Hi .My name is Brandie and backin Janurary of 2006 i adopted a cat from our local humane society as a family pet. He is 5 years old and i was very excited to bring him home to my hubby and 2 kids aged 4 years and 14 months. i hoped to teach my children to love animals with this cat but it has blown up in my face! this cat whom i will refer to as mr. furley wants nothing to do with my kids, in fact he hisses and growls at them and avoids them at all costs! I am going to try clicker training as i have tried everything else to no avail. i will report back to you after some time.
Good idea
Hi Brandie, clicker training is a good idea. Cats are fun to train and incredibly smart.
Please consider that Mr Furley may have been mistreated by children in his last home, which would be a very good reason for him to want to get away from your children even if they have never done anything to hurt him.
Very young children often do hurt cats without meaning to. I know my 7 month old loves to grab large handfuls of cat fur. Strangely, my cats don't seem to mind. Knowing cats, and in particular knowing my two current cats, I find this quite incredible. It is the exception and not the rule!
My nieces have a cat who, quite understandably, wants nothing to do with them. They love her so much, but always want to hold her. Despite the stereotype, not all cats enjoy being held or stroked.
It doesn't matter to my nieces, they love her all the same and hopefully will learn soon that with love comes respect.
Unselfish love respects the wants and needs of others. If you can teach your children the true meaning of that then Mr Furley will have served a very important role in their development.
Maybe one day, with a little clicker training and some kind patience, Mr Furley will also learn an important lesson in trust and how great your kids are and will let them into his life willingly. The great thing about clicker training is that it is all willing - you can't force the animal to do what you want with clicker training. Any result is unforced and freely offered.
Regards,
Aidan
http://www.PositivePetzine.com