You should wait it out. Between 2 and 3 is a rough time for kids and pets. DS is much better with my animals now. It is very unlikely you'll find somewhere to rehome him other than a shelter that euthanizes. Meanwhile your cat needs a place where he can escape from the kid. Make it desirable for the cat with a nice cat tree, nip, a nice bed. It is not your cat's fault that your kid was pulling his tail.

I agree with the other PPs. It's not the cat's fault. And yes, for 2 years, the cat hasn't touched the kid. The cat only scratched when the kid attacked him, pulled his tail. That's quite reasonable. And you could do the responsible thing and use it as a teaching experience for your 2 year old -- i.e. that's what happens when you grab and animal's tail.

It sounds like, so long as the kid leaves the cat alone, the cat will leave the kid alone. At 2, your kid should understand "no."

And no, most people don't need to be hospitalized for a catch scratch unless they have a very weak immune system. the kid should be fine.

It's a shame the cat has to suffer. Please, don't ever get another pet again, because it doesn't sound like you can handle it.

Anonymous wrote:Smart ass, I was 5 feet away nursing my newborn. Maybe you shouldn't judge someone without all the facts.

Get a life.

you allowed us to judge without all of the facts. If you knew that the cat does not like your son, then why being 5 feet away, you did not make sure that they were not together when your hands were occupied? You have no reason to get rid of that cat because of scratch that you could have very well stopped. Your husband needs to be angry with you, not the cat.

I think sending the cat away for scratching under these circumstances is unthinkable, and it's not that I'm a big cat person!

at 2, your DS is old enough to learn from this. DOn't send the cat away.

Sorry OP. Cats generally do not like having their tails pulled, and obviously your cat has been dealing with DS' existence for 2 years without incident, which I think is pretty good. I mean, that cat has more self-control than most human children if it has been holding in its anger and jealousy for this long. I know, kids will be kids, and if you can't handle it, it is what it is. Is there a friend or relative who will hold onto the cat while you try to find him a new home?

Be sure and call the doctor--my grandfather ended up hospitalized because of a cat scratch.

Anonymous wrote:Smart ass, I was 5 feet away nursing my newborn. Maybe you shouldn't judge someone without all the facts.

Get a life.

Oh. So "stop that, Darling Son" was too much? Your kid is nearly two and "no" doesn't even give him pause?

You're right. You shouldn't have pets. Maybe not kids, either. Get a sense of responsibility before making yourself responsible for other lives.

Smart ass, I was 5 feet away nursing my newborn. Maybe you shouldn't judge someone without all the facts.

Get a life.

Anonymous wrote:He was pulling on his tail and the cat drew it's claws...

And you were...?

I'm sorry your son got scratched. That's a bummer. He'll live.

Your cat, on the other hand, may not. And it's not your cat's fault.

Please be sure that you, and your rage-prone DH, find a home for your cat. Dumping the cat because you weren't paying enough attention to your son is cruel.

meant attacked, not attached.

Furthermore, this thread shouldn't be called "Cat attacked my DS."

It should be called "Cat defended himself after my DS attached him"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Um, the cat didn't scratch the kid out of "jealousy." The cat scratched him because the kid PULLED HIS TAIL!!!!!!!!

You shouldn't get rid of the cat. You should teach the kid to leave him alone.

Oh, and in the meantime, make sure DS and the cat are never in the same room together.

Man, that sucks. I'm sorry. I had one cat I loved who was super jealous and I am kind of happy he died right before DS was born, because I'm pretty sure he would have attacked my baby too.

Ask around and spread the word that you have a great cat that needs a new home, but won't do well with babies or small kids.

Don't put it up for free in Craigslist (they often take free pets and sell them for science labs). Don't take it to the animal shelter. Just keep asking around. Consider it your job to find a new home for them.

My 23-month old DS just got the life scratched out of him by our 8-year old cat. He was pulling on his tail and the cat drew it's claws and left about 6 superficial scratch marks on his face. My DS is a bit in shock and the scratches seem very superficial, as I mentioned. However, this will be the end for the cat once my DH comes home and sees his face. The cat has been incredibly jealous ever since my DS was born and honestly it was just a matter of time before he had a reason to strike out at my DS.

So my question, where do I send the cat? How do I go about this?