Expert: Ali - 9/29/2008

Question
Hi there,  I am really upset.  My small son went a bit mad with a pair of scissors on my 'British Shorthair' cat's head and tail.  He's cut chunks of it.  I have since dealt with my son.  But my poor cat looks awful and I cried so much.  WIll his fur grow back to his beautiful natural look????

I really am upset he is only 5 months old and everso friendly with everyone, my husband also went mad! I would appreciate it if you could PLEASE let me know asap!!!!!!!

many thanx  Debi xxxxxxx

Answer
Debi,

Did your son just cut the fur or did he cut the actual skin on this cat? If the fur is the only issue I wouldn't be too worried, it will grow back just as it would after being clipped by your vet to place an IV for medical reasons. If the cat has wounds on his body caused by the scissors he must get medical treatment very promptly - within the hour if possible as there is a good chance that he may develop an infection. Once the wounds have been treated they should heal without any complications provided that your kitten is healthy. Once the wounds are healed if everything else is normal with this kitten's health his coat should grow back relatively quickly. At worst if your son cut the coat all the way down to the skin his coat may take a few months to return to it's previous beauty.

Sadly this isn't an uncommon issue when young children and pets are together so I always recommend that children be supervised very closely when interacting with or handling any pet. By keeping a very close eye on children while they are interacting with pets you will ensure that neither party is injured as a result of inappropriate handling. Young children aren't born knowing how to handle any animal properly, this is a skill that must be taught by adults within the household. I would recommend that you consider placing all sharp objects like knives and scissors in a cabinet with a childproof lock so that your son doesn't have any opportunity to repeat this mistake. After all, if your kitten escaped only with a bad hair cut he is very fortunate, fur grows back, if he has cuts on his body there is a chance that he may become fearful of your son which isn't unreasonable given the severity of the situation. If you find that your kitten is fearful after such a traumatic experience I would highly recommend that you pick up a homeopathic remedy called Bach's Rescue Remedy which is a blend of flower essences designed to calm and reassure. You can usually find this remedy in health food or natural health stores for about $ 15 CAN. I would recommend making sure that your kitten receives about 5-6 drops of Rescue Remedy in 1 ml of water via syringe orally as soon as possible to be sure that the remedy is most effective. It's important that you don't give the kitten this remedy straight because it is preserved in a solution of grape alcohol and most cats just don't find the smell or taste of alcohol appealing. Rescue Remedy is a very safe remedy that is used by some vets and pet parents around the world to reduce anxiety caused by trauma of varying origins. Hopefully you and your son have learned valuable lessons today and this will be the last time that such a traumatic event happens in this kitten's life.