Please help!!!

[luckies4me]

Well as most of you know, I have three (and others, strays etc.) beautifulkitty cats. Well....I need some advise on how to get Dylan to be "gentle" with the kitty cats. We do not use the word "nice" because he doesn't know what "nice" means, but he can learn gentle very easily. We have been teaching him since he was around 9 months old, when he started to crawl and could get to the cats more often.


He has started pulling Houdinis tail as well as grabbing very hard. We do not want to overuse the meaning of NO so we only use it when it is really necessary. But I have found myself having to look him sternly in the eyes and say it a few times this week. Most of the time we say, "Dylan you need to be gentle with the kitty cats" and let him know that the kitties will be hurt and cry because it is painful for them. We then have him pet the kitty cats and hold his hand and tel him to be gentle, and then we tell him what a good boy he is.

But there are times he is in his room with the cats and he has a hold of them and I do not want them to get hurt. The cats would never hurt Dylan, and still even with his tormenting them they are always very gentle.

Does anyone have any advise on how I can make him understand faster? Has anyone been through this before with your kids or nephews etc? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[aly]

I've gone through this with my cousin's baby and her cat. The best thing I can tell you is strict supervision so they never have a chance to be rough with the cats. Eventually, after enough repetition of what you are doing by showing him to be gentle, it should hopefully become habit.

Sorry I can't offer more advice.

[Nomilynn]

When my mom did daycare, we just used "NO". They didn't understand a whole sentence like "You have to be nice otherwise the kitties get hurt" .. they would just stare at us like "yeah sure big person.. let me play with that furry toy" After a while, they would ask.. like point to the kitty and say "Ta?" or something like that, and we would say "yes.. gently.. " and show them how to pet. It would be tragic if the kitty got so fed up it turned around and scratched Dylan.. especially in the eye or something like that. You might have to take the "NO" route. Good luck though!!

[HoUsEkaT]

Try a water gun or tap on the nose when he is caught in the act.

[Nomilynn]

Originally posted by HoUsEkaT
Try a water gun or tap on the nose when he is caught in the act.

squirt her little boy with a water gun or tap her son in the nose??

[Fuzzy317]

Originally posted by Nomilynn


squirt her little boy with a water gun or tap her son in the nose??

I think they were confused on what or who was Dylan. I know I had to read the post twice myself.