Napping cat may have killed sleeping infant
A sleeping cat is suspected of having inadvertently suffocated a three-month baby to death in northern Sweden.
The child had fallen asleep in a pram which had been left outside covered with a blanket.
When family members went to check on the baby a couple of hours later, they found a cat lying on the infant’s face.
The child, which was not breathing, was then brought to Sundsvall hospital, where it was pronounced dead.
“I’ve never heard of anything like it; accidents like this are extremely rare,” Birgitta Stenhammar, a nurse at Stockholm South General Hospital, told the Aftonbladet newspaper.
Initial theories pointed to the cat as having caused the infant’s death, officials remain uncertain, believing the fatality may instead be a result of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), according to the Sundsvalls Tidning newspaper,
Police investigating the matter do not believe any crime was committed in connection with the baby’s death, the local TV4 affiliate reports.
According to Stenhammar, there are no set guidelines about how to monitor interactions between infants and household pets other than exercising caution.
Comments
See Also
The child had fallen asleep in a pram which had been left outside covered with a blanket.
When family members went to check on the baby a couple of hours later, they found a cat lying on the infant’s face.
The child, which was not breathing, was then brought to Sundsvall hospital, where it was pronounced dead.
“I’ve never heard of anything like it; accidents like this are extremely rare,” Birgitta Stenhammar, a nurse at Stockholm South General Hospital, told the Aftonbladet newspaper.
Initial theories pointed to the cat as having caused the infant’s death, officials remain uncertain, believing the fatality may instead be a result of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), according to the Sundsvalls Tidning newspaper,
Police investigating the matter do not believe any crime was committed in connection with the baby’s death, the local TV4 affiliate reports.
According to Stenhammar, there are no set guidelines about how to monitor interactions between infants and household pets other than exercising caution.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.