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Noodles was stalking my 1 1/2 year old DD

post #1 of 7
10/6/11 at 3:44pm
Thread Starter 
This is the first time I've ever seen her do something like this. Normally when she doesn't want to be bothered Noodles will go to the top of the cat tree or to something I have gated off where my DD can't reach her. Noodles and I cuddle when no one else is around (even Mooch). She has always been one that needs to sniff your hand before you can pet her or she'll bop you. Sometimes just walking by the cat tree gets you bopped.

This afternoon after we came home from the park Noodles decided to get in a basket of our laundry on the chair in the living room. My DD always climbs on that chair if a cat is in it. She wasn't being too loud or even touching her yet; but when she reached out her hand toward Noodles Noodles went into smack it mode. She really fast swatted at DD probably 8 or more times. She didn't hurt her; but she scared her enough to make her cry. I'm constantly telling DD to leave the kitties alone; whisper (to which DD tells me "shh!" and puts a finger over her lips) or be gentle. Usually Noodles is the one who will sniff her fingers or even let her pet her.

Well after that Noodles ran off. DD went into the kitchen where she'd left a toy. Noodles' body language was off so I followed her follow my DD. She was stalking my DD!! Head down and shoulders hunched she actually was backing her into a corner and DD looked afraid! Noodles didn't charge at her; but she looked like she had it in the back of her mind!! I verbally corrected Noodles and she backed off but still had that look in her eye till she went to the top of the cat tree. She wasn't happy when my DD went to look out the back doors (the tree is next to them). By then it was nap time. I often have sections of the house gated off so the cats can go where we don't need to be.

Any thoughts or advice? I'm trying to teach my DD to respect the cats and their space. She loves them so much but she's still so little to be remembering that all the time. I know when I was a kid I got scratched quite a few times before I learned. But the stalking thing bothers me.
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post #2 of 7
10/6/11 at 3:51pm
Your kitty is teaching your DD as she would her own kittens. Teaching her where the boundaries are, etc. And the stalking wouldn't worry me too much, she was probably just watching her to make sure she knew where she was. Correcting her and showing her a heirarchy was the right thing to do. Your DD has to learn to respect the kitties....I learned some of my best cat etiquette lessons directly from our cats as a kid. Mom could tell me to be gentle until she was blue in the face, but when T.B. reached around and popped and scratched my hand for pulling on her fur too much, I got the idea.

Your DD can't live in a bubble. She'll be fine.
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post #3 of 7
10/6/11 at 4:04pm
My first thought was - if your DD is 18 months & has lived w/ Noodles all this time - is it possible something else freaked Noodles out & she just 'stalked' whatever was closest?
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post #4 of 7
10/6/11 at 4:17pm
Wondering if dd smelled like the outside/animal and it set kitty off? When is last time Noodles was seen/had bloodwork? Is there way that you could set up a room and use it for times you can't be right on top of them?

I learned alot from getting hit by a momma cat when I was young but it was for trying to hold her babies or them crying. Not for just walking up on them.
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post #5 of 7
10/6/11 at 4:17pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by RAFM View Post
Your kitty is teaching your DD as she would her own kittens. Teaching her where the boundaries are, etc. And the stalking wouldn't worry me too much, she was probably just watching her to make sure she knew where she was. Correcting her and showing her a heirarchy was the right thing to do. Your DD has to learn to respect the kitties....I learned some of my best cat etiquette lessons directly from our cats as a kid. Mom could tell me to be gentle until she was blue in the face, but when T.B. reached around and popped and scratched my hand for pulling on her fur too much, I got the idea.

Your DD can't live in a bubble. She'll be fine.
I got scratched plenty of times when I was a kid too. But actually cornering her bothers me. My DD was backing up and Noodles was pushing her into the corner of the cabinets.
Quote:
Originally Posted by white cat lover View Post
My first thought was - if your DD is 18 months & has lived w/ Noodles all this time - is it possible something else freaked Noodles out & she just 'stalked' whatever was closest?
Nope. I saw the whole thing. I even said something to Noodles about her being in Tressa's reach. It's not the first time Tressa has approached her in the chair either. She had her eyes on DD the entire time. Unless it was the smell of the park on her or something. We don't often go. But we had been home long enough for DD to eat lunch.
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post #6 of 7
10/7/11 at 3:07pm
Since she just smacked your daughter and didn't get out the claws or teeth, it seems to me that she was either playing, or warning your daughter not to mess with her. Either way, the lack of claws is a good sign--she seems to know your daughter is a "kitten" who doesn't know any better and must be taught manners. She seems to be smacking your daughter the same way she'd probably smack an annoying kitten. A cat who feels truly aggressive--either out of fear or anger or territoriality--would have the claws out, the fur puffed up, hissing and spitting and generally being much more intimidating than that. This seems like the sort of thing a cat would do when annoyed with a clan-mate or human friend.

The cat could be playing. Mine "stalk" each other quite a lot. Tiny likes to play a lot and Christy doesn't really; when she's had enough, she smacks him, claws retracted, and backs off. Sometimes, if he really gets on her nerves, she hisses and then he knows he'd better back off. I have yet to see her claw anyone, including Tiny even in his most rambunctious moods.

That said, though, you wanna make sure your daughter knows not to grab the cat's fur or tail. The cat might be okay with a baby who doesn't know "manners" yet, but the baby probably outweighs the cat already and is only getting bigger; so, sooner or later, the cat will start to deal with the baby as yet another large human who has to be taught they can't mess with the cat, rather than a furless kitten who just doesn't know better. And of course by the time your daughter is into the energy-filled toddler stage, she'll be big enough to hurt the cat in turn, if she isn't careful. Teaching gentleness all around seems to be the best approach. That's what I did with my littlest sister (she was born when I was a teen) and my cat Daffy. They never bugged each other too much; and by the time she was old enough to know what "be gentle with the kitty" meant, they were friends.

Keep the cat's claws clipped regardless. Sure, it's unlikely; but it's a reasonable precaution that costs you little.
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post #7 of 7
10/7/11 at 3:47pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks! Noodles was deffinitely being aggressive. It was her body language that made me follow her. I talked with Nikki (whos username here escapes me) and she agrees that Noodles was trying to set boundaries with my DD like RAFM said. For now I am going to make sure I keep my DD gated off from areas I can't easily see her; which she usually is. That way I can tell if she's bugging Noodles. The funny thing about this is that Mooch doesn't want much to do with Tressa and will run. But Noodles is the one who will sniff her fingers and pet her every now and then. I guess she's just trying to teach her when she doesn't want that. Noodles does think she's the alpha cat around here. She even eats before Mooch though they have separate bowls. Mooch will take a few bites and then sit back and watch till Noodles is done. Mooch rules when it comes to sitting in my lap though.

(And she cant get any more engery filled! She runs all the time and the other night we were watching TV while she played and out of the corner of my eye I see her standing in the middle of the coffee table. We're at THAT stage! )
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