When a cat urinates a on a new baby's things, is this supposed to be taken as a threat (or maybe just jealousy)?

This is very typical cat behavior. She’s trying to let the baby know she’s higher up on the chain.

Look for a pheremone calming device that you can either spray or plug into the wall. The one that comes highest in recomendations is the FeliWay diffuser. You plug it in, like a Glade plug-in, and it calms the cat down by releasing pleasing pheremones into the air.

Their website is www.feliway.com

Another question- is your cat spayed? That can have an effect on her ‘protectiveness’ factor. Also you might want to get her checked out by your vet. Many cats’ first sign of illness is urinating outside the litter box. It could be she isn’t reacting to the baby at all- only a vet check up could tell you that though.

Good luck!

While it certainly sounds suspicious of a behavioral issue, I would recommend that you have her checked at the vet for a urinary tract infection. It’s a simple procedure (a urinalysis), and think how bad you’d feel if you put her outside for trying to tell you about a health issue. It’s a good idea to eliminate the possibility.

Ugh. Did you think about how to introduce your cat to your children? Did you ask anyone? Did you consult a book? You took care of the cat, loved it and kept it inside, now it lives outside? This is one of my pet peeves. The health and well-being of the cat is important too.

See your vet. Read a fuckin’ book.

You throw your cat outside after it’s been inside for 5 years! That is dispicable. Deal with your cat’s problem, don’t just toss it aside. The poor thing is most probably an emotional wreck. People like you shouldn’t be allowed to have pets.

Your comment that “people like you shouldn’t be allowed to have pets” is not only harsh but it is very hurtful, too, by the way. For your information, I adore my cat, and putting her outside has been far rougher on us than it has been on her. We consulted her vet about this and she made the suggestion to try and see how she would do outside. She’d already had all of her shots, and so we put her outside gradually, getting her used to it, We did NOT just toss her out like trash; we never would. She is our baby, responsibility until she dies. She’s a beloved family member and always will be.
At present she loves our garden and loves sleeping on a large memorial stone in the sunshine there. She comes inside when she wants to and even then prefers our large screened-in sunroom where our turtles have their habitats. She is truthfully far happier now with her own larger world she inhabits, so all is well in the end.
I don’t know why you’d attack someone’s plea for help and ideas like this, unless possibly you’ve never had a baby of your own. Children and there welfare and safety are quite obviously the most important consideration in a situation like we had, A baby is completely defenseless and relies on its parents to protect him from absolutely everything and prevent any type of danger from coming near him, no matter who or what may be threatening it.
Also, coming back to the “shouldn’t be allowed to have pets” comment, I have been breeding aquatic freshwater turtles for the federal CITIES endangered species realease program for 26 years. I love my animals and after eight years of being trained and certified in herpetology, I believe I know how to value, nurture and care for animals. I just wanted to know if there were any others that might have been in this same situation.
Still think I shouldn’t be allowed to have animals?