what to do when your cat scratched your kid

If you take both kids and cats in your household, it's important to know the best ways to help them get along. You don't want whatsoever scratched toddlers, bitten preschoolers, pulled tails, or feline behavior bug resulting from stressful cat-kid interactions.

Hither's what you lot need to know to set the groundwork for a adept human relationship between your cat and your kid.

Supervise, Supervise, Supervise

You lot can't expect a young child to innately understand how to interact with animals. In fact, a child may non be physically coordinated plenty to command his or her movements and be gentle. And you tin can't blame a true cat for defending his prophylactic, territory, holding, or food. After all, he's a cat.

Therefore, the beginning and master affair you need to do to ensure a healthy, condom relationship between your cat and your kid is to always provide adult supervision during their interactions. Y'all must be nowadays to watch your baby, toddler, or preschooler effectually the cat and intervene immediately if necessary.

Your child should not have access to your cat (and vice versa) when you are not present. This might mean installing baby gates in certain areas so yous can ship your true cat and child to their respective places when you need to be otherwise occupied. Or it could exist that you lot set up a special room for your cat. Brand sure that your cat'south "safe spot" is equipped with a litter box, cat bed, toys, food, and water and that information technology's a safety and at-home place for her. Being in this area is not a penalization, after all, and you don't want your cat to resent it.

Teach Your Child Empathy and Respect

Having animals in your home is a nifty way for kids to acquire about empathy and caring for others. Here are some guidelines for teaching your child how to treat your cat and other animals.

• Always model adept beliefs. Demonstrate for your child how a cat should be treated through your words, tone, and approach when yous are dealing with your kitty yourself. Bear witness your child through your deportment how to be conscientious and respectful toward cats.
• Talk with your kid about how your cat is a thinking, feeling creature. Talk over how your true cat is live and has feelings, likes, and dislikes, and that he tin be scared or hurt. This will not be a former conversation just rather something that you lot'll demand to revisit frequently.
• Teach your child about feline torso 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: run across his big, round, staring eyes? We'll leave Charlie alone at present and so he can calm downwards," or "Fluffy is jerking her tail back and forth. That means she'southward angry. We won't endeavour to pet her or play with her right at present," or "Pouncer's ears are flat back against his head. He'due south mad. We won't touch him right at present."
• Testify your child the proper way to approach a cat. Demonstrate often that it'southward best to approach a cat calmly, softly, and past extending a manus and allowing the cat to come up over if he wants to. Besides, be sure to teach your child that well-nigh cats don't love existence touched on the abdomen, paws, rump, or tail.
• Don't permit your kid to wrestle with the cat with his or her hands. Reinforce that a toy should ever be used instead, to avoid unintended bites or scratches.
• Teach your child to leave the cat solitary if he is sleeping, eating, or using the litter box. Even if he isn't in ane of the places you've established as off-limits for your child to follow him, your cat shouldn't be harassed while he is sleeping, eating, or eliminating. Doing and so might startle or irritate your cat and lead to injury for your child.
• Never allow your kid to care for your cat roughly. Even if your cat is exceptionally sweet and easy-going, accepting fur and ear pulling with grace, don't allow your child to do these things. It isn't respectful to your cat, and information technology doesn't teach your child anything. Later on all, he or she may somewhen run across a true cat that won't take such beliefs and so calmly.

Give Your True cat Coping Mechanisms

One great style for you to help your cat deal with having a child or children in the house is to make certain that his feline needs are always met. A true 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 lead to a shorter fuse when he needs to bargain with the kids. Here are some means you tin can make sure your cat has as much patience as possible:

• Go your cat scratching posts. One of the all-time things y'all can exercise for your true cat is to make certain that he has a scratching mail service or two. Scratching is an absolute necessity for cats. Non simply is it physically practiced for them, providing exercise and stretching for their muscles and tendons, but it also relieves stress. The concrete act of attacking and scratching a good post blows off steam for a cat. Scratching is likewise one of the ways that felines mark their territory, so information technology helps at-home them down because they feel as if they've claimed their spot and can relax. It's important that you choose a cat scratching post that your cat will honey and teach him to utilise it. Information technology needs to be sturdy, tall, and covered in a material that is satisfying to scratch. Sisal fabric is an outstanding material for cat scratching.
• Go along your cat fed, watered, and provide a clean litter box at all times. Your cat needs food, fresh water, and a make clean litter box every day. These items need to be located in spots in your abode that are repose, calm, and take an "escape route" bachelor. Cats don't similar to experience penned in, and they will be reluctant to render to a spot where they were once taken by surprise and frightened. Every bit discussed in the above section, teach your kid to leave the cat alone while he is eating, drinking, and using his litter box. Ideally, place these items in areas to which your kid doesn't take access. And don't put the litter box right side by side to the food and h2o: cats don't like to eliminate about where they swallow and drink any more than humans practice.
• Make sure your kitty has get-away spots where he can retreat from the kids and not be followed. Teach your child that when your cat walks away, he shouldn't be followed or chased. Additionally, make sure areas off-limits for your child to interact with your true cat. These may include your cat's kitty bed, the "safe spot" mentioned in the above department, his scratching post, or another area that your cat seems to caput to when it's clear that he doesn't want to be bothered. Make it a household rule that, when he is in these spots, as well as when he is eating, drinking, or eliminating, your cat isn't to be approached.
• Fix bated time for play. Brand certain you schedule playtime with your cat every day if possible. Focus on interactive play that involves casualty-mimicking toys such as wands and mice. A cat that can release his predator instincts routinely will be more relaxed and able to handle stressors similar kids more hands.
• Be certain you schedule kitty cuddle time. Take time out for snuggling, grooming, and holding your cat. Invite him onto your lap a few times a solar day when the kids are occupied with something else. Permit your kitty friend know that your relationship with him is potent.
• Provide admission to spots up high in your home. Summit is extremely important to cats. They like to wait downward on things, especially if they are feeling nervous or frightened. Brand sure that your cat has somewhere high to be in every room of your home. This will allow him to go above things if he's feeling annoyed with your child and discover for a scrap until he feels more than comfortable. Cat trees are one great style to achieve this. The tree should be ane of the places that your child is taught not to follow the true cat, as described above.

With a piffling chip of idea and attention to developing true cat-prophylactic practices in your child and providing stress-relieving opportunities for your true cat, you can create a lovely environs where they tin can both thrive. And, if your child isn't old plenty for these tips notwithstanding, take a expect at this helpful commodity: "Cats and Babies: Setting upwards for Success."

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

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