Dear Critter Corner: Why do so many animals have trouble being around small children?
There are several reasons why young children and animals tend to be a volatile combination. One reason is that young children tend to get excited very quickly and have a wild energy about them. Animals communicate primarily through body language and pick up on emotional states easily. For an insecure animal, wild overexcitement can be perceived as threatening and eventually illicit an aggressive response. For a confident animal, this could have the opposite effect and engage their prey drive as they get over-stimulated themselves and start to play too roughly.
Kids often do not pay attention to an animal’s body language when they interact with them. Animals will give warning signs, some are subtle, if they are not enjoying something or if they are starting to get overly aroused. Very young animals tend to be more tolerant of high-energy children, but it is good practice to teach kids to be calm around animals.
Another reason is that people often touch animals in a way that a human might enjoy, but not necessarily an animal. For example, most animals do not like being hugged tightly. While children are often comforted through hugging and tight body contact, animals find this constricting and may feel trapped. It often triggers their opposition reflex, where they instinctively push/pull away from the direction of the applied force. If they cannot get away immediately, they may escalate to more threatening tactics. Cats have very sensitive skin and while they can be affectionate and enjoy petting, they will eventually become fatigued and want to stop. This is a leading cause of misperceived random scratches and bites. Watch for warning signs in cats such as: tail flicks, flattened ears, widening pupils, and vocalizing.