Cat scratches our children

[mummymermaid]

We adopted a two year old cat just over two weeks ago, she seemed to settle in straight away and wasn't bothered about our children making noise etc. We really like her, she's very playful and wants to spend time with us. But she has scratched both DC couple of times now. When she wants to play she stalks us and plays with our hands. This is not too much of an problem as we redirect her to toys.
The biggest problem we are having is that DC might be petting her and when she's had enough she scratches or tries to bite. I'm really struggling with this, I'm desperate for this to work but I don't want my children to be full of scratch marks constantly. She doesn't scratch or bite too hard but DD is getting upset over it.
Is there anything I can do or is this just doomed to fail? 😥

[mummymermaid]

Thanks older than average, good idea, I shall try that too!

Our cat doesn't mind if touched by the base of her tail either, also she's fine if I touch her tail, paws and even belly (most of the time). Not that I regularly touch any of those areas because cats don't generally like it but she doesn't freak out over any of those really. Well the belly sometimes 😁

[Grumpyoldpersonwithcats]

Sorry - really don't agree with clipping cats' claws unless there is a pressing reason for the individual cat's health.
I would recommend the tips above in terms of recognising the signs - and also play down any scratches - to my mind they are just part of cat ownership.

[OlderThanAverageforMN]

Grumpy Our vet clips them every visit too...... what's the issue?

[PinkSparklyPussyCat]

I don't like the idea unless it's necessary either @Grumpyoldpersonwithcats. We did it once with our cat and I felt as though I was taking away one of his lines of defence. I wouldn't do it again unless they were causing him a problem. I also found it hurt more if he tried to scratch me as he used more effort!

[Grumpyoldpersonwithcats]

Active cats usually manage their own claws - the only time I've ever had to clip claws were with my old cat in his last year or so because his were getting too long and snagging on furniture and carpets. I wouldn't clip cat claws just because they are sharp - that's how they should be.

[itinkthereforeima]

Our kitty was a rescue and for a long time he'd go from welcoming strokes and scratches to being overstimulated very quickly. It would seem to come from nowhere. But he was and still is affectionate and chatty!
We had to be extra restrained. If he came for a bit of fuss, we put a hand out near him, and he'd rub himself on it. Rather than us rubbing him. And now we start off most petting sessions that way. He just needed a few months to develop trust.

He still hates if we reach over his head, so that's banned. It scares him. Also DH doesn't look as closely at his cues to stop, so he gets swiped at more than me as a result. Cats just need to be the leader all the time, even if they come looking for a fuss they need to be in control of it themselves, so presenting your hand and letting them pet themselves on it is best, and watch their facial expressions/body language really closely. I can now actually pick up my cat for a cuddle, which was a total no-no at first.

A good source of info on dealing with difficult cats is Jackson Galaxy on YouTube, he helps people whose cats have all kinds of behaviour issues. I hope your kitty just needs time to develop more trust!

[Orangelover]

My cat is like this. Had him 3 months now and he loves to be around us. Always on your knee, asking for fuss and then every now and then bam scratch or a bite. I find this really bizarre because I always thought a cat who'd had enough would just walk off but nope not him He also occasionally will stalk our feet when just walking around the kitchen We find it funny and he doesn't do it all the time but tbh when people come round I'm a bit nervous and always warn them that he does occasionally bite and scratch. We don't have children yet but I do wonder how we'll go on when we do because he's only young we should have many more years with him yet. I love him to bits and think I can tell now when he's aggy so I just leave him alone, as far as possible when he's on my knee

OH has had cats alllll his life and says he's never met a cat like him, so clingy. We let him out but he normally just sits at the door wondering whether to go out or not and if he does he rarely leaves our garden even though he has no trouble hopping the fence.

All in all, strange boy but I love him. If I were you maybe just tell the kids to leave her be for a bit, hands out the way until she calms down a bit more which I bet she will

[ApplestheHare]

We've had the a similar thing with Dd as we adopted our very friendly and playful 18-month-old Dcat in July. She will follow us everywhere and then want to play but will scratch and bite if over excited. There's no malice in her at all, it's just play, but 4-yo DD was upset after a couple of scratches. What's really helped is:

• dcat going outside after 5 weeks of being cooped up
  
• lots of toys on fishing rods so dd can play without getting hurt
  
• teaching dd how to play nicely and to learn signs that Dcat is getting over excited when being stroked.
  

We haven't had a scratch for over a month now so very pleased at the progress DD and Dcat have made. DD will now happily stroke Dcat with no concerns. Good luck with helping cat settle in