Cat is scratching my toddler?

Question

We got this 1 year old calico cat about 2 months ago. She came as a kid friendly cat. My 1.5 year old toddler thinks of her as a toy and tries to pull her tail, squeeze her tummy etc.,
she doesnt run away but lies down and lets my son to torment her (i always try to stop him) but every now and then she would scratch him or bite him. It happens so suddenly that i cant stop them on time. I have been trying to train the cat to run away from my toddler (like with the a water spray) but she never runs away from him and keeps biting him and scratching him. I have been in so much emotional turmoil over this. my mother instinct tells me to get rid of the cat but my husband wouldnt hear of it.
Please advise; what would be the right thing to do?

Answer 1

Put both of them on the couch side by side...
Take a long look at each. Then decide which is cutest.......Give the other one away.>>><<<<

Answer 2

Cat Scratching Baby

Answer 3

I work for a shelter as a cat adoption counselor and people like you irritate me. Why did you get a cat with a child that young???? If you got the cat from a shelter, they obviously do not have very strict screening procedures. We usually are very leery to adopt cats to families with kids under five years of age because of the reasons that you describe...kids wanting to pick up the cat, pulling by the tail, etc.

You are probably thinking that kids are going to be kids, but also cats are going to be cats. If you want your cat to run away from the child, then that is a hell of a way for the cat to live...in fear. You shouldn't punish the cat...the cat is not really doing anything wrong. You should reprimand your child and teach him how to treat animals. If you are not willing to be patient or take the time to do it, give it to a shelter or find a responsible owner who can care for it. This obviously is not a good idea for you right now. Do an internet search on "cats and kids" Here are a few that I found that stress adult supervision

http://www.catsinternational.org/articles/feline_care/kids_and_cats.html

http://www.sfspca.org/behavior/cat_library/cats_kids.pdf

http://www.paws.org/cas/resources/fact_sheets_cats/catskids.php

Whatever you do, do not declaw your cat. Declawing is a very cruel procedure and it can cause many side affects. Cats that do not have their claws often turn to biting and can become agressive, which may make your situation worse. We also see many declawed cats that are turned back into the shelter for not using the litter box. Declawed cats often will not longer use the litter box because harsh litter is painful on their paws.

Also, the answerer who said that cats can give HIV to people is a fool. Cats can become infected with FIV, which is a fatal diease. It is only transmittable to other cats, not to humans. It is different DNA. If you have had your cat to the vet, it more than likely has been tested. As long as your cat stays inside and does not come in contact with a FIV-infected cat, it should not be at risk for this disease.

Answer 4

The cat is trying to teach him a lesson. Dont spray the cat that is not fair to it. Start teaching your child to back off the cat!! If she is scratching him try clipping its claws but biting is a whole other problem. She is only trying to protect herself from harm and the only reason the cats bites or scratces is becuase your son has hurt her.

Answer 5

Your son will learn how to handle the cat if he gets scratched enough. I'm guessing these are small scratches and only light nips (not flesh crunching bites), correct? My calico was one when we got her, my daughter was three. My daughter learned how to treat her gently and they were eventually best of 'friends.' We just put the calico down about six months ago (she was 15). My daughter was devastated. Let your son learn... also, cats HATE the sound of tin foil. It works better than a water gun; so scrunch up some foil next time you want to get your cats attention.

Answer 6

Children (especially toddlers) must be closely supervised when around any animals. It doesn't take much for one to hurt the other...even in play. It also doesn't take much for cat scratches and bites to become infected. Do whatever it takes to keep them apart, unless you're close enough to prevent a mishap to either. I would say a spray bottle of water, but the cat is defending itself and that's not likely to change. You can try "Soft Paws" (I'll add a link), but supervision is still important.

Answer 7

A 1.5 year old is old enough to understand "NO". Don't even let him get close to the cat in the first place. Hold the cat and show him how to pet gently. Don't punish the cat with water. If it's getting out of control and you have no choice, then place the cat in a new home. Your husband has to see that his son is more important than the cat.

Cats can have FIV, their own form of immune disease, but not HIV.

Answer 8

There is no such thing as a kid-friendly pet, unless it's a stuffed animal. The cat is only defending herself. Your toddler needs to learn that she is a living thing and not a toy. It would be a shame to have to give up the cat, having a pet can be such a benefit to a child, it teaches them responsibility and compassion. My 2-year old has had to learn to treat our cat and dog gently at all times. Work with your child on this important lesson and you can all live peacefully together.

Answer 9

You could have the cat declawed, but in my opinion this is mean and inhumane. It's up to you though. If it were me, I would teach my son to be sweet to the kitty because it sounds to me like the cat is defending herself. Pick up the cat and put her down in front of your son and say, "Pet the kitty. Be sweet to the kitty." Teach him to pet her gently and if he squeezes her or pulls her tail get on to him. Give him little treats to give to her (just make sure he doesn't eat them) and she'll warm up to him. Also when he's nice to the cat, reward your son. If you're going to keep the cat, you have to teach your son and the cat how to live with each other. Spraying her when she comes around your son probably contributes to the problem because now she sees him as a bad thing. Any time she sees him she'll associate him with getting sprayed and she probably wants to hurt him because she's getting punished because of him. I wouldn't advise leaving them together unsupervised until he is older because he'll try to pick her up or play with her and might hurt her (which will only get him hurt). Supervise nice play between the two of them and when he gets a little older, let him start holding her. If you don't have the time or the patience to do these things, though, it will only get worse and you should get rid of her because there's no sense in putting your son or the cat through that. Good luck!

Answer 10

you must realize that the cat is scratching and biting because of what the toddler is doing to it...you need to train the toddler NOT to do this to the cat I wouldnt get rid of the cat either, but its not fair for the cat to be tortured by the toddler either

Answer 11

Im not surprised your husband doesn't want to get rid of the cat. Your kid probably needs some more discipline, a simple "no" wont do it. When a cat is tormented enough, it usually gets fed up and will attack.. You cant blame the cat.