Toddler and new kitten

[Markham1995]

My manager needed to rehome her t month kitten due to her DD being allergic. We decided to adopt the kitten. DS was so excited and happy he loves the kitten however! He is very loud and doesnt play with him calmly.. he does attempt to stroke the kitten and make a point of the kitten being there but occasionally hes pushed the kitten away. I'm now worried the kitten might attack him as the kitten is partically blind, new, worried and scared. Feel like a bad mum now 🤣

It’s more likely the toddler would inadvertently kill the kitten. It’s not an unknown phenomena.

You can’t leave toddlers alone with kittens, they need separating when your not supervising.

It’s blind? I doubt a home with a toddler is the right one TBH. And yes. A small child can kill a kitten. Keep them apart.

The kitten is blind? Are you sure a home with a toddler is the right place for him or her?

Even without that issue, kittens are fragile, clumsy, mischievous and scratchy - you really need to keep all interactions between your kitten and your toddler supervised. Otherwise, kitten needs his/her own space where they can feel safe and secure away from your toddlers hands.

DS shouldn’t be playing with a blind kitten if he doesn’t play calmly. It isn’t a toy it’s a, no doubt terrified, animal.

The kitten is only 4 weeks old?! It needs to be with its mum.

I don’t think the kitten is 4 weeks old 5 months I think?

Kitten sounds like it’s a bit sensitive, you need to be with kitten and son when interacting teaching him how to be gentle with her, make sure he isn’t rough and handle her plenty yourselves. Is the blindness permanent or likely to deteriorate if she’s already frightened this may increase if her sight deteriorated and as she gets older. You may find she’s not the best fit if she’s likely to lash out at your toddler neither understand the other yet.
Hope things work out for both toddler and kitten

You’re a bad mum? No, you’re a bad cat owner.
Cats are not toys for your toddler to play with! Supervise them properly and teach your child how to interact with animals. That poor kitten

Excuse me, some of these replies are atrocious. I would never ever leave my child alone with a 5 month kitten... NOT 4 WEEKS. I would never put anyone life at risk especially the kitten!

The kitten is partically sighted, had 3 homes already. I took this kitten in to make sure he now has his forever home. Spoiling him with lots of toys the occasional treats, cuddles lots of play time and affection. So let me ask you DOES THAT MAKE ME A BAD CAT OWNER!

My DS is 2 in 2 months time, he is very advanced for his age. He understands to be gentle now, he wouldn't hurt anyone and if he did something to the kitten that I was worried about I would explain to him not to do that again. So let me ask you lot again who seem to be so negative DOES THAT MAKE ME A BAD CAT OWNER.

I would never ever put anyones life at risk and again especially the kitten. I came on this page for advice and all I got was a shit storm. Thank you all for your pointless comments and advice I can definitely confirm it hasnt been taken. I've listened to other people who have given me advice some brutal but not as brutal as the ones I have received on here.

Your OP doesn't give the kitten's age. Make sure there are places the kitten can go to get out of the way, preferably up high e.g. cat tree, shelves, etc. And you need to supervise when they are together. Do you mean partially blind?

My apologies in thought I had put the age of the kitten. Yes there are places for him to go i wouldn't trap him. He climbs up on the dining chairs also. Yes I meant hes partially sighted I was angry texting.

I have 4 cats - a 2 year old toddler doesn't understand "gentle" for a while yet. I kept cats and child largely separated or watched them very closely if they did want to interact with each other and kept it to short intervals until she was at least 3 and even now she's 4 I watch her in case she squeezes too hard when trying to pick one up.

There is a reason why most rescues won't rehome cats to people with children under 4.

Given the kitten is also blind I would definitely keep them separated - it isn't fair on the kitten - toddlers are noisy run very fast and the fast movements can scare a kitten/cat easily.

Only let the child approach in managed circumstances - letting them stroke gently for a couple of seconds at a time and then diverting their attention elsewhere so you don't stress the kitten or let your child suddenly grab for them

There's no need to be so defensive OP - your post didn't give a lot of information to go on!

You said he’s loud and doesn’t play with the partially sighted kitten calmly.
That’s pretty atrocious TBH.

He is very loud and doesnt play with him calmly..

What you said yourself.
Poor kitten

Bearing mind the kitten hasnt been here for a week yet I think with me keeping them separated and explaining to Ds gentle hands has paid off.

Let me explain as things have changed in a few days. He doesnt pick him up and hasnt once since hes been here, he doesnt play with him and doesnt give attention to him as much anymore. He strokes the cat, plays with the cat by gliding the balls on the floor. Anything I can spot that'll be harsh I take away before anything happens.

So sorry, I dont see how I am being atrocious. I'm trying to give this kitten his forever home instead of being passed on to so many homes. That doesnt make me a bad cat owner.

Starting to think I shouldn't of bothered on here..

You didn’t mention keeping them separate or gentle hands. You have had a partially sighted little scrap for a few days and said your child was being so rough you thought the kitten might hurt him. What did you expect??

Oh.... so you thought I would let a toddler stay in room with a kitten on his own? So you thought a parent or any parent wouldn't teach a toddler gentle regardless of any situation? Pathetic. Definitely shouldn't of bothered.

The best intentioned toddler is still a toddler...
A blind dkitten will have some limitations. Jumping down for example may be difficulty ensuring a safe landing spot. I had a dcat who had been starved of oxygen at birth. Supervision and limits on acces to certain rooms. Not the kitchen - hot hob, open window etc... You need to keep your dkitten safer than usual..

I don’t think I would ever recommend homing a partially sighted kitten with a toddler (I’m a home visitor for CP). I would always recommend a cat rather than a kitten for households with very young children. However, a 5 month old “teenage” cat is a bit more robust than the 9 week old kittens we would be homing. It is what it is now, but I think you should keep them apart as much as you can. Even a gentle child can react impulsively to being scratched, and kittens do scratch and are unpredictable. When you say you’re afraid the kitten will attack your child you are being a little naive, it will “attack” him, even though the kittens might think it is just playing. Kittens are not playthings, you need to teach your child not to bother it at all except then you control the situation. Only let them interact when both are calm and your child is quiet. No holding the kitten, just gentle stroking for a very short time.

Blind cats need settled living spaces, where things are predictable, if your cat has some sight this might be less of an issue.

I see I probably shouldn’t have bothered typing that out since, although you came looking for advice, you don’t seem to want it. Calling people pathetic for offering advice based on your very vague OP is .... what’s the word... pathetic.

You can make this work, and you have done a good thing giving the kitten a forever home but if you ask for advice don’t lash out at people giving it.

I'm lashing out because yes I came here for advice.. I wasnt expecting a shit storm. I'm not looking for sympathy what so ever, however I was expecting kinder messages reassuring ones. Not you're a bad cat owner and poor kitten

My child isnt aggressive and purposely hurt anyone or anything, yes a toddler is a toddler but he wouldn't hurt a fly. Every child is different but I think people are basing a child what they think every child is. He is sensitive for a toddler.

I use the word pathetic because it is, I wasnt expecting a lash out or a forum full of negative comments I was looking for advice, reassurance. Like I said I shouldnt of bothered. Some today very helpful advice but since saturday terrible. Definitely doesnt help with mental health. I feel terrible now if I'm honest.

When my children were small (we had cats before they were born) we concentrated on teaching them to stroke with “flat hands”. One simple thing to learn rather than abstract things like being gentle. What you don’t want is grabbing of fur. It was quite funny to watch them stroking with rigidly flat hands though.

Thank you that's best advice I've had so far on here. I'll try flat hands with DS

You should have asked.
Before you got the kitten.
Kittens and toddlers are a bad idea.
A partially sighted kitten and a toddler? Worse idea.
Don’t teach flat hands. Teach toddler to leave the cat alone for now. He may be sensitive but he’s still a toddler. And a kitten who can’t see well needs careful handling.