Cat Swiping At Kids

[The lion cut]

My 9yo cat and I recently moved into a house with two children age 4 and 2. My cat had met the children several times prior and was never thrilled with them, but would stay in the room out of reach.
Lately he has taken to hissing and swiping at the children whenever they walk by him, even when unprovoked.
There are times I can understand when he gets defensive because the 2yo likes to get in his face which he is not a fan of. But the 4yo is normally good with him. He seems to be getting worse and it is bothering me that he seems to be scratching first instead of just running away.
In the house, he has his own space off limits to the children that he can retreat to if needed, but it seems he is trying to stick his ground and swipes at the kids when they try to get past.
Any advice on how to nix this behavior would be appreciated!!!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
I'm not sure, but could you try having each child be a treat giver so that your cat sees them as positive?

 

[1 bruce 1]

My 9yo cat and I recently moved into a house with two children age 4 and 2. My cat had met the children several times prior and was never thrilled with them, but would stay in the room out of reach.
Lately he has taken to hissing and swiping at the children whenever they walk by him, even when unprovoked.
There are times I can understand when he gets defensive because the 2yo likes to get in his face which he is not a fan of. But the 4yo is normally good with him. He seems to be getting worse and it is bothering me that he seems to be scratching first instead of just running away.
In the house, he has his own space off limits to the children that he can retreat to if needed, but it seems he is trying to stick his ground and swipes at the kids when they try to get past.
Any advice on how to nix this behavior would be appreciated!!!

First, if you can (and I know 2 year old kids are quick ), try to prevent the kid from getting in the cats face. The kid means no harm but the cat doesn't know this. The kid might just need to be taught that "kitties" don't play like children and they need to be shown how to approach quietly, how to pet nicely (no swift "patting" on the ribs, side, or head. Most animals hate being patted on top of the head.) Put your hand over the kids hand, and guide them in how to pet the cat in even smooth strokes. Since your cat isn't their best pal yet, practice on a stuffed animal (a 2 or 4 year old kid, at this age, won't see this as weird.)
Secondly, make sure the cat has "safe" places. Get a high cat tree that the cat can get away from them on, or a high cat shelf that is un-reachable to little kids and explain to them that sometimes the cat needs to rest or sleep. Tell the kids how when sometimes they're tired or just not feeling their best, they sometimes just want to sleep or play quietly with their toys, etc. Use empathy, kids this age are all about that.
Third, look into something like a Feliway diffuser. We haven't used them, but many people here have had good results in combination with changing the household up a little to make the cat feel more secure.
Fourth, if it's possible at all, consider keeping the cat in a section of the house behind closed doors when you can't watch the kids 100%.
2 and 4 are great ages to teach respect and handling to small animals. They learn so fast at this age and aren't defiant when you tell them what to do (yet ) and are easy to show by example what to do.
When I was growing up we had this tough little calico tortie cat that wasn't afraid to run or bite, and we learned quick if we wanted to pet this cat or interact with her, we had to be nice about it. (We were also told that if we antagonized her and got scratched, it was our own fault. But she never did the sneak attack thing so I understand your concern.)

 

[Diana Faye]

Is there anything that the kids do to trigger the behavior? Being loud, too close, etc??

Having a space that is off limits to the kids is a good idea, but the cat doesn't know he has a designated area. To a cat, their space is wherever they currently are. He may not want to isolate himself from the family, but doesn't appreciate his boundaries being encroached. Can you install some cat shelves in the common areas so he can get up high and out of reach, but still be where the action is?

It may also be helpful to get the kids engaged in positive interactions. Step 1 to teach how to respect a cat and recognize when an animal is inviting attention and when they want to be alone. Step 2 would be to teach appropriate attention like how to pet respectfully (let the cat rub first and "show" you where, good idea to avoid back/tail unless they direct you there) and to play the way a cat wants to play (teaser wand). They may be a bit young still but if they can help with the feeding as well, this could help your cat to associate the kids with positive things.

At the end of the day, your cat may be one who just doesn't enjoy the activity of kids, but hopefully you can at least reduce everyone's stress level until the kids grow up, with the added knowledge of being mindful pet parents themselves.

 

[danteshuman]

Hmmmmm it took me 6 months to train a hyper 5 year old and gentle 7 year old to be gentle with the cats. The kids visits twice a week.

My first 2 thoughts are maybe your kids deserve to be scratched and maybe your cat is play hunting your kids? (& your kids lack the protective fur.)

I would give your cat lots of high trees and shelves plus a kid free room. I would also strictly enforce my kid rules: toys not hands, slow and calm, don't hold or pick up the cats and gentle pets only. I also taught them slow blinks. I think your kids need supervision at all times with the cat (chances are they will seriously harm your cat not the other way.) Lastly when your kids get all crazy hyper, feel free to lock your cat up in his cat room for some much needed quiet time.

It took time and patience to teach the kids how to 'speak' cat. It can be done though. Also I encourage treat giving and wand play with the kids. A little bribery never hurt.