Merlin keeps smacking my 2 boys (aged 2 and 1) Kevin is so afraid of him that as soon as he sees Merlin he cries and says "no Merli, go way Merli". The other day Merlin went up to Kevin and smacked him for no reason. Kevin doesn't ever voluntarily approach him - hasn't for months except for when Merlin is with me. Why does Merlin instigate it and how can I stop him. At least Kevin isn't afraid of the other cats.
Merlin bit Kevin.....again.
Merlin has always been a loving cat with me and my hubby. He was fine when Kevin was born. Kevin was a bit aggressive with the cats when he started getting mobile, but he has since learnt to be gentle with the cats. All of the other cats are fine with him.
The other night I was sitting with Derek on my lap watching TV when Merlin jumped up for some attention. Merlin doesn't mind Derek, even though he can still be pully with the cats (still learning gentle). Merlin was happy getting head scritches from me and Kevin came up beside him. He was talking to me and Merlin and he asked if he could touch Merl. I said sure - why not - Merl was in a good mood and happy. Well Kevin just reached out his hand to gently pat his back and Merlin struck like a rattler with no warning and no provocation. He got Kevin's arm and even broke the skin.
Kevin started screaming. He has always been a little afraid of Merlin because Merl will swat him if he gets too close. This time however he got bitten. I don't want Kevin to be afraid and I don't want Merlin to bite. Hubby says if he does it again then he has to go, that we can't be worried about him bitting the kids.
I don't know what to do. Merlin is usually a little love bug, except when it comes to Kevin. And it wasn't Kevin's fault - he was being extra gentle with Merlin. I can't keep them separated at all times.
Why is Merl so aggressive with just Kevin? What can I do? I can't get rid of my kid and I don't want to get rid of my cat (he is my baby of all of the kitties). My heart is breaking!
Merlin bit Kevin.....again.
Merlin has always been a loving cat with me and my hubby. He was fine when Kevin was born. Kevin was a bit aggressive with the cats when he started getting mobile, but he has since learnt to be gentle with the cats. All of the other cats are fine with him.
The other night I was sitting with Derek on my lap watching TV when Merlin jumped up for some attention. Merlin doesn't mind Derek, even though he can still be pully with the cats (still learning gentle). Merlin was happy getting head scritches from me and Kevin came up beside him. He was talking to me and Merlin and he asked if he could touch Merl. I said sure - why not - Merl was in a good mood and happy. Well Kevin just reached out his hand to gently pat his back and Merlin struck like a rattler with no warning and no provocation. He got Kevin's arm and even broke the skin.
Kevin started screaming. He has always been a little afraid of Merlin because Merl will swat him if he gets too close. This time however he got bitten. I don't want Kevin to be afraid and I don't want Merlin to bite. Hubby says if he does it again then he has to go, that we can't be worried about him bitting the kids.
I don't know what to do. Merlin is usually a little love bug, except when it comes to Kevin. And it wasn't Kevin's fault - he was being extra gentle with Merlin. I can't keep them separated at all times.
Why is Merl so aggressive with just Kevin? What can I do? I can't get rid of my kid and I don't want to get rid of my cat (he is my baby of all of the kitties). My heart is breaking!
But you cat has learned to fear your children because he has had several bad experiences with them. Cats can have two different reactions in this case, one is to get scared, run, and hide from children or stick up for themselves by fighting back anytime one of the children comes near. Unless you can get your cat to trust your children again, it will continue. You can give your kids treats and have them give them to the cats several times a day and all other times the children will not be able to interact unless it is with food, I'd also have the toddler hand the cat its bowl in the morning with the cat food in it. Basically you need to recondition the cat to believe the children are good and they bring good outcomes. And as being a parent you have to stick up for the cat and always supervise all interactions between the cats and children. I'm guilty of this myself, I don't have any children, but many of my friends do, and years ago I did not supervise their interactions and now one of my boys Puna is terrified of children....some kids from a church knocked on my door the morning, as soon as Puna saw them when I opened the door he took off under the bed to hide, now my other cat Simon is the opposite he will swat them as soon as children get in swatting distance, my boyfriend's niece has a nice scar on her cheek from Simon. I just don't have any kids myself to recondition them. One day I hopefully will. 
So, I understand where you're coming from, right now just keep the children away from your troubled kitty and have them only interact by serving food or treats (have the kids start off by tossing the treats to the cat, once he starts to trust the kids they can hand the cat the treats). After about a week or two, the kitty will start to be more tolerable. Also, show the kids to let the kitty sniff their hand first, then pet the kitty on the head or side of the face, and never let them rub the cat's belly, this will definently lead to claws and teeth coming out. Also the children should never put their face in the cat's face either, this a very dominate gesture in the cat world and the cat will not take too kindly to it. I wish I had better news and advice for you.
If you hang in there and follow through with having your children give treats and no other interactions with the cat for a while besides the treats and food, and teach the petting techniques, you will see improvement. Good luck. 
