My little girl is not even 2 yet & she loves animals however, she's a bit rough on our kitten that we just got about a month ago for her. I guess we didn't really consider that she might be too young for a pet. We already had a yellow lab that is great with her. This kitten however, is a little more delicate & I worry sometimes that she might seriously hurt it. I think that she just dousn't realize that the cat is breakable and she just wants to love it like a doll or her teddy bear. She hugs it hard as if it is one of her many toys. Any ideas to get her to be able to understand that the kitten can't be hugged & laid on ? When the kitten meows for help she just thinks that it's funny. She really likes it & it is a really nice cat so I don't want to have to give it away. any suggestions?
2006-09-26 09:30:36 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Family & Relationships ➔ Marriage & Divorce
My suggestion would be to supervise all play time with the kitten. not only for kitties sake but for you daughters. My son was about the same age when he jumped on my cat and my cat ending up dying the next day after walking with a limp all night. The cat bit my son in response and this was the best cat ever up until that night, Mickey my cat was only protecting himself.
Just take it easy tell her to pet kitty nice and soft. Show her by putting her hand on yours and saying SOFT and maybe she will get the hint.
I would not let the cat just 'teach her a lesson' by biting or scratching her. Cats do carry germs and your daughter could have some serious harm. My son required stiches!
2006-09-26 09:34:40 · answer #1 · answered by Lori R 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Give the kitten somewhere to hide in each room. This can be a box that the cat can fit in but your daughter can't, so the kitten can get away from her when it wants to. This is quite important.
Don't let them play together unsupervised. She is much too young for a fragile pet like a kitten. Before she starts playing too rough just remove the kitten and put it in its safe spot. This can also be somewhere up high, some place the kitten can still watch the action but not get hurt accidentally. Make the safe spots comfortable and enticing with little pillows and even little handfuls of cat biscuits, make them safe spots the cat can get to by herself safely. The kitten will soon learn, if you put her there when your daughter gets rough, that this is the spot to go to get away from the child. She won't be able to understand for a while, so just intervene and put the cat somewhere safe when she starts hugging it too hard. Don't let the cat get hurt or frightened just to amuse your child.
Good luck.
2006-09-26 22:32:53 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Honestly, there is no better lesson then to let the cat teach it to her. How many times can you tell a kid not to put his/her hand on the stove and they don't listen until they get burned. Let the cat scratch her and she will learn that the cat isn't a toy.
Obviously don't let the cat scratch her hard, stay close by. And when it does happen, give her a hug but tell her that this is what happens when you treat an animal that way. At 18 months, she will understand, maybe not like a grown up, but she will definitely get the idea.
2006-09-26 09:34:40 · answer #3 · answered by FaerieWhings 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You were right when you said she might be too young for a pet. At this point, you will have to protect the kitten from being hurt by her, untill she learns how to treat it. Seeing how an 18 month old needs to be watched all the time, this seems possible.
2006-09-26 09:35:03 · answer #4 · answered by Geronimo5 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Its very heartening to read that you are being responsible for your pets and mindful of how your children treat them. Far too many parents let their kids get away with tail pulling and other general torture thinking its cute because their kids dont mean anything by it.
While it is true that she is indeed, innocently playing with what she is delighted to discover - a moving stuffed cat - it would be good if you could supervise her in the beginning of your interactions with the kitten.
Show her how to be gentle by demonstration. Pet it gently, play with it from afar. If she gets to hold the pet physically she may not realise that she is hurting it.
Tell her stories about it and get her to love it. In time, she will be gentle and loving with or without you around.
I had cats and kittens my whole life, and I wish your daughter experiences the same joys of childhood spent with pets as i did!
2006-09-26 09:52:34 · answer #5 · answered by RealChic 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just watch her carefully when she is playing with the kitten, and if you see her being too rough, stop her, tell her "No, be gentle" in a firm voice. Show her how to pet the kitten gently and tell her to "Love the baby, don't hurt it". Do this EVERY time you see her being rough and she will catch on, just be consistent. If you don't stop her, the kitten will eventually bite or scratch your baby.
2006-09-26 09:37:44 · answer #6 · answered by Lotus 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think your girl is bit too young to understand that .. you might have to keep on teaching her until she understands ..
2006-09-26 09:34:31 · answer #7 · answered by slp_uk2002 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Remind her that the kitten is not a toy.
2015-08-07 15:03:20 · answer #8 · answered by Chloe M. Gioia 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This has nothing to do with marriage and divorce.
2006-09-26 09:33:23 · answer #9 · answered by OleMarbleEyes 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋