Kid & cat

My son is very sweet and gentle with Willie... the only problem is that he got it in his head that it was funny to chase Willie. I fixed that problem after it happened a few times, and I think Mio got the message that it wasn't funny. However, Willie is now super wary of Mio, and won't come out of the bedroom when Mio is at home and awake. Is there any way I can help reintroduce kid and cat? Or do they just need time? Willie's "safe place" is under my bed, and while I tell Mio to stay out, he crawls under there and pets Willie. Willie seems fine with that, sitting still and letting him scratch his head.

What do I do? Should I take a harder line on keeping Mio out from under the bed?

It's going to take some time I don't know how old Mio is. If he's old enough, you can have him just sit and talk to him, or offer some treats. Once Willie feels that Mio is no longer a threat, he will come out. Forcing the issue could make it worse.

I agree with Sandie. If Mio is old enough to sit still for a while, have him sit on the floor in the bedroom and read a book outloud in a solf voice every day after school. He can have a few treats that he puts near the bed to help encourage Willie to come out. Eventually, Willie may come to view Mio as a peaceful safe kid. However, it is likely to take quite a while to unlearn the fear. As Sandie said, you definately should not try to force Willie to be okay with Mio. Just take it veeeery slow and things may work out.

I agree, it's not neccissary to keep Mio out from under the bed, let him do his thing, the cat will come out in it's own time and will settle down.
If your son is old enough, have him sit on the floor with you, and offer the cat treats and just wait for the cat to come to you guys, if he doesn't, try again later.

And definetly, if him chasing your cat disturbes the cat so much, make sure you do everything so that you son will never do it again.

Thanks, y'all, I'll try those tips. I was just reading a bedtime story to Mio (who is 6 next month), and Willie jumped on the bed with us and allowed Mio to pet him. He's still wary, but not terrified of him. I think I have him convinced that chasing Willie is not something that he should do.

Another idea would be to have Mio become the feeder. Make him 'in charge' (under your supervision) of actually filling the bowls or setting down the wet food. I can't guarantee it will work, but it's worth a shot, and it works great with dogs!