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Yes it’s normal. I have twin 26 month olds and they had a hard time at first with our dog. We tell them nice hands! I hold the dog, hug the dog, pet the dog and say oh very nice. Nice puppy. When I catch them pulling her tail I say NO NO. THAT’S NOT NICE YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOFT HANDS! Then I pet the dog softly and say see nice hands. They will mimic what I do with the dog, petting and hugging. And then I say oh that’s very nice Zachary. Very nice Benjamin. I only let the dog in when I can be there with the boys to remind them to be soft. Since you have a cat maybe keep him/her in the bedroom and bring him/her out every few hours to show your son how to treat it. After a few times your son will realize what to do.

A lot of kids act like this and I do think it’s horrible that they do this to cats. Kittens are fragile when they are so little so you need to keep on top of him and discipline him or your kitty might end up with an injury or even worse.

Good luck

KEEP IT AWAY FROM HIM.

he’s a baby, he’s curious.
he’ll do anything to that cat.

when he gets a little older teach him how to properly hold him.

Slap the kid >.> lol jk

wait like 5 years and train the cat to be vicious and keep it hidden. Then one day set the cat on him and then stop it and be like, "sorry, the cat thought it was funny"

You have to show him love for it, and treat it like a sibling, a little baby.

I think it’s normal.

He doesn’t know any better. It is up to you to teach him and to protect the kitten from him. If you can’t do it, find a new home for the kitten.

2 year olds are like that, my brother when he was 2 he jumped on the dogs back and hit him bit him ect ect, just punish him, take away toys or games, or put the kitten in an isolated area away from the 2 year old, nothing to small, but somewere were the cat will be safe untill he dosent want to play with the cat like that anymore

only let him play with the kitten when your around soon he will learn that the kitten is alive and that he has feelings too

Maybe he feels as if the kitten is getting more attention then he is… find a way to make him play nice with the kittie and see that the kittie is there for him to play with as well but not in a rough manner that hurts the kittie and it sounds to me like thats what hes going for because the kitten is being treated nicer than he is… even if you don’t see it that way he might.. its probably a dominance thing… just my personal opinion

sometimes toddlers have a hard time understanding to be gentle and often pet to hard. i don’t think he means harm by taking his new friend on a ride in his little car. most toddlers are fascinated by animals and want to be around them. just make sure you always have supervised play dates with the kitty and him and make sure to remind him to be gentle and show him or help him pet the kitty.

It does sound like extreme behavior, and I think you should try to set up a punishment and reward system try and control the violent behavior. If you can’t seem to get it under control using your own tactics, I would seek the help of a professional of some sort to try and get these tendencies under control while the child is still young.

Good luck!

It sounds like very normal behavior for a 2 yr old. I mean they don’t call it the terrible two’s for nothing.

I think the best thing you can do is continue to do the time outs. If this is the first time he’s been around a pet it may take some time but stick to your guns and he’ll eventually understand. Show him how to love and hug the kitty (which I’m sure you have already) and hopefully he’ll eventually catch on that it’s a living thing and not a toy. I mean he’s still too young to really grasp that right away so it’ll take time.

Good luck.

you just have to be firm with your child, and set boundaries for him. i for one would never let a child under 7 or 8 years old even hold a kitten. good for you for putting your kid in time out – he needs to learn that there are consequences for mistreating an animal. you just gotta be firm, put him in time out every time he mistreats the cat, and never let your child and the kitten be alone unsupervised.

i’ve worked in many vet offices and have seen poor kittens slowly die because they have been stepped on (even accidentally) by young children. just be very careful!

Your son is two years old. He doesn’t understand that his actions are hurting the kitty. In child care books it recommends not leaving a human baby with any child unattended until the older child is at least 7 years old. I don’t think kids have the rational that their actions can hurt others. Your son is normal and is not abnormal.

This is normal for todlers. Keep your son away from the kitten for the kitty’s safety until he can not hurt it. Watch them when they are together don’t leave them alone together

if you don’t intervene your kid will grow up and instill in his mind that hurting another living thing is okay. Poor cat. Kids are always curious and normal but keep the kid away or relocate the cat some where else

Teach him a lesson. Teach him how to hold, and take care of it correctly. And yes this is normal. This happens to all toddlers when they first time seeing a pet. This happens to my sister too. She threw my rabbit and purposely kicked it. Try to seperate him from one room and the kitten from another room. If it doesnt help then try to cage the kitten up and making sure the toddler doesnt touch it anymore. Cause as far as i know, whenever toddlers sees animals or pets, they will for sure hurt it. It happens to me alot.

This is not abnormal behavior for a two year old. Ever heard of terrible two’s"? I think your son is just not used to the kitten and doesn’t know how to handle anyone else getting attention but himself. (If he’s your only child.)

But I think his main problem is understanding that what you say goes. If you tell him he’s hurting the kitten he might not understand. And needs to be showed. NO, I’M NOT TELLING YOU TO ABUSE YOUR CHILD. But I also live with a toddler, she’s five and she doesn’t have much problems with discipline anymore.

I think the next time he hurts the kitten, give him a good spanking on the butt. And tell him that that’s how the kitten feels and it’s bad to hurt the kitten. Make him say sorry to the kitten, and give it a hug. He’ll see that the feeling you’re giving him with the spanking is the feeling he’s giving the kitten when he’s rough with it. And after a while, he should get it.

Hope I could be a help!

Yes this is normal for a toddler. My son used to do this to our cat, and we ended up having to take her to my parents house. I think they are still a little young to understand how to treat animals. They are also just really curious.

It’s hard to say whether or not this is normal since all children are different especially at such a young age. I would say that he looks at the kitten like his new soft, moving toy. I suggest spending more time with him and the kitten and show him how fun kittens can be when you aren’t hurting them. When he does hurt the kitten I think time outs are fine. Give him another toy to be brutal to such as a stuffed teddy and he may eventually learn his lesson when the teddy’s head falls off (excuse the brutality).

I hope I helped and Good Luck

Give the kitten to a good home, and try again in few years. I am not trying to be mean, I don’t mean this rudely, but your little guy is learning how to behave at the expense of this kitten. Animals have good memories, if the kitten associates your son with pain then you will have another problem on your hands in the future: a very unsocial pet. I don’t think your son is doing this intentionally I think he just can’t understand yet.

I thinks its normal. He doesn’t know that he’s hurting the kitten he probably thinks its just like one of his stuffed animals. When my brother was younger he used to terrorize our cat so my mom ultimately at to find the cat a new home and we didn’t get a new pet until he was old enough to understand it was a liviing creature and he couldn’t treat it like that. We never had a problem again.

He’s a little kid. They are uncoordinated, so they’re bound to do something to it. Be happy the cat didn’t hurt your son back. It’s good that you showed him how to pick the kitten up, but he’s so young, maybe wait a little while until he knows better. Remember, tell him no, and tell him animals are fragile too. Show him other things he can do with the cat, like throw it a toy. But, all kids will be rough, like even petting can seem like smacking. Maybe just don’t let them be together as much. Baby gates are good dividers.

You really should separate them until you know that your son can treat the kitten gently. If you don’t you will end up with a very fearful or aggressive cat.
Try using a stuffed animal as practice. Let your son know that being rough with the kitten is completely unacceptable and he will be punished.
I don’t know if this behavior is abnormal or not. Kids that age might pull hair and tails but throwing the cat off the couch and purposely hurting it seems a little extreme.

"Two-year-olds can begin to learn that their actions make others-including animals-happy and sad. With two- and three-year-olds, discuss their own experiences and how they would feel if they were treated the way they treat their pets or other animals in their immediate lives. Help them relate not only the ways they would feel hurt, but also the ways they would feel happy.

With all children under six or so, you may wish to help guide their hands so they can learn how to pet and hold their animal companions. Children do not have fine control over their movements and impulses—they will want to treat their pets with love, but will need a little help from you to do it correctly."

He knows what he is doing is not getting a positive result from you and he is enjoying exerting dominance over something weaker than himself.

This isn’t abnormal behavior but it needs to be curbed immediately. Anytime he does something mean to the kitten he should get an immediate 2 minute time out followed by a talk regarding how it makes the kitty feel when he does that, and how it would make him feel if someone did that to him."

If his behavior doesn’t stop after a couple of weeks of consistent discipline and reinforcement (you should also compliment him whenever he pets the kitty nicely or holds it properly) you may need to give the kitten away. Make sure you don’t leave him unsupervised with the animal until it is big enough to get out of his reach with ease regardless.

I believe by 24 months any child is ready for discipline. With my 12 month old I had to teach him the meaning of gentle. I believe it’s all in the tone of your voice. When you see him being rough with your kitten use a firm voice to say NO that is naughty. Show him how to pat the kitten and keep saying "gently". Get his hand and pat the cat gently all the while saying the word so he learns the word. Let him have a go on his own and the second he gets rough again, use a strong and firm voice and say NO. If he keeps being rough, bring in the naughty spot. He will more than likely not stay there but the principal is the same. He will realize that if he keeps being rough he will taken out of the fun. Also when he is rough with the kitten and after you have explained what he did wrong, take some time to show only attention for the cat. When he is playing nicely with the kitten be sure to give him lots of praise and have a snuggle with him and the kitten.
I hope this helps a little. Good Luck
P.S – Don’t feel bad. Being a mum is a life full of learning.

lol, he thinks it is his toy, but thats dangerous. u need to insist that he be nice to the cat or u will separate them. he needs to understand that the cat has feelings and the cat could hurt him. he will figure it out eventually, just dont let him be mean. take him away and distract him or something. good luck!

I have a niece who is 3 and a nephew who is 1 1/2. They both behave the same exact way towards my cat and dog. It’s totally normal! There’s one difference: you can stop it. You know that he shouldn’t be doing it and you’re at a point where you can still make him stop. My niece and nephew won’t stop because they’ve been allowed to do it for so long.

The solution? Don’t trust your son around your kitten. The more he gets away with hurting it, the more he’ll decide that it’s okay because he can get away with it. If you can’t watch him around the kitten, put the kitten somewhere safe, like in another room; your son obviously can’t be trusted with it. Continue teaching him nice ways to treat the kitten. Also, maybe have him get involved with taking care of it (i.e. feeding it, come to vet visits-most vets will let the kid listen to a heartbeat or something). If he learns some responsibility, even at his young age, he might feel more badly if he hurts it. At first, I would be prepared for him to get caught doing it still. When he does, don’t put him in time out. Time out might make him think, "Wow, that dumb cat got me put me in time out…now I wanna go hurt him cuz it’s his fault!" That may be a little bit of an exaggeration, but that may be why time out hasn’t worked. Try taking away dessert or a favorite toy…sending him to bed early, etc.
Since the kitten is new, you can still fix this. You’re doing the right thing by asking.

Another thought: When I was little, my sister told me that our kitten was as fragile as a butterfly, I loved butterflies and hated the idea them getting hurt. Maybe if you compare the kitten to a fragile toy or another animal that he knows to respect, then you can get through to him?

What I think is happening is that your child loves the reaction your child gets from the pet. It might be a wince or a yelp or a quick movement. It is impossible to get your pet to not react the way the child wants it to…they do it every time. This is the way their minds work…why we are told to ignore negative behavior and praise positive behavior. They will continue to do things if they like the reaction that they get. Aren’t all toddler toys designed this way? Our pets are no different. In my opinion, the only thing that you can do is continue to teach the importance of gentle interactions with our animals and KEEP BOTH YOUR PETS AND YOUR CHILDREN SAFE FROM EACH OTHER. Eventually, your child will grow and mature and understand this lesson. It is very difficult to deal with a child who is abusing a pet but that is part of being a parent. If you choose to have pets and children together you have to do what is necessary to keep them both safe.

Above all, I don’t advise hurting your child in any way in order to get your child to stop. That teaches them bad behavior and actually reduces their intelligence.

I don’t want to scare you but I have read cruelty towards animals can be a sign that something is not right. He is very small and you should try your best to make him understand why treating the cat like that is not right. If his behavior towards the cat becomes worse and worse every day I would definitely look for some professional help. I don’t know if I am being too dramatic here but a lot of grown up people that have psychological problems started exactly like that, being mean or torturing their pets. Only you know how far your kid has gone but I would definitely keep an eye on it and make sure he doesn’t get worse. Good luck!

You really can’t turn your back on a kid that age with any pet. With little kids and pets the rule is to supervise, and if you can’t do that, keep them apart.

Your son is going through a normal phase of testing limits, exploring cause and effect, and discovering that he can control this little living thing. But your kitten is not going to grow up to trust humans if he is terrorized by a little kid who is just being innocent and curious. By your question, I can tell that you already recognize this, and you are showing your son how to treat animals humanely. It’s a matter of knowing what to expect from him right now. Set him up for good experiences with the cat and end their interactions on a positive note.

Keep the kitten away from him before he ends up killing it. i know he doesn’t know what he’s doing is wrong but that’s no reason to sit back and let it happen! hello?

It’s perfectly normal! He’s 2. He doesn’t realize that he’s being rough.

He doesn’t see kitty as being anything other than a playmate.

He’s stuffing him in his ride on car because he’s taking him for a ride. Simply that.

Maybe he’s seen, not necessarily at your home, but he’s seen someone push a cat off of a bed/sofa or counter…roughly. Grandma’s or aunt’s maybe? It only took once for him to learn it. And in his eyes, it probably is funny.

Hold kitty, cuddle kitty…gently. OVER exaggerate gentle. Big, soft strokes saying, "Nice kitty. Be gentle/careful with kitty. Kitty likes it when you are more gentle."
Also, "Kitty doesn’t like going for rides in your nice car."

Our cats were bigger…and would just get up and leave when they saw my son coming at them! They also left a few marks of their own…that seemed to be a discouragement for our son to leave them alone! Your cat will learn! Until then, rescue and teach gentleness!

Good luck!

i work at a childcare center and trust me this is not abnormal behavior lol but it can be corrected. at this point he probably doesnt understand that what he is doing is hurting the kitten so next time he hurts the cat tell him something that he would understand, like "you gave kitty an ou-wee, you need to have gentle hands with the kitty" and show him what that looks like, if he copies you then praise him for being nice to the kitty.
and next time he starts to get rough again, tell him, "if you want the play with kitty then you need to be nice to kitty"

the whole idea is to sound as positive as possible. if he has a favorite toy or something like that then you could say " if you want your toy (or whatever, then you need to play nice with kitty"

i know it sounds kinda stupid at first ( i know i thought it did too) but it works, i see it on a daily bases and trust me it does wonders

It’s very normal.

2 yr olds do not do empathy very well. He can’t really step outside of himself and realise when he’s hurting others.

Keep doing the time outs. Keep showing him how to do gentle touch.

And most importantly, never ever ever let him be unsupervised with the kitten, for the safety of both of them.

Keep doing all that and eventually he will get it.

Yes this is totally normal behaviour for a toddler! there is not much that can be done other than time outs for being mean!