It is an interesting time, living with a young child and a cat. Both are unique individuals. However, both are also very different. Cats are sensitive creatures. Young children have boundless energy. When left alone together without training, there can be miscommunication and this can result in a scratch on the cat by the child or an overly fearful response to the presence of a cat by the child. Ultimately, you don’t want to control your child or your cat. But you do want to teach them habits that allow for better communication between them.
Why Do Scratches Happen?
A cat scratching a child is often a defensive act rather than an aggressive one. In many instances, the cat scratches because it has been startled, overstimulated or trapped. While some children may be able to recognize these behaviors before they react defensively, younger children may not. For example, children may run towards their cat at full speed (and startle it) or reach into its space to pet or hold onto its fur. These actions may cause the cat to defend itself.
Many times, children will continue to play with cats even though the cats themselves have had enough. The child sees this as continued fun; the cat sees this as being pestered and needs a break. At these moments, scratching is a means for the cat to establish boundaries and make room.
Teaching Safe Approach Habits
Calm movement is one of the best ways to decrease your child’s chances of getting scratched by teaching them safe approach habits. When kids run at a cat or quickly reach for a cat, it makes it much more likely that the cat will react defensively.
The best way to help kids understand when a cat feels okay about being approached is to teach them to let the cat make the first move. This could mean the cat approaches slowly, rubs against someone, or decides to stay nearby. These are signs that the cat wants to interact with them. If the cat does nothing, then that is a sign that it doesn’t want an interaction. That boundary needs to be respected. The idea behind respecting the cat’s boundaries is that the cat feels in charge of the interaction, and therefore, lower levels of anxiety are experienced.
Another important habit to develop is proper hand positioning. To avoid making the cat feel threatened by reaching over its head, kids can learn to place their hands near the cat’s nose and wait. In many cases, a cat will rub against a person’s hand if it’s feeling comfortable.
Recognizing Feline Body Language
An additional reason why scratches occur is due to not reading feline’s body language early on. Most cats send distress signals long before they start to scratch. Several subtle cues indicate a cat is stressed. These include tail flicking (tail swishing), the ears folding back, dilation of the pupils, or skin twitching from the base of the neck down the spine. In addition, other nonverbal clues signal that a cat wants some time alone. Some of those include: a sudden stop in purring; turning the head side-to-side repeatedly to get away; and/or ignoring what was previously enjoyable.
If kids ignore the warning signs that indicate the cat has had enough, the cat may next exhibit behaviors such as growling, hissing, or swiping. Educating kids to recognize those non-verbal signals, whether described in simplistic terms such as “the cat looks upset” or “the cat needs a break,” etc., will greatly reduce the number of incidents involving scratches.
Managing Play Between Cat & Child
Most conflicts arise during times of play. During playtime, children often use their hands as toys. Since cats cannot always tell the difference between a toy and a moving hand especially in rapid motion, this encourages cats to bite or scratch. Wand toys and other types of rolling toys provide a physical barrier between the child and cat, allowing for interaction with minimal invasion of the cat’s personal space. This type of toy also gives the cat something to chase that triggers their innate hunting drive.
Because cats have short attention spans, shorter periods of playful activity produce more positive experiences for both humans and animals alike.
Creating a Safe Zone for Your Cat
Your cat needs some place to go so your young child will never get at it. It can be on top of something you put way out of their reach, it can be in a room by itself, or it can just be an area where they like to curl up.
These places give your cat some level of predictability and allow them to decide what happens. If your cat goes into one of these “safe” places, then do not bother them. If your child wants to keep playing, then it’s best to take them elsewhere until your cat comes back down from the safe place.
Relieving Stress on Your Cat
The stress that comes from being around kids has a lot to do with how your cat acts towards your kids. Kids can create loud noises and run quickly, which makes it difficult for your cat to relax. Also, kids tend to want to pick up or hold pets all day long. If a cat is repeatedly forced to be picked up or restrained, it may begin to associate children with stress and discomfort. The less you force your cat to interact with your kid, the faster your cat will begin to develop trust and the sooner they will stop reacting defensively.
Why You Need to Watch Them Closely
Regardless of whether there are problems or not, supervising your kids around animals (especially those with young children) is very important. Younger children don’t understand cause and effect (that’s why toddlers pull cats’ tails). Pre-school age children may see a cat running across the floor and try to catch it; again, they have no idea how much harm they may cause.
Supervision keeps things under control. As soon as your child shows signs of understanding cause and effect then you can let them play independently with minimal supervision.
Conclusion
A healthy relationship between your child and your cat will be developed by showing your child that you are patient, observing how your child interacts with your cat, and consistent in your rules for your children interacting with your cat. Cat scratches typically occur when there has been a failure to recognize and respect each other’s personal boundaries as well as a lack of awareness regarding the child’s actions that may have triggered the cat. When you teach your children how to interact respectfully with your cat, when you help your children recognize signs of stress from their pet, and when you allow your cat the opportunity to initiate and control all interactions with your children, your children and cat should have few conflicts and a much less stressful lifestyle.
If your cat’s behavior changes suddenly, becomes more intense over time, or starts causing injuries, seeking guidance from an experienced veterinary team can help identify any underlying medical or behavioral factors contributing to the problem.
