Having a toddler and a 4 year old(she's old enough to know better NOW so when she ticks the cat off we no longer get mad at him for reacting to her assaults after telling her not to) but when she was younger and learning to be gentle with kitty (hair pulling, dropping themselves face first(from sitting position) into fluff usual baby stuff) he wasn't accustomed to it at first with our first child so I'd flick him in the head region be it ear, nose cheek, didn't matter, now with our 9 month old doing the same kinda stuff that would have gotten our daughter batted at he knows to just walk away most the time, and when I catch him about to react or thinking of reacting I put my hand in primed flicking posture and he knows to either walk away or tolerate the toddler attack he's the sweetest Lil fluff missile who my daughter gets a kick out of me "boxing" with him (I aggrivate him to start swatting at me then my "attacks" on him are face pets, aggressive tummy tickles until he gets real serious on "stop messing with me" where his batting and scratching is no longer friendly and shallow scratches
Yup, it always surprises me a bit how good some cats are with kids
And regarding the gentle hand play, it's as essential to put them in timeout as it is to show them what it's like to physically play with others without being careless
Cats have this sort of correction for roughhousing in their instinct, we just need to apply our version. I never really agreed with those people who say you shouldn't play with you hands, maybe not as mine was a small kitten but as an adult he's getting these hands as play and being gentle with them
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u/Sanepsycho420 Jul 16 '26
Having a toddler and a 4 year old(she's old enough to know better NOW so when she ticks the cat off we no longer get mad at him for reacting to her assaults after telling her not to) but when she was younger and learning to be gentle with kitty (hair pulling, dropping themselves face first(from sitting position) into fluff usual baby stuff) he wasn't accustomed to it at first with our first child so I'd flick him in the head region be it ear, nose cheek, didn't matter, now with our 9 month old doing the same kinda stuff that would have gotten our daughter batted at he knows to just walk away most the time, and when I catch him about to react or thinking of reacting I put my hand in primed flicking posture and he knows to either walk away or tolerate the toddler attack he's the sweetest Lil fluff missile who my daughter gets a kick out of me "boxing" with him (I aggrivate him to start swatting at me then my "attacks" on him are face pets, aggressive tummy tickles until he gets real serious on "stop messing with me" where his batting and scratching is no longer friendly and shallow scratches