GA - Man Swats Boy For Grabbing His Kitty

I feel this stranger would never had been put in the position of giving the child a swat had the parent of this child actually practiced parenting.

It's not acceptable to go around "swatting" strangers for any reason. Had this been an adult, rather than a child, would people still be excusing it?

I've seen bratty kids in supermarkets before. Do I have the right to go up to one and just spank him/her? Of course not! While I can understand this man's irritation with the situation, it is in no way acceptable to physically lay a hand on another person's child.
 
Sounds like just what this child needed. A good ol'swat on the rear. It should have came from this kid's mother, but she wasn't doing her job so someone did it for her. Just sad that this man was charged for it. Poor cat. Imoo
 
It's not acceptable to go around "swatting" strangers for any reason. Had this been an adult, rather than a child, would people still be excusing it?

I've seen bratty kids in supermarkets before. Do I have the right to go up to one and just spank him/her? Of course not! While I can understand this man's irritation with the situation, it is in no way acceptable to physically lay a hand on another person's child.

The child would not leave the cat alone, the cat owner asked the child to stop several times because the cat had just had surgery. He didn't harm the child, he swatted him, probably to get his attention more than trying to hurt him. The mother could have controlled her OWN child, she chose not to! Therefore, someone else did. I'm glad the cat was not hurt, and hopefully the child and mother learn a lesson. IMOO
 
Sounds like just what this child needed. A good ol'swat on the rear. It should have came from this kid's mother, but she wasn't doing her job so someone did it for her. Just sad that this man was charged for it. Poor cat. Imoo

I encounter plenty of people each day who deserve a slap. Doesn't mean I have a right to go around slapping strangers.
 
The child would not leave the cat alone, the cat owner asked the child to stop several times because the cat had just had surgery. He didn't harm the child, he swatted him, probably to get his attention more than trying to hurt him. The mother could have controlled her OWN child, she chose not to! Therefore, someone else did. I'm glad the cat was not hurt, and hopefully the child and mother learn a lesson. IMOO

He could have easily removed his cat from the situation.

If it's not acceptable for one adult to go up to another adult and slap them, then I fail to see why it should be acceptable to do to a child.
 
I encounter plenty of people each day who deserve a slap. Doesn't mean I have a right to go around slapping strangers.
He was protecting his cat, and probably the little boy also. Animals can be dangerous while in pain. Better a "swat" than stitches. IMO
 
Interesting that the vet employees have kind of a different take on what happened - the boy was trying to "play" with the cat, but to hear the man tell it he was trying to grab at it or open the carrier.

Strangers who spank other people's children are just weird. No one would have blamed him if he had taken the child - by the shoulders - back to the mom in a huffy way.

In my childhood, it was fairly typical that grumpy old weird men would spank other people's children in public - I don't know why we tolerated that. Weird.

Interesting you mentioned that. I have heard stories of that happening in the past.
 
I guess I'm in the minority, but I feel any child who doesn't understand the words "no" and "stop" by the age of four deserves a swat on the fanny, and I don't care who administers it, especially when the mother is right there apparently doing nothing to get her child under control.

I have raised four children. There are times my kids misbehaved, and I took responsibility for it, because that was my job. It is not the general public's responsibility to put up with other people's children's bratty behavior.

Four year old child vs. four year old child's mother. How is the winner a four year old child, and how are people okay with that?

I think also the parent of that child too needed a swatting. Parents need to be parents.
 
This story doesn't make sense. If the cat was in a carrier, how could the child have harmed the cat in any way? The cat's in an encloser. If the child was grabbing at the carrier, all the man had to do was pick the carrier up and walk away. He had NO right to lay a hand on a strangers child.

Never in a million years would I ever lay a hand on someone else's child. The man had so many different options. Walk away, put the carrier on the other side of the counter as another poster suggested. Ask for the manager... Heck, this was Georgia. It's not snow covered. If the employee's were unable to assist him, he could have waited outside with the cat. I have had do to that with my cat, in Chicago, where it is not as warm as GA, due to my cat fearing other large jumpy dogs - even while in the carrier.

The man lacks common sense, plain and simple and yes, imo, he deserved to be charged. I'd have done the same. No one puts a hand on my child!

ETA: Kids get testy, it happens to the best parents and kids who are mostly well behaved.
Hitting is never an option, a diversion such as a book or some crayons and something to color would have been better than swatting the kid.
 
This story doesn't make sense. If the cat was in a carrier, how could the child have harmed the cat in any way? The cat's in an encloser. If the child was grabbing at the carrier, all the man had to do was pick the carrier up and walk away. He had NO right to lay a hand on a strangers child.

Never in a million years would I ever lay a hand on someone else's child. The man had so many different options. Walk away, put the carrier on the other side of the counter as another poster suggested. Ask for the manager... Heck, this was Georgia. It's not snow covered. If the employee's were unable to assist him, he could have waited outside with the cat. I have had do to that with my cat, in Chicago, where it is not as warm as GA, due to my cat fearing other large jumpy dogs - even while in the carrier.

The man lacks common sense, plain and simple and yes, imo, he deserved to be charged. I'd have done the same. No one puts a hand on my child!

ETA: Kids get testy, it happens to the best parents and kids who are mostly well behaved.
Hitting is never an option, a diversion such as a book or some crayons and something to color would have been better than swatting the kid.

What the man did was wrong, but Mom shares some responsibility for not controlling her child. There's something wrong when other people are having to tell your child not to do something.
 
It is my job as a mother to discipline my child, not a stranger but if I am not doing my job then I should be called on it. I know he told the child to stop but did he speak to the mother directly? Something like, "Excuse me but my cat just had surgery, can you get your child to stop bothering him/her?" and if that didn't work - "Look lady, if you don't do something about your kid, I'm gonna have to.”

I have an issue with a mother who just sits by while a stranger repeatedly asks her child to stop doing something. Who does that? Does she not understand common curiosity? Did she not teach her child basic manners? Or at the very least to respect other people’s property? This kid was 4, not 2. He knew what he was doing was wrong and he knew mom wasn’t going to do anything about it. That is why the kid continued to harass this man and his cat.

My child has been taught to NEVER touch someone else's pet unless she first asks me and if I agree she must then ask the pet's owner. In that situation, in a vet's office, I would never even allow her to ask the owner. My answer would have been NO and that would have been the end of it. It is not just a “not listening issue”, it is a safety issue. Animals in a vet’s office are usually scared and more prone to acting out, especially after a surgery.
 
I have to admit, I don't think he should have swatted the child on the butt. He should have done what adults did to me during my childhood when I was being a bad girl and pinched me. It worked, I'm not knocking it, and I'm not gonna call it child abuse. No means No, and if you invade my space, or my kitty's, you'll first get a stern warning. But the next time your hand comes into my personal space - pinch!

Now don't be going throwing tomatoes at me. It worked for me and hundreds of kids before me. Why do we coddle children so? If mom isn't gonna do anything about it, I will. Yah, yah, yah - remove yourself and kiddo from the situation - pffftttt. Why should I have to move???

Personal space is personal space. Please kiddos, if one of my fur-babies has just had surgery and you are intent on poking him/her about, and your mama does nothing about it, please be prepared to get a little pinch on the hand from me ;)

MOO

Mel
 
Since the cat just had surgery the man wouldn't want the child to grab the cat.
Going over the mother and swatting her would end him up in jail anyway, so I have no clue how that is a better solution.

I never said it was a good solution, just that it would have made the same amount of sense as swatting the kid.
 
I don't understand how the man stepping on child's foot (where the child could actually be injured) would be any better than lightly swatting the child? It's not like this man caused the child any physical damage by swatting him.

Have you ever had your foot stepped on by accident? Most people have.

Have you ever had your butt swatted by accident in front of an office full of people? Probably not.
 
I have to admit, I don't think he should have swatted the child on the butt. He should have done what adults did to me during my childhood when I was being a bad girl and pinched me. It worked, I'm not knocking it, and I'm not gonna call it child abuse. No means No, and if you invade my space, or my kitty's, you'll first get a stern warning. But the next time your hand comes into my personal space - pinch!

Now don't be going throwing tomatoes at me. It worked for me and hundreds of kids before me. Why do we coddle children so? If mom isn't gonna do anything about it, I will. Yah, yah, yah - remove yourself and kiddo from the situation - pffftttt. Why should I have to move???

Personal space is personal space. Please kiddos, if one of my fur-babies has just had surgery and you are intent on poking him/her about, and your mama does nothing about it, please be prepared to get a little pinch on the hand from me ;)

MOO

Mel

Oh no Mel not the dreaded pinch. The pinch was usually saved for Church in our parts and only dealt by my mother.

O.K. I'm going to be honest here. Nobody, but nobody can go around swatting a child or an adult. This ain't 1958 anymore and Beaver never got a smack from his parents let alone a stranger with a cat.

However, it gets people like myself angry. Yeah I get angry when some kids are kicking me from a shopping cart or running wild on a train that is stranded for hours on end. Why am I mad? I'm mad because I busted my own tail to ensure my child would never, ever be the cause of other innocent people having to deal with kid type behavior that does happen. It happens. Kids get bored. Kids get antsy. Does that mean they can go grabbing at other folks pets? No!

However this cat story went down in a way I can envision some guy worried for his pet while some parent admittedly says they can not control their child. WT* does that mean? I'm sure there are many reasons. Remove the child. Figure it out. Do something instead of putting other people out.

He was way out of line for putting his hands on that kid, but as mentioned I am sure the man was frustrated. He needs a time out. Maybe we all do to understand better.

People watch your da*n kids because I already did my job.
 
Why should I have to move???



Mel

Man, Mel that's the same thing as "You people got a problem with my kids then come down to my house at 2222 Blank Street".

Ummmmmmm first off slob if people did come to your house you'd be on the couch sleeping no matter the hour. Secondly why should elderly people that lived here for 50 years have to walk alllll the way up to your house because your kids busted a window, fed a puppy a battery, hit an Albanian woman new to this country with a fence, and broke off someone elses rain spout.

Seriously, other people have to yell at these kids because the mother load is on her lazy butt watching game shows and people are supposed to go to her house to air grievances when she hasn't even stuck her head out the door or window once in six hours to see where these kids are.

Sorry back to the cat........................
 
Ok to let your kid mess with someone's injured pet? NO
Ok to swat said child? NO
Ok to call the police and press charges over the whole thing? NO

I think the police have better things to do. You know who I feel sorry for? The vet staff who had to witness that entire scene. It sounds to me like there was much overreaction and under-parenting going on.
 
Man, Mel that's the same thing as "You people got a problem with my kids then come down to my house at 2222 Blank Street".

Ummmmmmm first off slob if people did come to your house you'd be on the couch sleeping no matter the hour. Secondly why should elderly people that lived here for 50 years have to walk alllll the way up to your house because your kids busted a window, fed a puppy a battery, hit an Albanian woman new to this country with a fence, and broke off someone elses rain spout.

Seriously, other people have to yell at these kids because the mother load is on her lazy butt watching game shows and people are supposed to go to her house to air grievances when she hasn't even stuck her head out the door or window once in six hours to see where these kids are.

Sorry back to the cat........................

I meant that the guy with the kitty shouldn't have to move to accomodate this kid. Who you calling a slob? :what:

LOL

Mel
 
I meant that the guy with the kitty shouldn't have to move to accomodate this kid. Who you calling a slob? :what:

LOL

Mel




:floorlaugh::floorlaugh:Mel, I was agreeing with you. The breeder up my block is the slob.:D Nothing we haven't said to her face.

Knock it off or I'll have to pinch you one, Mel.:blowkiss:
 
The child would not leave the cat alone, the cat owner asked the child to stop several times because the cat had just had surgery. He didn't harm the child, he swatted him, probably to get his attention more than trying to hurt him. The mother could have controlled her OWN child, she chose not to! Therefore, someone else did. I'm glad the cat was not hurt, and hopefully the child and mother learn a lesson. IMOO

LOL, maybe Opra was right when she said that it takes a village to raise a child. Maybe the mother should have been required to put the brat in a carrier.
 

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