, things have changed. Our female cat hissed at the baby initially and now seems very stressed and withdrawn. She’s also started hissing at our male cat, which she never used to do. A few times she even jumped on him and hit him when I opened a door, even though he wasn’t bothering her.

We do keep the cats in the basement overnight, which is new since the baby arrived, so that might be contributing to the stress. The female cat is very attached to me and seems especially upset about the changes and the male cat coming near me.

They still don’t have major fights, but the tension is definitely new and I’m worried about both of them — especially since the male is very gentle and also sometimes deals with constipation, which I wonder could be stress-related.

Has anyone experienced this after bringing a baby home?How can I reduce stress and help them get back to their normal relationship?

Any advice is appreciated!