My Cat Scratched My Baby...I Need Advice

TigressPat

Cats are awesome, I would get rid of the kid. The cat was there first, after all.

AlongCame_Molly

What do you want to tell your child when they grow up without an eye? Declawing would have been mean to the cat?? Gee thanks mom.

That's my reasoning exactly.:/

MagicalLeopleurodon

My cat scratched my 14-month old toddler in the face last night, narrowly missing his EYE. She has never liked children, and we knew that, but last night the door to where she hides from our boy when he tries to play with her was closed. This can never happen again. One half of an inch higher, and my son would be in the hospital right now, being fitted with an eye patch. His life would be ruined forever.

My options as I see them:

*Give her away. I don't know of anyone who would want a cranky old brat cat that hates children, so that would probably mean a no-kill shelter for her. That would break my heart.

*Make her an outdoor cat. SHe has little to NO outdoor skills, and between her yowling outside the door to get back in, and joining the pack of wild cats that infests our apartment complex, this option seems pretty irresponsible. Plus, it wouldn't solve the problem; what if she just went and scratched somebody ELSE'S kid and blinded them? :noway:

*Declawing her. I've always been sort of against this procedure, as I feel it's inhumane and usually unnecessary, and putting my six-year old adult cat through a painful and whoppingly traumatic surgery (that is usually only done on small babies) that could very well depress her and alter her personalty for the rest of her life, well, that also breaks my heart.

If we get rid of her, we will get a replacement baby kitten, that we will raise to be comfortable around small children. The cost of vaccinating spaying/neutering it will be probably more than what we'll be charged for declawing Elphaba. So cost isn't really a factor in our decision.

Has anyone been in a similar situation, and had to make this decision? What did you do? Your thoughts? (Please no douche or smart-alec comments, like "I'll taker her, my snake needs food" or "just get a dog". I have enough on my plate right now without dealing with internet jerks. I'm not in the mood. Serious advice, only please.) Thanks!

do a better job of keeping them seperated. sounds like an accident that the cat was loose. that was all you-not the cats fault.

calibriintx

De-clawing your cat won't change how the cat feels about kids. Like another poster said, since you're dealing with an adult, the cat will probably find a new way to defend itself like biting. Putting the cat outside doesn't seem very kind to the cat. Outdoor cats have a much shorter lifespan than indoor cats and you said that yours doesn't have any experience outdoors. I think the kindest thing you can do for your cat and your baby, is find a new home for your cat. Hopefully you can find someone to take her but if not, a no kill shelter is the next best option, IMO. You could try soft paws like others suggested, but again, your cat's still going to dislike your kid, and will swat or bite. And they are a total pain to put on, besides the fact that my cats just pulled them off with their teeth.

Also, I wouldn't get a kitten. The way that babies interact with cats, it can seem like rough play to a kitten, which could result in a lot of scratching and biting. And there's no guarantee that growing up around your baby will make the cat like kids. I'd look into adopting an adult cat that already has a good track record with kids. Maybe one that was de-clawed as a kitten even. Good luck.

Dragonnade

If the cat is as well behaved as to run away to a hiding place, ensure she can always access the hiding place and sorted. If you worry that she'll attach prior to hiding, then you have larger issues.

When my brother was born, the cat Hated him cos he stole all the attention. Then a ginger came along and he got really quite resentful of these two small noise machines wanting to put his tail in his mouth. But he always had an open route to outside through the catflap. He'd only scratch if we held his tail or something so he couldn't escape - which you soon learn is a bad idea, either by the b*llocking you get from the parents or because you just got hissed kitty spit all over your face.

I definitely wouldn't do anything as drastic as de-clawing.

If she's good with other cats, getting a kitten that was born into a house with kids and is used to being groped endlessly might be an idea.

And putting the word out on facebook might well turn up a willing home - heck, someone might know a little old lady whose cat has died who is longing for something to scorn her until she feeds it.

RCollard

Well said!

sweetzoejane

Honestly, I think if you have ever lived a long time with a declawed cat, I don't think you would consider doing it to them.

Please, at least don't declaw the cat and then force it to be an outdoor cat.

I think you need to just not own a cat for a while until the child is older. Then maybe adopt an older cat. Please find the cat a better home, maybe one without children.

TigressPat

you know what?

this post is like every other post on the message boards.

all answers must be black or white, and all solutions must be quick fixes requiring the least amount of thought and/or work.

YAYJules

Keep the door open for the cat to hide in. It's not the cat's fault it was shut. Or, make sure your son doesn't antagonize the cat.

DietingMommy08

between declawing or putting her down...

declaw....

while I love animals and I rescue (I have a rescued pitty currently), I feel that our first responsibility is to our human children's safety, then the animals.

This exactly.

If a cat scratched my child and almost blinded him I def wouldnt be putting the cats emotions into consideration over my childs....

Smh

dare2love81

I'll probably be put on blast for this, but I've had two cats, both were declawed - albeit as kittens. And they are both just fine. No pooping in the house or any other such nonsense. They still bat with their paws when they get annoyed or as a defense mechanism, but if the annoyance/threat continues, they resort to biting.

I wouldn't be so quick to toss the cat outside, or get rid of it. I'd try those cap things that others are talking about and if it's still a problem then declaw as a last resort - primarily because once cats are no longer kittens, they have a harder time adjusting to change of any sort.

I also agree with the others who have said to teach the kid how to act around the cat. As long as the cat isn't stalking the kid and attacking the kid out of the blue (or otherwise unprovoked), I wouldn't view the cat as a threat. You might also try sectioning off your house in such a way that the kid cannot get to the cat.

Just my thoughts.

Trechechus

What do you want to tell your child when they grow up without an eye? Declawing would have been mean to the cat?? Gee thanks mom.

That's my reasoning exactly.:/

Yeah, but you aren't just "removing her claws" You'll but cutting off her toes at the first knuckle and then making her walk around on them. There are lots of good suggestions on here, declawing and getting rid of your kitty are not among them. I worked in a shelter and it's absolutely heart breaking watching older animals spend their entire lives there because they are "untrainable" or were traded for a "newer model."

Cr01502

My advice is to get a dog.

Agreed! And a puppy at that. (Sorry, we take from the OP's post what we want to!)

We had a dog that had to be re-homed when he started growling at our then 7 month old daughter. The other dog she could pull the ears off and he'd let her but I'll never leave them alone together.

Yeah, not happening. I absolutely hate dogs.

Well there's your problem right there.

You prefer an animal that by nature is a complete socio-path.

maab_connor

None of these options address the real issue, and all of them are, frankly, irresponsible.

Your cat scratched your child because it had no means of escape. You said yourself that the only means of escape (a door) was closed. Big red flags. Your cat didn't lash out for no reason. It felt trapped and threatened.

You need to 1. Teach your child to leave the cat alone. Period. When your child is older, then they can be reintroduced. 2. In doing number 1, you should be able to ensure that your child NEVER traps your cat anywhere. Period. The cat should always have a means of escape, and not just "oh, kitty can go out the door." There needs to be cat trees, shelving, something that the cat can get up off of the floor onto and get out of reach of your child completely at all times. Also, you could probably stand to divert your cat's attention away from the child with more exercise - this is one way that you can reintroduce them later. Make the child part of the play time for the cat. It's part of the bonding process.

Don't get rid of the cat and then replace it with another cat. Just because a kitten grows up with children doesn't mean that it'll like them or that your child won't get bitten or scratched, and you don't seem to understand enough about cat behavior to know why this is happening - so what's going to happen to that kitten when it bites your child? It's going to end up at the pound too. Your cat's behavior is totally normal in a fight or flight situation, and to replace a cat because you can't address the issue at hand is irresponsible. If you aren't willing to address the issue, which is really with your child and the cat's lack of safe space, not with the cat, then rehome the cat and stay a cat-free home. Declawing is an awful practice, and your cat shouldn't be punished.

well said!!

KenosFeoh

I'd try to find a new home for the cat. Don't assume nobody will want it. The cat we have now was adopted off Craigslist for a similar reason; he scratched the baby in his former home. And we needed a cat to discourage the rats trying to move into our attached garage. It has worked out very well for us. He does his job, and we love his personality.

Debbe2

Lots of people rescue cats and dogs like your cat from the humane society. Bring your cat there and let them know that she needs to go to a home without children. Leave the rest to them... They are very professional and truly have your animals interest at heart.

MyOwnSunshine

Haven't read all the replies, but the right answer is

* Teach your child, even at 14 months old, to respect your cat's autonomy. Do not let him chase her or grab her or manhandle her the way toddlers will. Supervise them when they are together in a room. All pets and small children should be supervised when they are together. Pets are animals, and they react instinctively without understanding the consequences. Always allow your cat an escape route to a safe place. Do not let your child disturb the cat when she is in her safe place. Be a responsible owner and a vigilant mother and control the interactions between your child and your pet.

Akimajuktuq

I am no fan of declawing and in most cases I think it is a bad thing to do, but in this case DECLAW the cat. It's better than "getting rid" of her or forcing her outside where she will bother the neighbours or get killed.

Why are you considering yet another cat when you are considering getting rid of the one you have? Pets should not be considered disposable. Any cat will scratch, especially a rambunctious toddler. It doesn't matter whether they grew up with kids or not. Kids hurt pets; pets defend themselves. I have a Chihuahua and he bites my 5 yo quite regularly, and she deserves it.

Edit: I agree with the person above me as well that we must teach our children how to treat animals. However, though my child has had a pet all her life and I have done my best, she still has challenges with being gentle and calm.

BrettPGH

What do you want to tell your child when they grow up without an eye? Declawing would have been mean to the cat?? Gee thanks mom.

That's my reasoning exactly.:/

Because you're using reason and logic and you don't think cats are more important than people.

Don't listen to these people, many of them are seriously telling you to get rid of your child in favor of the cat.

I said before people with pets remind me of abused spouses, making excuses for why the animal would act that way and wanting you to teach your child how to behave around the cat so IT doesn't attack again.

F that. Get rid of the cat and raise your child without fear that it'll lose an eye because the cat decided it didn't want to be in a room with a closed door. If you wouldn't accept that sort of behavior from a person in your life why tolerate it from an animal?

The_Outlaw_Torn

My son has been scratched and bit by both of our cats...the scratch across his face from his forehead, across the bridge of his nose down to his cheek..the bite on his abdomen. The scratch came from him and his dog backing the cat into a corner, the bite from doing the same thing.


He has learned not to mess with the cats, and we still have them...claws, teeth and all.