My cat’s first experience with a toddler was very negative for her so when my friends came to visit with their son, Xander, I didn’t even think about my cat’s stress level going through the roof. Xander is the sweetest toddler you’ll ever meet and super well behaved. He has a small dog as a pet, a cockatoo parrot and a cat of his own. His parents showed him how he was supposed to treat animals and he is a very affectionate boy.
When he saw Ninja, he was dying to love on her (and I mean really love on her and not hurt her like some kids might accidentally do) but Ninja was very untrusting and hissed, growled, and swatted at poor Xander. It took me a little while to realize she assumed EVERY toddler was going to be mean to her after the first one.
I had to seriously stand back and look at the situation and just how much it had affected her. I don’t think I realized to what level until now.
Animals hold those “first impressions” against you, and whether a toddler hits and kicks your cat or a man with a baseball cap does the same thing, the cat will remember it and anyone resembling that first mean person is going to get a rude disliking from the cat.
But there’s good news too, as you can work through it and make it better which is good for everyone including your cat. I don’t want Ninja getting to a stressing point every time she sees a 16 month old.
Tips for emotionally conditioning your cat to like things it had a bad past experience with:
- Every time Ninja sees a toddler, I cue a different behavior from her and give her a treat. This will teach her with repetition that when a toddler comes around, she will more often than not get a treat and in tune, will result in happy feelings.
- When a toddler comes to visit, I let them (if they’re willing) put out her food and give her treats. This associates the kid with good things.
- I also try to keep her around as many well behaved toddlers as I can that are use to having pets they could hurt if they tried but know the boundaries of not to. This helps Ninja realize not all kids are bad, nor are they all going to hurt her.