I think it depends on the cat! But one thing is universal: cat feces carry disease and infection for (any) person, not just newborns.
Safety points to ponder:
- Keep your floors clean! Newborns turn into crawling toddlers and put anything in their mouth they find! (like cat litter, cat food, cat feces, etc).
- Does your cat tend to sleep on your pillow? Cats who snuggle and will jump into bassinets (could) possibly sleep too close to your baby's face and smother them.
- Does your cat have claws? Will he/she claw if startled?
- Is your cat possessive? One of my cats growled at our newborn out of jealousy!
Also if you do have a cat and a newborn baby get a cat net for the babies bed/cot/crib.
