Cats and Toddlers - Can They Coexist?

D.,
They sure can Coexist. We had a cat (she died last week) that was 16 years old, Siamese very very loveable. My son was around her since he was born, he did the same thing others have said, Pulled her tail. Samantha (The cat) never tried to stracth our son.
We always said "nice nice to the Kitty Jack" and he would pet her fur. We always explained to him that the animals are his friends and he would play with the cat and the dog (Dog is still around) Sometimes the dog doesn't like Jack being around but they play and my son is gentle to him as well.
My son is too young to know the cat is gone now, but we did explain that that Sammy is gone and he repeats, Sammy gone, bye Sammy.
So just make sure the little kids understand to be nice to the cats and the cats will play and be nice back.
I understand the concern, I paniced when my son was born, I worried that the cat would sit on him or something but our cat was older when our son was born and she did a lot of sleeping and eating and not very hyper cat

Good luck

My husband and I have two cats, both part of our family before the little one came along - one cat is horribly shy (I am convinced she has a kitty anxiety disorder) and pretty much lives in my closet and only comes out once the kiddo is in bed at night. No worries there. Our other cat is large, independent, VERY friendly and affectionate, but is sometimes unpredictable in her mood. She also has a rather quick temper, this cat, so we certainly had our worries about the impending toddlerhood of our daughter - suffice to say she is now 27 months old, and she and our black and white cat are really great friends!
I grew up with cats, but never remembered how I "learned" not to cross the line - my mother let me know that a run in with teeth and nails vs toddler is inevitable, but it usually just takes one incident for the toddler to learn what the cats limits are. One evening when my daughter was about 14 months old, she was being particularly rough with the kitty - I saw that look in our cats eyes, and told Aislinn that if she did not stop pulling on the cats fur that she would get scratched (she understood this concept already after having seen mommy or daddy get a play scratch in rough housing with the kitty) - she kept on, and I let her. The cat clobbered her - jumped up and gave her a "whack" on either side of my daughters head, leaving one or two minor puncture wounds - no blood, but it definitely scared Aislinn. Needless to say, there has not been a single incident since - the kitty allows my daughter to pet her, scratch her, and rub her (even in her slightly aggressive way) and generally just leaves when it gets too rough for her. My daughter now also understands very clearly that being rough can hurt the kitty, and if she hurts her, the kitty might hurt her back - its all been part of the "gentle" process when dealing with aggression phase that toddlers go through (hitting hurts, biting hurts, kicking hurts, etc).
So, yes, it is possible for toddlers and cats to coexist, but you have to be okay with the fact that there might need to be a run in before your toddler understands that the kitty has feelings too.

No.

Ha ha! I'm a dog person.

Honestly, it's just like any other discipline, you have to teach your boy how to treat the animals.

While the cat is near you or on your lap take your boy's hand (this of course is during a calm time) and teach him how to pet properly. When he hits, you tell him to "be nice" or "be gentle" and reshow him how to pet softly. Also explain to him that its a living creature and it hurts when you hit him or pull at him... it might seem silly to talk to your 13 month old that way, but believe me they understand more than we think.

Unfortunately cats are not as trainable. :-) It will take a period of adjustment for everyone.

I had a cat who was my baby when my daughter was born so I know what you mean. They need to get used to each other and the cats will run away if they get irritated enough. I wouldn't keep them apart, it will only set them up for a confrontation. I think if you also sit with your son and show him how to be "nice" to the kitties and give the kitties love while your son is around, they should all be fine. Good luck~

Hehehe.

I've got a cranky old cat, two dogs a 21 month-old and one on the way. I agree that your toddler will learn very quickly that if the cat's tail is pulled, he will get bitten or swatted at.

The other suggestion I have is to have a high place the cat can go where your toddler can't reach. We have barstools at a breakfast bar in the living room, and my 14 year old cat can sit there and still be a part of the family without my daughter (or the dogs) bothering her.

The cat loves her though, my daughter is one of the few people who can pick her up or lay down and snuggle with her without the cat getting pissy. It's a definite love-hate relationship. :)

Hi D.,

They can definately coexist. We have 3 cats and 1 3-yr old. Our son has been around the cats a lot and at first out of curiosity was rough with them. Pulling their tales was his favorite thing to do. However, we taught him that pulling tales was not nice and he now loves on them and they love on him.

One of the things we did was to hold the cat so he could pet them and always reassured "be gentle". There has only been one or two times that the cat scratch him but only because our son provoked the cat. Once they get scratched, they remember.

It is definitely possible for them to coexist! We had an old, cranky Himalayan when our first child was born, and although the cat made it VERY clear that she didn't appreciate this little pink, squirmy interloper, that didn't stop our daughter from wanting to be best friends. When we would ask her, "What does kitty say?" Instead of making the meow sound that all toddlers make, she would make a hissing noise. It was so funny.

Anyhow, both cat and toddler learned to live with each other. When a friend of ours came over one time, our cranky old cat sat in between the baby and our friend, and when he walked over to pick up the baby, the cat attacked him! She may not have liked the baby, but she was going to protect her!

All in all, even if your cat never learns to love your toddler, your toddler will learn an important lesson in cause and effect - i.e. "If I pull the cat's tail, she will bite me!" Your toddler will learn very quickly not to antagonize the cat.

D.,
I have three kids and three cats as well as a very large dog, the dog has always been more mild around the kids than the cats. But kids and cats can coexist, we have a standing rule in our house that if the dog goes to my room it is off limits to the kids (this is her safe zone), if the kids are bugging the cats enough that they want a break and run from the room the kids aren't allowed to follow. This has worked really well with the dog, the cats have scratched the kids on there arms once or twice (no major injuries, just be sure to wash out the scratches well) but they don't follow them out of the room anymore. Good luck
Amanda

They can co-exist! I have a 10 year old male cat, a 4 y/o DD and a 22 month DD. Our cat always hid whenever young children were around, before we had kids. With our kids he comes out when he wants and hides when he wants to be left alone. We taught our daughter how to pet and hold the cat when she was abouit 13 mo. We started by holding the cat and showing her how to gently pet the cat. This allowed her to get a kitty fix and slow down the chasing part. And this showed our cat that she wasn't a threat. Now, my 4 y/o carries him around and snuggles with him on the couch. He is very laid back about it, but eventually tires of the attention and starts wiggling. I always keep an eye out when he is being held, and when he has had enough and starts wiggling, I tell my daughter that is his way of saying he is done and she needs to let him go. We have had a few scrathces, but nothing serious. We keep the cats nails trimmed and bath him, he is inside most of the time. Your right, even mild manner animals can react when they are scared. As long as your cats have a safe place to hide when they don't want to be bothered and you keep an eye out when your son and the cats are together, everyone should be able to co-exist peacefully.

I'm in the same situation - 2 cats and one toddler. I've had one cat for 10 years and the other for 6. My daughter is 22-months. Beginning when she was very little, I would show my daughter how to give "nice pets". Whenever she does it on her own, I praise her through the roof. She can be mean (pulling on their tails, hitting instead of patting) at which point I say "nice pets" and she'll start to pet appropriately or she gets a timeout. She's been scratched and bitten a couple times but only superficially. I don't punish the cats for defending themselves but I do encourage them to runaway if she appears over eager to get at them. I have to be honest and say I worry more about her hurting the cats than vice versa. There are times where she really lays into them. She likes to give them bear hugs in which the cat is literally pinned to the ground w/ her on top. She's just trying to be affectionate but I'm sure the cats don't see it that way. They are suprisingly patient and there's usually plenty of time for me to separate them before the claws and teeth come out. I think she's old enough to understand that she has to respect their space and if she gets scratched or bitten, I really interpret that as a lesson learned. Your 13-month old might be too young to understand that concept so for now I would show him how to pet nicely and encourage the cats to runaway to avoid confrontation.