Tormenting the Cat

We have two cats.  Tiger is the eldest at six years old. He is the most lovable cat you will ever meet.  He runs up to strangers and begs for their attention.  He is also very jealous of Baby and wants to be wherever she is (and he's not allowed into her room AT ALL.  He stands at the door and meows, or tries to sneak in).

He's not a typical cat.  We call him our house dog because of the way he acts.  He comes when called, he greets us at the door when we get home, he wants our attention, etc.  He even likes water.  No joke.  When we go to take a shower, he will try to jump in and get all wet.  We used to let him, but then he tracked water everywhere so now we lock him out.  When he was younger, I potty trained him.  Literally.  You know, like the cat from Meet the Fockers that used the toilet?  That was Tiger.  I never did figure out how to teach him to flush, though.  Anyway, we ended up moving and the toilet wasn't quite the same, so we let him regress.  However, it's a fact that I am still very proud of and brag about to this day (can't you tell?).

Our second cat is Buttercup.  She is a skittish little sweetheart, about four years old.  She will only come up to you for attention if she knows you really well.  Even then, you must be nice and calm.  We call her the perfect cat because she is the typical cat, but isn't in our way, doesn't get jealous, and is very good about not using anything but her littr box and her scratching post.

Baby loves the cats.  LOVES them.

When she spots one of them, her face will light up and she will yell out, "Dah!"  She will then proceed to chase them.

Buttercup is smart and runs away.  Tiger, on the other hand, stays and takes it.  Why?  I have no idea.

We take Baby's hand and tell her "soft" while showing her how to pet him.  She will then proceed to grab his fur and yank as hard as she can.  Tiger will meow at her and she will do it again.

Lately, Baby figured out how to keep her hand open and not yank.  Now she hits.  With an open palm.  Over and over, while giggling hysterically.  Tiger, again, goes meow.

Tiger has started to get a bit more bold (and I don't blame him), and now leans in to give her hand a little nip whenever she grabs his fur.  I don't really have a problem with this.  I mean, Baby needs to learn not to tear his fur out.  Tiger isn't hurting her with his little nips.  Hopefully she figures out he doesn't like it.

Husband, on the other hand, disagrees.  He doesn't think Tiger should be able to touch Baby in any way, even if she is hurting him.  He's not smart enough to run away, so he deserves it.

Now, whenever Baby grabs Tiger's fur in her chubby little fingers, Tiger leans in, Husband yells NO at him while I tell Baby No and Soft.

Then Husband and I debate about who we should be telling no to.

Hopefully Baby learns soon enough how to pet the cats before Tiger goes bald.