My Cat Scratched My Baby...I Need Advice

When I got her home, her paws opened up and she bled everywhere, called the vet and they said it was normal, just apply pressure until it stops. Well now she refuses to run. She doesn't stretch out like a normal cat. She won't clean her paws, so I have to wipe them down gently with a wash cloth a few times a week. Her life sucks and it's my fault.

Hell no that's not normal. Your vet sucks and I'd find a new one.

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.

This.

It isn't the cats fault if you as the owner don't take the proper precautions for the cats safety. If he needs a safe place away from the kid, do it. It is your responsibility to protect both the kid and the cat. And, frankly, the kid has to learn to leave the cat alone.

Declawing the cat does not teach your child to respect an animal's space. If your cat does not want to play, your kid needs to understand boundaries.

Getting a new cat does not guarantee that your child will be safe from the behavior you described. It may also create the impression that animals are disposable.

I commend you for wanting your children to be raised around animals, but placing the animals at a disadvantage will encourage behavioral issues and put your family at risk. Both animals and humans have to be taught how to co-exist in the same household peacefully.

Creating a safe retreat for your cat and teaching your kids not to treat pets as toys are two important issues you have to address. Some people may say that cats are "untrainable" but I feel that there are methods of discouraging destructive behavior without removing their natural ability to defend themselves.

FYI Interaction between animals and children should ALWAYS be supervised.

this whole thread pisses me off.
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Yep mee too. Don't get an animal if you're not willing to devote your life to it.

You failed both your son and your cat. It is your responsibility to make sure the cat always has access to a safe place. You should also be assuring that the cat's nails are properly clipped so they are not sharp enough to do any real damage. Declawing is absolutely not necessary if you are willing to take responsibility for proper care.

I'm sorry, but you misspelled "child" in your second sentence.

Um, no. The child always has a safe place. The cat doesn't. The cat is not the aggressor. Neither is the kid, but see it from the cat's perspective here. You're just sitting somewhere, chilling and this larger organism starts bugging you. You have nowhere to go to escape this organism. They won't leave you be. You're trapped. What do you do? The cat reacted like a normal cat does when they feel trapped. Neither is at fault, but to punish the cat by ripping its claws out, putting it outdoors or abandoning it altogether is wrong.

If you declaw her, it will not solve the problem, they will bite then as their defense mechanism has been altered and that is even more dangerous that a scatch. A cat bite has to be treated with oral antibotics. I know you would hate to get rid of her but I see that as your only option. I have a very anti social cat as well and she has anxiety problems because of it.

Use reinforcement training. Observe the cat near the child and squirt her with a water bottle when she shows signs of aggression. Praise her when she is calm and friendly, have him offer her treats eventually. Also, teach your child the cat is not a toy and should be approached with caution. Teach him how to read her signs so he knows when to back off.

You could also provide the cat a "safe" place the child cant get too. Get a cat tree with a perch or sleeping hammock high enough he can't reach.

i'm not really a cat person so maybe i'm suggesting something impossible, but could another option be to talk to a vet or some kind of animal trainer, to determine if there's a way you could gradually get your cat to warm up to your little boy? or maybe this suggestion is even crazier, but i think they do have medication now that you can get for your pets for anxiety (through the vet)...maybe that would make her a little less scared of him.

Most cats naturally despise young children---that's just how they roll. You must keep them separated until the child learns to "LEAVE THE CAT ALONE!" My granddaughter (two-and-a half) knows that (her other grandma's) cat "...will bite me and scratch me..." if she bothers the cat. Pets and small children must have an adult in the room with them at all times. Even then, a pet can lash out instantly, and do a lot of damage to a child, before an adult can respond. In general, if you are planning to have children within the life of a pet, it is best to have a parakeet or a fish aquarium until the children are old enough to dominate the pets (which usually takes about 5 years for a cat and closer to 10 for a dog--especially a big dog). My daughter and her husband were forced to euthanize their German Shepherd-crossbreed dog who started developing mental problems after the birth of their first child (which included menacing behavior with my granddaughter). Some of their pet-loving friends were angry with them (of course, THEY were not interested in taking the dog) but you cannot take chances with the fact that there are many instances of permanent injury and death inflicted on small children.

Kill it!

In my opinion luv you have to get rid of the cat. Hard I know, but at the end of the day a cats a cat and your child HAS to come first.......I'm a cat owner and have owned a dog in the past but my children will/would ALWAYS come first :flowerforyou:

Correct!!!!!!!!!! I always have two dogs, when one passes from old age we get another I love them like family they sleep in my bed and do everything with us. But you better believe if they were ever agressive to my son they would be out the door no if ands or butts about it, I cant believe some of these responses......

Cat people are a weird bunch..

I fear this.
My daughter is only 5m old - and so far my cats just keep away from her. I hope this continues to be the case. They dont loathe her - but they never stay in the same room.

I had those glue on caps for the claws. Two of my 3 cats - they didnt shed off properly and the nail grew so long it was pushing into the pads on their feet - I had to chew them off.
The other chewed her own off in a couple days - so not always a good solution.

I do however clip my cats nails routinely.

Wait a minute... you CHEWED on your cats claws??? How did this ever even become an option? Gross. :huh: :noway:

LMAO....I totally missed that revelation when I read this response the first time. Thank you so much for drawing our attention to what she said! That is absolutely hilarious. I LOVE my pets, but you won't find me chewing on their toe nails. Just sayin'.

I've been told that when I was a baby, I was "sharing" a cookie with the family dog. The dog, being a dog, tried to eat some cookie when it was "my turn" and bit me in the face. My mother apparently had a fit and Dad had to come home and convince her not to kill the dog (kind of him, because he didn't like dogs anyway). Instead, I got taken to the doctor and was taught to not share food with the dog. I also had to be taught to leave my grandparents' and my aunt and uncle's cats alone because they didn't like me, and they both scratched me at least once. (I've always loved kitties more than dogs.)

As an aside, I regularly have my kid take the dogs bowl/toy etc because they can do this - it is dominant behavour and it teaches the dog that the kid is above it in the pecking order. Obviously if it growls, we take it more slowly, but a kid should always be able to take things from the dog - also, to re-enforce the childs dominance, I et the child to make the dog sit etc and then give it a treat.

You failed both your son and your cat. It is your responsibility to make sure the cat always has access to a safe place. You should also be assuring that the cat's nails are properly clipped so they are not sharp enough to do any real damage. Declawing is absolutely not necessary if you are willing to take responsibility for proper care.

I'm sorry, but you misspelled "child" in your second sentence.

Um, no. The child always has a safe place. The cat doesn't. The cat is not the aggressor. Neither is the kid, but see it from the cat's perspective here. You're just sitting somewhere, chilling and this larger organism starts bugging you. You have nowhere to go to escape this organism. They won't leave you be. You're trapped. What do you do? The cat reacted like a normal cat does when they feel trapped. Neither is at fault, but to punish the cat by ripping its claws out, putting it outdoors or abandoning it altogether is wrong.

That would make perfect sense....In an insane world where house cats and human infants are equals.

And clearly the child does not always have a safe place as it was clawed by the cat.

"Well the cat felt annoyed, so it clawed the kid's face. It's the kid's fault."

I don't own any pets. I hope you never have children.

Declawing is sick.

You can file your cats claws down and have those soft paws put on. They are rubber claw caps. You will need to it once a month but it works and doesn't bother the cat.

^^^This. Even if you get a new kitten to replace (harsh word) your other cat doesn't guarantee it will be any more friendlier towards your child or an accident can happen. I think it is your responsibility to both the child and the cat in that you teach your child growing up to be respectful of the cat and for you to take the time to file down the claws regularly. You made the commitment to take in this cat and it's unfair to just get rid of it. What are you going to do if you have another child and they get in a fight and has his eye stitched up from getting punched by the other child? Anyways, google cats and babies can coexist for some pointers. *YOU* can play a role in helping both cat and child get used to this environment (remember, this is a change for the cat and is probably stressed, if not a bit jealous of this new thing taking up your time) For the time being all interaction between then should be monitored and introduce them to each other slowly and have a safe place for cat to escape to (high spot, special room with pet door access, basement with boxes etc) I remember my grandma's cat as a kid and yes, I got clawed a few times in the face until they showed me how to interact with the cat and when it makes certain noises or ears back, to leave her alone. That cat ended up being my best friend and playmate (she finally came around to me dressing her up in doll clothes and putting Popsicle sticks on her leg as a splint playing doctor) for then next 21 years. Please don't give up on the cat.

I've been told that when I was a baby, I was "sharing" a cookie with the family dog. The dog, being a dog, tried to eat some cookie when it was "my turn" and bit me in the face. My mother apparently had a fit and Dad had to come home and convince her not to kill the dog (kind of him, because he didn't like dogs anyway). Instead, I got taken to the doctor and was taught to not share food with the dog. I also had to be taught to leave my grandparents' and my aunt and uncle's cats alone because they didn't like me, and they both scratched me at least once. (I've always loved kitties more than dogs.)

As an aside, I regularly have my kid take the dogs bowl/toy etc because they can do this - it is dominant behavour and it teaches the dog that the kid is above it in the pecking order. Obviously if it growls, we take it more slowly, but a kid should always be able to take things from the dog - also, to re-enforce the childs dominance, I et the child to make the dog sit etc and then give it a treat.

this requires that people actually learn to understand animal behavior and training and not just treat them as they would another human being.
it also requires effort to accomplish said training, instead of quick fix easy answers such as "get rid of the cat", or "get rid of the child"!