How can I get my 14 month old to leave the cat alone?

Question

I have a 14 month old baby boy who just can't leave our Bengal cat alone. The only thing that i can think of doing is putting the cat outside, but I don't want to keep doing that to the poor cat. And I don't want to get rid of it either.

Answer 1

When I used to work in a daycare, they would always advise us to "re-direct" bad/unwanted behavior. When he's bothering the cat, stop him gently by getting on your knees, and eye-level with him him (if he walks), and tell him that "we're going to give kitty alone time" and then take him to another part of the room and give him something else to do. Then set up a time that both you and he play with the cat together (like when it come to YOU for attention) and invite him to only touch the cat when it's with you. Be consistant.

Answer 2

First thing I'd suggest is to trim the cat's claws - he'll do a bit
less damage that way.
Second, make sure that the cat has a place he can go to get
away from the baby.
Other than that, I'd say yeah... let the cat fend for himself.
If he doesn't want to play, he'll scratch and run. Showing
the baby how to play nice with kitty would probably also
help. Fortunately, kids usually seem to learn pretty quickly
after they've been scratched a few times.

And thank you for keeping the kitty... it's so sad to see the adult
cats in the shelters that have been displaced by a baby.

Answer 3

Cat claws are dangerous because any food or other matter their claws come in contact with can contaminate the claw sheath and produce nasty bacteria which make even shallow scratches a potential problem. When I was about 5 years old, I picked up my grandparents' cat and he retaliated by swiping his claws at me. One of his claws slashed through my right eyebrow almost to the skull--and I had been taught how to act with pets. I still have a small scar, and I can almost pull off the Spock eyebrow lift. If your cat is declawed, it can still inflict a rather nasty bite, and putting it outside endangers its life since it has no claws to defend itself.

One potential solution is to designate a specific time to sit down with your baby and show him how to pet the cat gently--if the cat is willing. Praise them both for good behavior. If the baby starts getting too rough, tell him playtime with kitty is over and move him to another room or to his playpen. Likewise with the cat.

If your cat absolutely can't stand to have the baby nearby, designate a "safe" space for the cat. It can be a specific room with a child gate across the door, or a climbing platform/tower that lets the cat escape off the floor to get away from the baby.

And if all else fails, ask your vet what s/he suggests.

Answer 4

IMO the best way to get kids to respect cats is to let the cat take care of itself. Is the cat declawed? Always watch any interaction to make sure the cat doesn't actually seriously harm the child (or vice versa), but a little scratch in the long run isn't going to kill the kid, and it's really the only way they'll learn. Worked for me when I was little.

Answer 5

Little kids don't normally mean to hurt animals. Its part of the learning process. Please don't punish the cat. The cat isn't doing anything wrong. She lived with you long before he came around. He attacks her, and she simply defends herself. Be sure to punish your son for hurting the kitten, though soon enough, after enough claw marks, he'll learn its bad.

Answer 6

Get the boy a new toy. He will be more interested in the toy rather than the cat. Try the link:

http://www.fisher-price.com/us/products/thumbnail.asp?type=category&catid=todfav&catname=Toddler+Favorites&from=ToysByType&lMinAge=1.00&lMaxAge=3.00

Or try taking your child to the local Tos R' Us or Babies R' Us store and let him pick out a toy.

Answer 7

Get a stuffed animal that looks like your cat and keep it with your son.

Answer 8

Keep one or the other in a pen.

Answer 9

Let them play. They won't hurt each other.