Cat owners that have children..

We have 2 male (clawed) 6 and 7 yr old cats...I don't believe in declawing, just a personal preference.

I was sitting on my living room floor folding laundry and by accident I leaned over and went to pet TJ and I guess I leaned on his tail...well the brat bit me! Like full fangs bit me on the hand!

Just curious how do your kids get along with your cats? Do the toddlers / kids mess with the cats? Do the cats hide?

Re: Cat owners that have children..

My cousin has 2 cats. And 2 sons. The cats hide.


The kids do terrorize the cats though. Pull their tales pick them up.

Re: Cat owners that have children..

My daughter Lily is a little over a year old, and up until about 2 weeks ago we had 2 cats.
When Gunnar was around, he ignored Lily. He was almost 18 years old and couldn't be bothered by her. She would go up to him and try to pet him, one time tried to pick him up by his tail , and he never did a thing about it. And he was an incredibly angry and violent cat.
The other cat, Scout, is only 3, so she's going to be around for a while. At first, she hid from Lily - wouldn't go near her. Could barely even be in the same room! Just recently, she has become more comfortable with her, and will allow Lily to get close, but still keeps her distance for the most part.
We've never had a problem...but we keep a close eye on Lily around Scout because Scout's still got her claws and is pretty playful!

Re: Cat owners that have children..

Although is not born yet, my cat has never liked any kids prolly like 5 and under (and the stage where they will just walk up and aggressively pet the cat) she just stays away or hides, she has no claws so she cant hurt anyone.

Its gonna be a rude awakening for her once is here!

Re: Cat owners that have children..

My older cat, Figaro, is not the same with DS as he is with me!!! DS tortures Figaro and for some strange reason, he puts up with it. I don't know why he doesn't run away. Of course, I'm trying to teach DS to be gentle and not pick up Figaro so he is upside down but, I don't always catch him in time.

If I pulled Figaro's tail or held him upside down, I would get my hand bit and my arms scratched. It's like Figaro knows that DS is off limits. So strange.

As for our younger cat, Jeter just stays away from DS. He runs from him if he sees him coming.