My cat keeps scratching my little girl What should I do?

Question

I have a little girl thats 4 and a 2 yr old cat they have grown up 2gether anyways they love each other but for some reason he scratches her alot !! I do not belive it is on purpose though what should I do ??? Should I find my cat a new home ?? This would be hard becuase I love him

ok my cat is fixed and also I dont belive in declawing a cat its just plain mean !!!!

Answer 1

You might love your cat but I would hope you would love your child more. Some cat's do not like young children, my Maine Coon didn't like any child under the age of 6 years old. The kids wouldn't even go near him but he would find them and scratch them so I would have to put him outside if there were any visits.
Your child can get cat scratch fever!!. Give your cat a good home and love your child. Maybe in a few years you can find another cat that will love both you and your child.
P.S. Declawing a cat is like removing the first knuckle off each of your fingers! The cat won't have any defense if he ends up outside. Spray bottles work only if its an inanimate object when it comes to people cats will do as they please .. you don't train a cat. If they don't like someone your not changing its mind.

Answer 2

Shame on those of you who said to declaw the cat and especially the one who said they got rid of it because it scratched their baby. I would say you have a lot to learn about being a parent and even more about being a pet owner.

This is part of the problem when you have little kids and pets. Despite the cute Kodak moments, it is not idealic unless you know what you are doing and can handle both. The first thing you need to do is get your cats nails clipped. They don't have to be clipped that much but make sure the tips are done. They can do less harm that way. You might want to keep a closer watch on the child and the cat when they are together. Kids usually pull tails and ears and poke eyes because they don't know any better. Is is possible you cat is reacting to that and defending itself? If so the child is a little too young to teach her to respect the cat so the onus is on you to keep the cat safe from little pokey hands. Good for you trying to find a solution instead of automatically discarding the cat. There are many articles on the internet and books in the library which give excellent professional advice on just this thing. To start with do a search on "cat behaviour" or maybe "kids and cats" that should start you off in the right direction.

Answer 3

You really have few choices in this matter. WHO do you love more? Your cat or your daughter? Make the choice. I'm sure that you love your daughter more than the cat. As hard as it may be, you may have to find a good home for the cat. The scratching is not going to stop without intense discipline on your part. A spray bottle with Apple Cider Vinegar may help you with controlling the cat, but you are not going to see ALL, all the time.

I highly discourage parents getting cats for small children. Children and cat's claws just don't go together.

I, personally, just got over having a bout with "cat scratch fever". It was NOT a pleasant experience. Your child is not worth getting this from your cat. Believe me! It made me extremely tired, sick and unable to work for nearly two weeks. The fever was outrageous. It is a terrible thing to get.

I'm an advocate of NEVER DECLAWing cats. I do not believe in it and there are many alternatives. Declawing is cruel and inhumane and only serves the human convenience. To declaw a cat, you are literally amputating a bone on the end of each toe. Claws/nails are attached to the bone.

If you feel that you must keep your cat, I would highly suggest getting SOFT PAWS for your cat.
http://www.softpaws.com/

Answer 4

My daughters have a herd of cats. They love them and overlook the fact that a ten man wrecking crew is child's play next to what a cat can, and frequently does, do to a home. The one thing I have learned is a cat is a cat is a cat. So I suggest you get used to that fact. They have only been domesticated for about four millennium, if you can call it domestication. I.E. they still have a wild core and are not likely to improve in our lifetime. So as I see it you have three choices.

1. Accept the status quo. Make excuses for the damn cat and blame your daughter for the scratches.

2. Remove your daughter from the environment the cat has claimed. Adoption for her and sterilization for you will cure the problem and prevent a recurrence.

3. Get rid of the damn cat.

BTW, unless the cat is a 100% indoor animal, please don't declaw it. A declawed cat cannot hunt or defend itself outdoors. As I said earlier they are still basically wild and if it decides to leave you won't be able to stop it from doing so. Declawed and outside spells "dead" in a matter of days.

Answer 5

Show your daughter how to play with the cat without touching the cat. Use a string rather than fingers, throw a ball, a catnip mouse on a string,etc. The child and cat have learned to play together and it will be difficult to retrain both of them. If you want to keep the cat that's what you have to do. Declawing is not just cruel it doesn't work with a kid because now the cat will turn to biting. Your child and the cat need to learn how to play---or give the cat to a family without children.

Answer 6

I once had a friend whose 3 year old son would get scratched by their cat at night in his bed. Otherwise the cat was well behaved. She couldn't understand why the cat was doing this, and the boy would cry because he didn't know why kitty didn't like him and he loved kitty.

I kept an eye on the boy and discovered that he would sometimes grab the cat by the tail and drag it along behind him when he would go into another room. In other words, he was treating the cat like it was one of his toys, grabbing it and dragging it along with him from place to place. I talked to him about what he was doing and explained that he was hurting the cat when he dragged it like that. He stopped doing it and the cat stopped attacking him.

Answer 7

The best thing to do is get caps for the kitty. Next teach the child to respect the kitty and you won't have that problem.
Declawing is cruel and should be BANNED!!! Not only that if you do declaw then you will have a biting cat which is worst than scratching for you will end up in surgery in some cases.
Also they sometimes will quit using the litterbox.

Answer 8

Are you sure your little girl is not getting too rough with the cat? She probably doesn't mean to but shes probably loving on him and accidentally hugging too hard. Also is the cat neutered? He may be wanting some female attention if he isn't and that will also make for a unhappy cat. Sit back and watch from a distance and judge what is really going on. If the cat continues scratching without it being a defensive action, and he is neutered, you might have to give it up. Remember watch and observed what is happening.

Answer 9

Before you get rid of kitty - try putting caps on his claws. This will prevent him from scratching anything or anyone (especially your little girl)! The caps are not permanent, so they will have to be replaced every so often. They are super glued onto each claw.

If that does not work the cat may have to be declawed.

I hope this works out for you!

Best wishes!

Answer 10

Check www.softpaws.com. They sell a small membrane you put on the cat's claws and it doesn't scratch. It is not cruel like declawing and you don't have to give him.
Or just let them find their way together, as they have all these years and tell your daughter not to touch the cat when he is in the mood for rough play.