I was worried they'd have it put down or something.

These are good people, indeed.

what did he expect when the cat turned on him?

I don't think the baby and the cat can coexist. Babies pull and cat's aren't happy being the pulled.
The cat is beyond pissed off and probably spoiled. It doesn't sound like the cat wants to share.

It also sounds like they don't know how to handle the cat. Kicking a pissed cat in the butt will get you chased into a bathroom if not scratched to death too.

Getting the cat away from a guy who kicks it would improve its outlook quickly.

That dude should be fined at least a $100.

it takes the long ride to the humane society.

Are they being compassionate to the animal at the cost of putting their infant (and themselves) at risk?

No psychologist is going to be able to help that cat once the kid turns toddler. That cat and a young child are simply not a good mix.

Kicking the cat was so over the top. The one in that household who needs to get help is the husband.

Any animal behaviorist worthy of a paycheck is going to see that immediately.

Read a bit closer, you'll see where it says he kicked the cat to get it away from the baby.

Any animal behaviorist worthy of a paycheck is going to understand that the parent was looking out for their child, and that given the childs age they really shouldn't have a cat - Especially one that big, and still with claws.

Was kicking the cat the proper move? No. The proper thing would have been to scruff the cat, pick it up, and get it out of the house. But given the emotional state the parent was in - Walking in on the family pet attacking the baby - it's completely understandable why he did. His only thought was to scare the cat away, as fast as possiable, before it could injure or kill the baby.

and putting it into a playpen where it couldn't get near enough to the cat to pull his tail?

This is a failure on so many levels. It's good the cat isn't being put down. I hope they do rehome him away from kids under 6.

Things could have been done differently. But they weren't. Given the circumstances, kicking the cat, while not the best course of action, was understandable.

But yeah, cat's aren't good pets to have if you have young children around. Dogs are better since they have less of a chance of going berserk when someone grabs their tail.

How's *that* workin' out for ya, "Doc?"

I've had very different experiences with my cats and my babies. Until the babies were two to three years old, the cats would endure all sorts of 'torture' from them. It was my theory that the cats had an innate sense of "baby" and were very tolerant. When the cats considered the kids teachable, they would initiate training with one quick scratch; and that was it. Four kids, one scratch each, usually on the arm. Happy cats, happy respectful kids, all's well with the world.

I think this cat needs to be removed from that home.

I did have a monster cat at one time who I would have to lock up in the bedroom when we had guests. We actually had to use a chair and gloves to contain her at times. This was before children. If I had a child when we still had her, I would have given her away before the baby was born.

I remember one of the cats let them know back off with an ouchie on the hand
The other one got good at moving faster

Immediate introduction after birth may have helped
Still all here and growing as a family, together

.......Who kicks a cat and needs to call 911????:
I judgmentally predict uncontrollable children in their future

alone with animals in the house where this kind of altercation can take place? Who thinks kicking a cat is an appropriate response to it swatting at a child that pulls its tail?

There is a problem here, but it isn't the cat. The owners are the problem.

That has been known to get cats pretty riled up.

with the cat. There are obviously issues going on that he could work on resolving.

And they need lessons in appropriate HUMAN behavior and basic parenting. Where was the infant supervision to ensure safety for all???

Seems to boil down to building lots of high places/perches that the cat can jump between so that he feels he owns the room. I like that show but it always seems to be about getting that cat "up off the floor" and into a place he feels safe.

That and don't touch a cat when he is giving signals he doesn't want to be touched. And exercise your cat to tire him out. And pet him with a light touch so as to avoid getting him too energized.

I almost want a new cat to see if it is that simple. I haven't gotten a kitten in about 12 years but want to test out if these simple things would iron out problems with a "bad" cat. My current cat acts like a loyal dog so he doesn't count.

injections in the but?

He rubbed "the clear" all over himself.

I just can't.

Baby pulls cat's tail (normal baby behavior)....cat scratches baby (normal cat behavior)....Dad kicks cat to get it away from baby (I get that)....Whole family cowers in bedroom and calls 911 because they're scared of the 22 lb cat (this is where I start laughing).

22 lbs is big...for a cat. But it's not big compared to a grown man or woman. These people should move, and change their names, to avoid their well-deserved Internet humiliation.

That's a relief to hear.

both for the infant's and the cat's safety. The cat was "attacked" by the infant and responded appropriately, though that wasn't the parents' interpretation.

The completely inappropriate kicking of the cat then escalated matters.

The cat needs a new home because this one is not safe for it. These people are maroons.

I hate to say it but some animals are just wrong and should not be in a home with children. If a adult wants to take the risk, so be it, but our responsibility for our children is first and foremost.

She had it coming.

But a large aggressive house cat is not a lion or tiger.

A while back there was a feral cat who would sometimes hang out on our poach and look for attention or some food. My next door neighbor had an intense dislike of this cat. It seems the cat wandered into his yard and was confronted by my neighbor's two Rottweilers. It's hard to believe but this cat apparently not only held his own but tore up these two enormous dogs.

I currently own a feral cat who rarely allows anyone but me to approach him. When he wants attention, he is insistent. If he doesn't and I bother him, I will likely end up scratched or bit. He doesn't take any crap from anyone and I've seen him chase dogs and other cats out of our yard.

He only weighs in at 16 pounds so he is smaller than the cat in the story. Still if he went berserk, I feel I could handle him without calling the police. He has pushed my limits once or twice and I used just enough disciple to teach him that it is wisest if we both respect each other. I consider him to be my best friend but there is no doubt that he befriends me because that is his choice. He's extremely independent and I admire that.

She was a mean foul-tempered cat, and she lived to 15 in our home. She was here when both of our kids were born. I've seen My Cat from Hell, and mine was more foul-tempered than any of those.

You have to watch your kids around pets to make sure they're both safe, and the cat needs someplace to escape to. The cat was mean to the adults but ran away from the kids. And the kids were watched carefully. You can't teach a 7-month-old not to pull a cat's tail, but you can watch them if they're near a cat.

. . . it needs protection from the kid.

I'm sure Jackson Glaxy could get this cat straightened out.

My cat from hell is on the animal planet network. One of my favorite shows.i learned a lot about cats watching this show.

One cat was around before and after I was born. Six were around before and after my children were born. One cat? I have had two, and sometimes three, when my kids were babies and growing up.

Both cats, and certainly babies younger than 7 months, are perfectly able to understand, and SHOULD know, the words NO, and NICE. That baby should have learned YOUNGER than 7 months that an animal is not a TOY and not to pull it's tail. NO. Parents cannot say that to an infant? The pet's owners cannot say that to an ANIMAL either? Do NICE, to both baby and pet, far earlier than that age.

My sympathies are with that animal. Bad pet ownership, and bad parenting. BTW, both my adult daughters are cat owners, and one is now pregnant with her first child. I do not worry whatsoever about my future grandson. My daughter KNOWS how to be a responsible pet owner. She learned that one growing up with multiple cats from infancy.