what to do when your cat scratched your kid

If yous have both kids and cats in your household, it's important to know the best means to assistance them become forth. You lot don't desire any scratched toddlers, bitten preschoolers, pulled tails, or feline beliefs issues resulting from stressful true cat-kid interactions.

Hither's what yous need to know to set the groundwork for a good relationship between your true cat and your kid.

Supervise, Supervise, Supervise

You tin't expect a young kid to innately understand how to collaborate with animals. In fact, a child may not exist physically coordinated enough to command his or her movements and be gentle. And you can't blame a true cat for defending his safety, territory, belongings, or food. Subsequently all, he's a cat.

Therefore, the outset and principal matter you need to practise to ensure a good for you, safe relationship between your true cat and your child is to always provide developed supervision during their interactions. You must be nowadays to sentinel your baby, toddler, or preschooler around the cat and intervene immediately if necessary.

Your child should non have access to your true cat (and vice versa) when yous are non present. This might mean installing babe gates in certain areas so you tin can transport your true cat and child to their respective places when you need to be otherwise occupied. Or information technology could be that you set upward a special room for your true cat. Brand certain that your cat's "safe spot" is equipped with a litter box, cat bed, toys, food, and water and that it'due south a condom and calm place for her. Being in this area is not a punishment, after all, and you don't want your cat to resent information technology.

Teach Your Child Empathy and Respect

Having animals in your home is a great way for kids to learn about empathy and caring for others. Hither are some guidelines for teaching your child how to care for your true cat and other animals.

• E'er model proficient behavior. Demonstrate for your child how a cat should exist treated through your words, tone, and approach when you are dealing with your kitty yourself. Bear witness your kid through your actions how to be careful and respectful toward cats.
• Talk with your child about how your true cat is a thinking, feeling creature. Discuss how your cat is live and has feelings, likes, and dislikes, and that he can exist scared or hurt. This volition non be a onetime conversation but rather something that you'll need to revisit frequently.
• Teach your child about feline body language. When you see your cat acting afraid, angry, or happy, enunciate that for your child. For example, you might say, "Charlie the kitty is scared: see his big, round, staring optics? We'll leave Charlie alone now so he can calm downwardly," or "Fluffy is jerking her tail dorsum and forth. That ways she's angry. We won't endeavour to pet her or play with her right at present," or "Pouncer'due south ears are flat dorsum against his head. He's mad. We won't touch him right now."
• Show your kid the proper fashion to arroyo a cat. Demonstrate often that it'due south best to arroyo a cat calmly, softly, and past extending a paw and allowing the cat to come over if he wants to. Also, be sure to teach your child that most cats don't dearest being touched on the belly, paws, rump, or tail.
• Don't allow your child to wrestle with the cat with his or her easily. Reinforce that a toy should always be used instead, to avoid unintended bites or scratches.
• Teach your child to leave the cat alone if he is sleeping, eating, or using the litter box. Even if he isn't in one of the places you've established as off-limits for your child to follow him, your cat shouldn't exist harassed while he is sleeping, eating, or eliminating. Doing so might startle or irritate your true cat and lead to injury for your child.
• Never allow your child to treat your cat roughly. Even if your true cat is exceptionally sugariness and like shooting fish in a barrel-going, accepting fur and ear pulling with grace, don't let your child to do these things. It isn't respectful to your cat, and it doesn't teach your child anything. Afterwards all, he or she may eventually run into a cat that won't accept such behavior then calmly.

Give Your Cat Coping Mechanisms

One great way for you to help your true cat deal with having a child or children in the house is to make sure that his feline needs are always met. A cat that isn't being fed regularly, constantly has a dirty litter box, or isn't routinely played with may feel stress due to lack of access to these basic resources. That stress could atomic number 82 to a shorter fuse when he needs to deal with the kids. Here are some ways yous can brand sure your cat has as much patience equally possible:

• Get your true cat scratching posts. One of the best things you tin practise for your cat is to make sure that he has a scratching post or 2. Scratching is an accented necessity for cats. Not just is it physically good for them, providing exercise and stretching for their muscles and tendons, simply it likewise relieves stress. The concrete act of attacking and scratching a good mail service blows off steam for a cat. Scratching is besides one of the means that felines mark their territory, so information technology helps calm them down because they feel as if they've claimed their spot and can relax. It's important that you lot choose a cat scratching postal service that your cat volition love and teach him to use it. Information technology needs to be sturdy, tall, and covered in a material that is satisfying to scratch. Sisal fabric is an outstanding textile for cat scratching.
• Continue your true cat fed, watered, and provide a clean litter box at all times. Your true cat needs food, fresh water, and a clean litter box every day. These items need to be located in spots in your abode that are tranquility, calm, and have an "escape route" available. Cats don't like to feel penned in, and they will exist reluctant to return to a spot where they were one time taken by surprise and frightened. As discussed in the to a higher place section, teach your child to get out the cat lone while he is eating, drinking, and using his litter box. Ideally, place these items in areas to which your child doesn't have admission. And don't put the litter box correct next to the food and water: cats don't like to eliminate near where they eat and drink any more than than humans do.
• Make sure your kitty has get-away spots where he can retreat from the kids and not exist followed. Teach your child that when your true cat walks away, he shouldn't be followed or chased. Additionally, make sure areas off-limits for your kid to interact with your cat. These may include your cat's kitty bed, the "safe spot" mentioned in the higher up department, his scratching post, or some other area that your cat seems to head to when it's clear that he doesn't want to exist bothered. Brand it a household dominion that, when he is in these spots, as well as when he is eating, drinking, or eliminating, your cat isn't to be approached.
• Set bated time for play. Make sure you lot schedule playtime with your cat every day if possible. Focus on interactive play that involves prey-mimicking toys such as wands and mice. A cat that can release his predator instincts routinely volition be more than relaxed and able to handle stressors like kids more hands.
• Exist sure y'all schedule kitty cuddle time. Take fourth dimension out for snuggling, grooming, and holding your cat. Invite him onto your lap a few times a day when the kids are occupied with something else. Let your kitty friend know that your relationship with him is strong.
• Provide access to spots up high in your home. Height is extremely of import to cats. They like to look down on things, specially if they are feeling nervous or frightened. Make sure that your cat has somewhere high to exist in every room of your dwelling house. This will let him to become in a higher place things if he's feeling annoyed with your child and find for a bit until he feels more comfortable. Cat trees are one bang-up way to accomplish this. The tree should be one of the places that your child is taught not to follow the cat, as described above.

With a little fleck of thought and attention to developing cat-safe practices in your child and providing stress-relieving opportunities for your cat, yous can create a lovely environment where they can both thrive. And, if your child isn't quondam plenty for these tips all the same, take a expect at this helpful commodity: "Cats and Babies: Setting up for Success."

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Source: https://www.purrfectpost.com/cats-and-kids-nurturing-a-safe-relationship/

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