Remember, like, back in August, when I invited you to send questions, and a few of you actually did, and then I never even got around to answering them all?* So Twirl asked how Crazy and Hippo are adjusting to life with a toddler.
Pardon me, though, while I take a slight detour into today’s annual vet exam. Crazy was a year overdue, since we couldn’t get him into his carrier last year, but he made it this year. All it cost was one of A’s shirts, which was ripped to shreds in the process. Don’t ask me how, since my assigned job was to not say anything at all for the next fifteen minutes and definitely not to laugh. So Gatito and I just headed outside with the chalk and all I got to see was the aftermath: three very grumpy beings, one of them in a tattered shirt.
Bad news: Hippo gained another 1.5 pounds, bringing him up to nearly 23. Ahem. The past couple of years we’ve gotten the obese vet, who’s never said a word, but this year we got a slim vet who did not hesitate to let me know that Hippo’s life span would be shortened if he doesn’t lose weight. So, you know, really I don’t know what we’re going to do because I think Hippo will eat us if we don’t feed him. Certainly he won’t let us sleep or eat or, you know, pee, without gnawing on our appendages. I think what we will try is only feeding at night, when we’re home, and just letting him gnaw on Gatito and Tata during the day.
(I kid, I kid! You know I kid, yes?)
(I’m not kidding about the part where Hippo will gnaw on our appendages, just the part will I will let him gnaw on Gatito’s and Tata’s.)
So back to the question at hand: how are those cats adjusting to life with a toddler? I’d say it’s going so-so. Gatito turns out not to be a cat lover. The cats keep to themselves when A and I are not here, but we tend to be all together when we’re home, and Gatito is often telling Hippo, “The door! Hippo the door!” Or, “Upstairs, hippo!” Basically, sending him away. On the other hand, on the rare occasions when he is interested, Gatito is very gentle with both cats. He’s never been the tail-pulling type.
The times Gatito sometimes runs into trouble is when Crazy is sitting on the bed or a table, and Gatito is practically eye level with him, handing him cars or Cow and Pockeys or whatever other crazy thing. If he’s in his face too long, Crazy will hiss and scare the bejeezus out of Gatito. Not that I blame him for crying– a Crazy hiss could make a grown-up cry, too! I’ve seen him lash out once or twice, with claws retracted, so just as a warning, but I’m relieved that he hasn’t scratched or bitten. Hippo, for his part, would be more than happy to avoid Gatito as well, but he’d like to be with us, or sitting on the nice benches in Gatito’s room under an open window. We try to keep a close eye on them all and make sure everyone gives each other the space they require. It’s a work in progress and I’m never 100% relaxed about it.
Advice on toddler/cat relationships or cat weight loss welcome!
*Jill’s question about getting dinner on the table is up next! Promise!
having three cats and a toddler, i totally know where you’re coming from. andrew looooooves the kitties (and the dog, too….mostly the dog), but they would really prefer he was never around. they follow us all over the house, though, so it always ends up that we are with the cats and andrew in the same room for a lot of the time. most of the time the cats stay up high (they’ve discovered the few places andrew is unable to climb), but sometimes they dare to lay ON THE FLOOR. crazy cats. when andrew comes near, two of the cats simply run away and come back later, but one cat will tolerate him and not lash out. he is declawed (the cat, not andrew) so i am not terribly worried, but i still watch carefully.
cats and toddlers are both very opinionated, stubborn creatures. it makes for a very interesting home!
Regarding the cat diet…I have dogs and afew years back when Molly was a few pounds over weight, the doc suggested the green bean diet. Half of her kibble, and a handfull of greenbeans. I bought the big can at Costco for $3. Anyway, she lost weight and LOVED the green beans. Did they give you any ideas about what you can do for Hippo? I know they probably have light cat food…
my daughter is the tail pulling type to my 17 year old cat and i swear that cat just puts up with it… i think the cat should give the baby a good hiss and swipe (no claws) and then perhaps the baby will leave her alone…i feel bad for the cat but she keeps coming round… of course she has started pee/pooping in locations other than her box so perhaps that is her way to telling me she is pissed… lucky me
We have two cats. One tolerates Scooter, the other is the hisser. He thinks it’s HILARIOUS and tries to imitate it. He signs “cat” and makes breathy hissing sounds. We have yet to get a “meow” out of him. On the other hand, a tiny sweet neighbor dog makes a yipping noise across the street and Scooter whimpers and shakes his head “no” vigorously. So his fearlessness is selective. Or maybe he inherited my dog-hating gene.
Poor Hippo, being ordered to banishment by Gatito!
My boys have had a hard enough time adjusting to the puppies (though they’re doing pretty well with things now.) Being pregnant, they currently love my belly and are super-attached to me. It’ll be interesting to see how they actually feel about the baby when she’s on the outside!
I don’t know about food either, but I’d be shocked if Hippo complied quietly with a quantity change, so I’m guessing changing food altogether is probably your best bet.
1. Do you want Hippo to have a happy life or a longer life? Which do you think he would prefer?
2. Remind Gatito each time he interacts with the cat that cats will scratch if you don’t listen when they tell you they are done playing. When the cat makes it clear he has had enough, say “Crazy is telling you he is done playing. Leave him alone now.” If Gatito doesn’t yet have the inner discipline to do this, remove him from the cat’s vicinity for awhile. Gatito first has to learn cat language, so he will need you to interpret what the cat is saying. Then he has to get to a point where he can make himself do something he doesn’t want to do – most kids don’t get to this point until around 3-4 years. That’s why you so often see them saying “Don’t touch the glass” while they are reaching out their hand for it. It’s not disobedience at this age, but rather lack of ability to make themselves obey.
3. Eventually Gatito will get scratched. Handle it matter-of-factly, remind him about cats scratching when you don’t listen, and give him absolutely no sympathy. If you are present when this happens, remind Crazy that scratching people is not allowed (although from the way you describe his trip to the vet, I have little confidence this will make any change in his behavior).
I know, I know, I sound horrible. Trust me, if you establish mutual respect between the child and the cat, they will both be happier because they will know what to expect from one another. I raised my daughter with 4-6 cats, and she did get scratched a couple times, but she also learned which of the cats would let her dress it up and play baby with it and which would NOT.