Ok so i've had this cat for 4 years and he was a rescue. He is about 12 years old. He's getting a little old and mean. He's never done it before. My boyfried put him outside last night but he is meowing so loud that i'm sure the neighbors are getting mad. What should i do????
2007-11-21 01:37:22 · 13 answers · asked by Glamaris 6 in Pets ➔ Cats
I would never put my cat to sleep!!!!!
2007-11-21 01:54:31 · update #1
He didn't break the skin, it looks more like a little bruise than anything. He's never done it before even if she was pulling his tail or making him mad. I don't think it's an attention issue either because he gets plenty. I have 2 other cats and a dog.
2007-11-21 02:22:28 · update #2
I know it's impossible to watch the cats and baby every second, things are going to happen. It sounds like he got fed up with your daughter for some reason and gave her a warning bite. Bring him back in, try to have supervised interaction between the two. Teach her how to treat the cat (which I'm sure you are already doing).
Also, check the cat. See if he is sick or injured and you just haven't noticed it yet. It could be that if he is sick or hurt, your daugher just touched him in the wrong spot or even got to close to him and he reacted, not out of malice but out of self-preservation.
If he's healthy it may just be stress from the new baby. They change so quickly that it can be difficult for a cat to really get comfortable with them until they stop changing so much, especially if the baby cries a lot. A cat's hearing is far more sensitive to us and babies crying is not an easy thing to listen to for anyone.
2007-11-21 04:41:31 · answer #1 · answered by Angie C 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I had some otherwise gentle cats who became aggressive to my small children, and after a while they began to scratch the kids up WITHOUT provocation. My cats were both fixed and nowhere near as old as yours. Since all their aggression was directed at the children, I was able to find them a home without any kids, but I made sure to warn the new pet owner about their behavior problems.
You can try some of the standard negative reinforcement techniques (shaking a penny can or using a water squirt bottle whenever the cat starts using his claws). But you need to keep in mind that once a cat starts to realize that it is able to bite or otherwise attack humans, it will continue to do so, whether you scold it or not. If your baby gets attacked again, she might not be so lucky next time.
Keep the baby away from the cat as much as you can, if that's the route you want to take, but keep an eye on that cat. Most pet animals, once they start biting humans, have to be put down according to some state laws. That's simply a matter of public safety. I can tell you right now that a cat that bites without provocation is NOT adoptable because it is considered unsuitable to live among people.
It's not about killing or abandoning a poor, defenseless cat; obviously your cat doesn't consider himself defenseless. It's about protecting your defenseless baby and any other people the cat may decide he doesn't like.
2007-11-21 02:46:47 · answer #2 · answered by nosleepthree 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, you can't leave him outside forever if he's not used to that sort of lifestyle. If he didn't break the skin, then by law you do not have to report the bite. Kids and animals must be supervised at all times! I'd set up a spot in the house designated only for your cat and only let him out when your daughter is napping etc, or you will have to really supervise the 2 of them. Cats and dogs typically don't nip at children unless they are provoking them (pulling the tail etc) Sounds like it was a warning bite like she was hurting him in some way....b/c if he wanted to, he could have broken the skin. If your boyfriend refuses to let him back inside, then you need to rehome the cat b/c it's not fair to him.
2007-11-21 02:30:42 · answer #3 · answered by Jessica 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
What did your daughter do to the cat to make him bite her? If he's getting old then you should ensure that your baby learns not to maul him because he'll be shorter tempered than a younger animal. Cats normally keep out of the way of young kids because children rush at them and try and pick them up and squeeze them too hard. Our cat always did a disappearing act whenever the grandchildren came to visit. He didn't like the noise and lots of rough attention he got when they arrived. Just keep the pair of them apart for a while until she's old enough to understand that grabbing at things isn't always the best thing to do. She's far too young to understand this at the moment. It's not her fault this has happened and it's not the cat's fault either so let him back indoors to settle down in a place she can't get at him. Just keep them apart and teach her to be gentle with him. They'll end up good friends.
2007-11-21 01:46:57 · answer #4 · answered by chris n 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
WHY was the cat near your baby? At 9mo, kitty and baby should not be playing with each other.
My kitties wrestle with my brother's children when they visit and sometimes they nibble, not an out-and-out bite, but a nip. I wouldn't let anyone's baby near my cats, because they would see another playmate and not know how to act appropriately.
Let your kitty back in and keep him away from the baby. Or find him another home.
2007-11-21 03:09:34 · answer #5 · answered by Chief High Commander, UAN 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Let your daughter learn a lesson. You pull a tail, the pet retaliates. She's not hurt seriously... this lesson will likely prevent a worse pet accident in the future (like with a dog with BIG teeth).
Bring the cat back in... keep the two separated.
2007-11-21 01:52:32 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
He's probably reacting to no longer being the center of attention. He is getting older. Since he's bitten the baby, you will just need to keep them separated. You should not really punish him - keep a squirt bottle handy and if he gets to close to the baby, squirt him. Behavior modification. Also, it's not for your boyfriend to be putting him outside, he is your cat.
Try and give him more attention - you can sit with him and the baby - pet and give him treats, when he behaviors well with the baby.
2007-11-21 02:03:05 · answer #7 · answered by ferbie1sully 1 · 3⤊ 0⤋
What were you doing putting a child that young near an animal in the first place? Even the sweetest most perfect pet needs to be monitored at all times near small children and BABIES, let alone an older pet who's set in his ways and threatened by the new addition.
2007-11-21 01:43:13 · answer #8 · answered by hello 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
ok i see no one has addressed this point, but did he break the skin when he bit ur daughter? a cats saliva is extremely poisonous to humans and a small drop in an open wound can cause septicemia, staffs and all manner of infections, u need to bring ur daughter to a docter and have her checked.
secondly i know its hard when a pet turns, my westie was so sweet and although he had a temper he only ever hufffed, until he turned on my next door neighbours boy, the child only petted him and he bit him on the hand. like ur cat, whizzer was old, he had cancer in his ears and dermititis, but he still turned. i had to put him down, or the next time it may not have been a childs hand he tore but his face!
consider the damage ur cat could do to ur daughter if he really turned? could u really risk that trauma and heartbreak ur daughter would have to suffer over a cat?
please be adult and reasonable and think of who you love more, ur cat or your child? and could you live with urself if your cat was to maul ur daughters face just because it was in a bad mood? im sorry to have to bring this reality to light but its a choice u have to make. not nessasarily to put it to sleep, but maybe to give it away to a good home. And maybe wait til your child is a lot older before u get anohther pet.
2007-11-21 02:06:22 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
was baby crawling and pulled cat,if so he will do as he old and not used to,he will soon learn and keep out of way of baby,watch makesure baby dont pull cat
2007-11-21 01:47:27 · answer #10 · answered by sky 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋