My Cat Scratched My Baby...I Need Advice
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This thread is maddening. What is wrong with you people? You teach your children to respect your cat. That's what you do! You don't declaw, you don't rehome. You made a commitment to that cat when you brought it into your home. Never, ever cut off your cat's escape route. This is not the cat's fault. It is yours!0
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I highly doubt the cat was unprovoked when she scratched your kid. Pets are a committment, just like children. Declawing is not good. What if she does get outside and can't protect herself from all those neighborhood strays? The cat and baby will learn to avoid each other.
If your kid hits their head on the coffee table and needs stitches, are you going to give away all of your furniture? Give the poor kitty a break. Trim her nails, do caps if you need to.0 -
I am starting my own sanctuary for cats who are abandoned and I am against giving your cat away just because you now have a baby. My biggest pet peeve with people who own pets is that they think they can just get rid of it when they do not need it or want it anymore. You cat loves you and whether you think so or not and it will be confused and heart broken if you give it up. Your cat doesn't understand what it did was wrong it probably has never seen another baby in its life. I am also against declawing, it can lead to all sorts of problems with the way the walk and your cat could become even more violent because it now has to use a different method of protecting its self. I would also not force your cat outdoors. This could lead to being hit by a car, shot by a neighbor, killed by a dog, eaten by an owl (yes owls eat cats) and many other things. It would be scarey and scaring for your cat. Animals have feelings too they just aren't as advanced as a humans.
My suggestion would be to train your cat to behave around your baby. First off reassuring your pet while someone else is holding your baby that the baby is not a threat. Be nice to your cat, speak to it in soothing tones. Let it be in the same room but keep it a good distance away from the baby, so it can not scratch again. The casually and slowly let your pet get closer to the baby. You can't just expect a cat to know what your baby is or think that it is safe. If you still can't get it to work I would suggest to try cat calming spray which you can spray around the babies room to give your cat a sense of calm when it is near the baby.
Pets are work just like babies are. They are just a little more independent. I know it is upsetting but your cat loves you and I sure if it could talk and understand you it would be sorry for scratching your offspring. If you need any more advice or you have any questions for me I would be happy to answer them. I hope your baby is ok and I hope you can continue to love your cat.
OOh maybe she could put the baby outside a few nights of the week to show the cat that it doesn't need to be jealous!0 -
"If you do get her declawed, you may also want to rip out your child's fingernails so that they can't scratch themselves. It's only fair."
Seriously?
Gosh, cat people can be such weirdos.
Not really. Declawing a cat is like ripping the fingernails off of your own hand. Actually it's worse than that. Could you function with your fingers snipped off at the first knuckle? I would rather be weird than heartless by putting my cat through an inhumane and unnecessary procedure that leaves them defenseless.0 -
Yikes you guys are sensitive! I used to pester the cat ALL the time when I was really little and that little feline scratched the crap out of me. My mom would wash out the cut and tell me to stop pestering the cat. There was NONE of this freaking out involved. Give the cat a space or room it can be alone in if you are seriously concerned it is going to do serious damage but its not a wild tiger, its not going to prey on the kids so the real concern is kids being kids and running around pulling its tail and whacking it and all the other things that ANY normal kid would do when trying to play. A house cat is simply NOT going to kill a child or seriously maim it. A scratch, even near or on the eye, is not going to destroy your kid as long as its properly washed (kitty claws are nasty.) There are definitely ways to keep them both safe. Give the cat a space it can be alone, raise your kid to not pester animals. I know he's not old enough yet, but it seriously shouldn't be that hard to separate them. I'm massively perplexed by this entire thread.
:drinker:
:drinker: :drinker:0 -
Yikes you guys are sensitive! I used to pester the cat ALL the time when I was really little and that little feline scratched the crap out of me. My mom would wash out the cut and tell me to stop pestering the cat. There was NONE of this freaking out involved. Give the cat a space or room it can be alone in if you are seriously concerned it is going to do serious damage but its not a wild tiger, its not going to prey on the kids so the real concern is kids being kids and running around pulling its tail and whacking it and all the other things that ANY normal kid would do when trying to play. A house cat is simply NOT going to kill a child or seriously maim it. A scratch, even near or on the eye, is not going to destroy your kid as long as its properly washed (kitty claws are nasty.) There are definitely ways to keep them both safe. Give the cat a space it can be alone, raise your kid to not pester animals. I know he's not old enough yet, but it seriously shouldn't be that hard to separate them. I'm massively perplexed by this entire thread.
This!0 -
Our cat didn't scratch our toddler....but she would bite him on the arm or hand when he got in her face. 2 trips to the Dr for antibiotics (just to be safe), firm reminders to him about leaving the kitty alone and what happened the last time, intervention if I see something about to go down, clipping the kitties claws just to be safe, and a kitty door to our bedroom which remains closed to give the cats a safe-kid free zone have gotten us through the stage. I don't plan on getting rid of any of our cats, just like I wouldn't get rid of another one of my kids if it bit a sibling. Sometimes, natural consequences are harsh, but now he understnds and now, at 4, he is even teaching his baby brother about the right way to treat the kitties. And, I hope the process has instilled a bit of respect for animals and a little bit of knowledge about animal behavior as well. I still catch him chasing them from time to time, but he usually pulls up short and stops if he actually corners one....0
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Every single mention of "Train Your Cat" has me giggling. Just as effective as cat herding!
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e_trexler
Joined Mar 2011
Posts: 31
Wed 03/27/13 12:10 PM
This thread is maddening. What is wrong with you people? You teach your children to respect your cat. That's what you do! You don't declaw, you don't rehome. You made a commitment to that cat when you brought it into your home. Never, ever cut off your cat's escape route. This is not the cat's fault. It is yours!
Totally agree!!0 -
I totally agree, declawing is illegal in the UK for very good reason. But to be honest, it doesn't sound like the OP is responsible enough to own a pet - knowing that an animal isn't good with kids and then allowing that situation to arise speaks volumes - so I would rather she take it to a no-kill shelter and NOT replace it with a kitten.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.0 -
My cat has scratched my son on multiple occasions, never with the intent to hurt him, but merely as a byproduct of her swiping at him.
She's never been big on kids (namely loud, screechy kids like my kiddo), and we knew this when we had our son. But giving her away was never an option, and frankly, my son eventually needed to know that you need to respect the personal space of animals as well as people.
Unfortunately, he's going on 3, and has selective hearing, LOL.
So when we tell him, "Ben, leave Sabrina alone," and he doesn't, and continues to pester her, yeah, he gets a little scratch on the leg or hand or arm. He gets his feelings hurt more than anything, we clean it up and put an Angry Birds bandage on the scratch.
As time has gone on, though, he's learning more and more to just leave her alone. If it had been more of an issue, say, if she were scratching him out of pure evil malice, yeah, we'd take more drastic measures.
What it sounds like is your cat was scared and reacted because you guys didn't make sure his perceived "safety" was handled. That's more operator error than kitty's fault, in my opinion.
Take the time to really socialize your cat with baby, to show your baby that firstly, kitty needs their boundaries respected, and to show kitty that, despite the loud noises, baby is mostly harmless. Getting rid of a cat because of something like this is really unfair to the cat.
^ this0 -
:drinker: :drinker: :drinker:Yikes you guys are sensitive! I used to pester the cat ALL the time when I was really little and that little feline scratched the crap out of me. My mom would wash out the cut and tell me to stop pestering the cat. There was NONE of this freaking out involved. Give the cat a space or room it can be alone in if you are seriously concerned it is going to do serious damage but its not a wild tiger, its not going to prey on the kids so the real concern is kids being kids and running around pulling its tail and whacking it and all the other things that ANY normal kid would do when trying to play. A house cat is simply NOT going to kill a child or seriously maim it. A scratch, even near or on the eye, is not going to destroy your kid as long as its properly washed (kitty claws are nasty.) There are definitely ways to keep them both safe. Give the cat a space it can be alone, raise your kid to not pester animals. I know he's not old enough yet, but it seriously shouldn't be that hard to separate them. I'm massively perplexed by this entire thread.
:drinker:
:drinker: :drinker:0 -
If the cat and the baby are not compatible then one of them must go. I know you've had the cat longer and I am an animal lover but really, I think you already know the answer. You said you don't want to declaw him and you plan on having more children. Is the cat worth a glass eye for your son?0
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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.
Dramatic much?
My cat scratched my eye a few years ago. She scratched my cornea. I had an eye patch for a day and got goop in my eye. Lol! That hardly ruined my life.
Pay attention to your kid and what's doing. He shouldn't be unsupervised, and clearly, if he was bothering the cat badly enough to get scratched, well, he deserved it or you just plain weren't paying attention.0 -
"If you do get her declawed, you may also want to rip out your child's fingernails so that they can't scratch themselves. It's only fair."
Seriously?
Gosh, cat people can be such weirdos.
Not really. Declawing a cat is like ripping the fingernails off of your own hand. Actually it's worse than that. Could you function with your fingers snipped off at the first knuckle? I would rather be weird than heartless by putting my cat through an inhumane and unnecessary procedure that leaves them defenseless.
If I were going around scratching toddlers in the face with my nails when they pissed me off, then maybe yeah, I could see it as a valid suggestion.0 -
How about get rid of the Freaking Cat!!!!!! This is an insane post, I would not think twice if it came to the safety of my baby.
Im appalled at this, truley appalled.0 -
If the cat and the baby are not compatible then one of them must go. I know you've had the cat longer and I am an animal lover but really, I think you already know the answer. You said you don't want to declaw him and you plan on having more children. Is the cat worth a glass eye for your son?0
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I didn't read through all the posts, so I apologize if this is a repeat. DO NOT declaw your cat. This is the equivilant of removing a humans fingers, not just finger nails. A cat's claws are attached to tendons that will be cut to remove them. It is cruel, and there is a motion to actually ban this in Canada (don't know about the US).
Also, a cat that has always lived indoors will not do well out doors. You can slowly train them (starting with quick trips, on a leash) so that they become familiar with their area - so that if they do roam, they will be able to find their way back. If you just let them out, chances are they will not find their way back. If you do have it outside, make sure you keep up with booster shots.
I think the kindest thing to do is surrender to a shelter (no kill) so that your cat can have a home where they will be comfortable.
Please do not get another cat. There is no way to guarantee that your new cat will not scratch a child that startles it, pulls its tail, etc. so then what - get rid of that one too? I work at a rescue shelter that is full of cats that were surrendered because people had babies/didn't have time for them anymore/got a dog/wanted a younger cat, etc. The cats, especially ones who have had a good home for some time often become nervous/sad/agitated in the shelter, which makes them harder to adopt.0 -
i vote for watching your kid around the cat and making sure the kid knows to leave the cat alone.
i've always come down hard on my kids for pestering pets. they need to learn respect.
you can't expect any animal not to react to what they perceive as a threat.
better that kids learn this from the family's cranky moggy than a neighbour's 120 pound rotty.0 -
Every single mention of "Train Your Cat" has me giggling. Just as effective as cat herding!
Funny GIF, but it is possible to train a cat. You can clicker train them just like a dog. I did that for my oldest cat. He knows how to sit, jump up and jump down. So when we tell him "DOWN", he knows he needs to get off of his daddy's computer desk. lol0 -
I've never had a problem with my cat scratching anyone (unless she's trying to get away when we try to put her in the tub or car of course), but my cat has a serious problem of scratching herself. She has serious allergy issues, so had a tendency to bite herself and scratch the crap out of her ears until they bleed
Needless to say, we got her those little rubber kitty claws nail caps. They're a pain to get her to hold still long enough for us to put them on her, but they work great and she doesn't seem to mind them once they're on. She doesn't seem to break her own skin anymore the way she used to, and we were able to avoid the painful declawing procedure. I personally can't consider declawing because I can imagine how traumatic that could be...I imagine it being like amputating the top part of my fingers! However, you need to do what you need to do to protect your child.
PS: The people who are calling you a bad parent have absolutely no clue what they're talking about. Just ignore them - you wouldn't be posting this otherwise. Same goes for the people who think you're horrible for considering you giving up your cat. Obviously you're looking for the best solution for both your child AND your pet. People have strange opinions.0 -
Every single mention of "Train Your Cat" has me giggling. Just as effective as cat herding!
lol
great gif!
that said, just because you either don't have cats or haven't put any thought and/or effort into training them does not mean you should immediately disregard the idea.0 -
How about get rid of the Freaking Cat!!!!!! This is an insane post, I would not think twice if it came to the safety of my baby.
Im appalled at this, truley appalled.
:noway:0 -
Some of the responses to this thread are ridiculous. Y'all need to grow up. Her being protective of her kid doesn't make her an evil pet owner, and her kid getting scratched doesn't make her negligent either. What planet do y'all live on? 14 mo is still a baby, babies need to be supervised around animals. It isn't possible to do it 100% because there will always be those moments (doorbell rings, starting dinner, or god forbid you have to pee) but for the most part supervision solves this....get rid of the cat? It's "dinner" "needs to go for a ride" or on the other hand "zomg ANIMAL ABUSER"....really, people? -facepalm-0
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Toss the cat.
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.
I've always felt that people who own animals remind of abused spouses. "Oh it's not their fault, they're usually really sweet, the baby did something to set the cat off..."
Be a parent. Take care of your kid.
This0 -
oh, and there's a reason declawing is illegal in the uk.
it's barbaric!0 -
I can't believe the amount of grief the OP is getting from some people... I'm starting to somewhat understand the meaning behind the term "crazy cat lady" cause I reading some of those replies and "crazy cat lady" is all that comes to mind.0
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Maybe teach your son to leave the cat alone?
JM0 -
Every single mention of "Train Your Cat" has me giggling. Just as effective as cat herding!
lol
great gif!
that said, just because you either don't have cats or haven't put any thought and/or effort into training them does not mean you should immediately disregard the idea.
BWAHAHAHA! You have me all figured out
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I would say if the cat is an indoor cat then you should probably just declaw her. But don't forget that she does have teeth too! lol. I only say this because my used to be daycare provider has a declawed cat and, when my daughter was in crawling state, she pulled the cat's tail and it reached back and bit her on her arm. BUT the cat now stays away and my daughter doesn't seem to remember.
Sometimes it just takes one incident for both (cat & baby) to learn eachothers boundries.0
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