The cat could have done real harm to the kid, scratch or bite him, but didn’t. It was only trying to prevent another slap to its head.
But I agree, lots of people have pets that should in no way be in the same household as small children. Certain dog breeds tend to be a lot more tolerable to abuse than others.
The child is a human flesh territorial being, the cat s a feral territorial ANIMAL. One is expendable, one is not, Your choice........
Again, it is the parent who is to blame for what happened there.
Older generations would not allow a cat in the house with a baby in a crib, because that cat could suffocate the baby as it cuddles on the baby's face. That is very good advice. Cat to blame for the suffocation? NO, the parent are.