Has anyones cat scratched their baby before

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

if so what did you do...feel free to email me direct if you'd prefer
[email protected] due to the topic :)
Neve
http://home.nc.rr.com/ourbabytristan
AKA "mama2be"-forgot password
and Baby Boy Tristan born @UNC
Feb 25, 2003
Brother to 3 pups "gees" and 2 kitties

[mamahill]

I'm not exactly sure. A few times Ainsleigh will be petting the cats and then all of a sudden she runs to me crying. I don't know if they just kind of swat at her, or what. I do know that sometimes she gets a little rough with them, and I try to teach her to "be nice to the kitties!" But when she does come running over, I scan all over her and haven't seen a scratch. DH says he's seen one of the cats swat at her, but it's only if he's being provoked, and we still haven't seen scratches on her skin. But we have REALLY docile cats, so if Ainsleigh begins crying over something they've done, I generally soothe her but say, "Be nice to the kitties. No hitting." I can pretty much bet that the fault is hers.

[missym]

Our cat has been good so far and only "grabbed" Gwen's sleeve with his claw. I have to admit, it shows a lot of restraint on his part, because her "petting" isn't exactly gentle.

If you're concerned but don't want to get your kitty declawed, you might try claw covers. These have worked GREAT for us... they've saved our furniture and our ankles! I can't stress enough what a terrific alternative these are to declawing, which we couldn't bring ourselves to do.

http://www.softpaws.com

We get the pretty red ones; they look great on our black tom! ;)

Edited to add: with the covers on, our cat can't scratch at all; they're soft and rounded on the tip. He had shed a few and we hadn't replaced them yet when he hooked Gwen's sleeve.

Missy, mom to Gwen 03/03

[nohomama]

Yep. Pooky Bear has definitely gotten his licks in when Lola has gotten too rough. Our philosophy is that Lola needs to learn that if she's too rough with the cat, he'll be rough right back at her. I will say that Pooky Bear has exhibited more patience with Lola than I would if I were him. Seriously, he apparently has more tolerance than I ever gave him credit for. I once listened to Lola babble about the cat's tail for five minutes while I was doing dishes only to turn around to find her dragging Pook around the kitchen by said tail. Poor boy!

In terms of how we treat the scratches, we wash them well with soap and water and treat them with antibiotic oinment for several days. Because cat scratches/cat bites can cause serious medical problems, we'd wisk Lola off to the doctor immediately if there were ANY signs of infection. So far though, that has never been the case and she's sustained many a scratch.

[Jacksonvol]

How easy is it to put these on? I have seen them before and been interested, but I am not sure how to convince the cat to let me put them on. I can't remember if there is some kind of "glue" involved. If they really work, I would gladly buy a set for my cats. They refuse to use their assorted scratching posts and toys and go for door frames and carpet!

Thanks!
Lisa

[JElaineB]

DS was getting scratched all the time for a while, nothing deep though. It seems to have tapered off, not sure if he is being nicer to the cats or they are just avoiding him more! Usually on his face or arms/hands. He always healed very quickly, with noticable fade of the scratch within a day or so. I don't think I ever put anything on them, but I wouldn't be adverse to putting on some antibiotic ointment if they were still noticably red after a day.

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

...that's been my worry...

Neve
http://home.nc.rr.com/ourbabytristan
AKA "mama2be"-forgot password
and Baby Boy Tristan born @UNC
Feb 25, 2003
Brother to 3 pups "gees" and 2 kitties

[missym]

Well, it's an adventure with our cat, who isn't big on being held. We wrap him in a towel, with just his head and one foot sticking out. First, we trim his claws with regular fingernail clippers. Then, we use a special applicator tip to put glue in the covers and slide them on his claws. Last, we squeeze lightly on each cover to make sure it "sets" on the claw.

The cats don't even notice the covers once they're on. Now, putting them on... supposedly, most cats get used to it and aren't bothered too much. Our cat growls the whole time. I will admit, it's kind of funny. He's only bitten me once during the process, and he just couldn't help himself. His displeasure at being restrained is the only discomfort our cat has ever displayed with the covers; he forgets all about them as soon as we let him down.

We only have to replace them about every 2 months. We highly recommend them; our cat used to literally shred our furniture and woodwork, not to mention our ankles!

HTH

Missy, mom to Gwen 03/03

[JElaineB]

Personally I'm not. DS will shut his eyes if the kitty is swiping at him. It is a reflexive response basically - anytime something comes at you you shut your eyes very quickly. I think it would be difficult, but not impossible I'm sure, for the kitty to actually scratch his eyeball. I obviously don't worry about it too much! :)

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[Imperia]

Our DD is too little to come into contact with the cat much, but he is sort of a grouch so I will pobably keep them separated as much as I can. I used to be a vet tech (veterinary nurse) and from my experience what you want to do if you (or your child) gets scratched or bitten by a cat is immediately wash it with soap and water and then apply a triple antibiotic ointment such as neosporin. Cats carry quite a lot of bacteria in their mouths and under their nails which can cause infection or even "cat scratch fever"--yes, it's a real illness. That being said, it's generally nothing to worry about, I worked with cats every day for years (as well as owning my own all my life) and have been scratched and bitten MANY times; I have never gotten sick.

I second the reccomendation of "soft paws" those little caps or at least trimming the cat's claws; you can get cat nail clippers at any good pet store if needed. I, personally, do not support declawing due to the fact it is 1) very painful to the cat (it doesn't just remove the nail it removes part of the bone as well...it would be like someone taking off the first phalange (finger bone) not just the nail) 2) it can cause behavioural problems in the cat ie refusing to use it's litterbox and biting! In fact, at the vet hospital I worked at they wouldn't even do declaws. Another thing coupel fo ideas to teach teh cat not to claw are: squirting teh cat with water when it does or 2) gently squeezing the paw when it scratches and saying, "no!"

Good luck!

Imperia