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Thursday, 18 de June 2009
The opportunity of growing up surrounded by cats gives children priceless lessons on love, responsibility and respect for animals. For this to happen, however, it is also necessary for the owners to always watch over the children and the cat.
Cats are not aggressive or rough at all and they usually get along with children quite well. Besides, a well-balanced cat will rather step away and retreat itself on its safe place than to attack. To make a child get used to cats and vice-versa is not a hard task as long as you keep your common sense and keep an eye on them whenever they are together.
New kitten and little children
Children up to 24 months of age
This is actually not a very good time for you to bring a kitten home, especially because children at their first year of life demand a lot of work. This will leave you with almost no time to make a new kitten get to know the family and learn the rules of the house. A new cat will always demand more time than one that’s already used to live in the house, so make sure you think it through before getting a new kitten when you’ve got a baby.
Between their 12th and their 24th month of life, children learn to walk, thus they become more active, incautious and somewhat ruthless and they are still unaware of how to deal with a pet. If the cat is not familiarized with the kid, this is definitely not the best time to do it.
From 24 months old on
Children from the age of 2 up begin to learn rules and can already be taught to deal with pets. Uneducated children might easily abuse the pet by pulling its tail or ears, hugging it too close, beating or pushing it too hard. Cats clearly don’t like this king of abuse and even the calmer one will most probably respond aggressively, wheezing and scratching.
In time, children will build bonds with the cat will most often show interest in everything about the pet: they will ask you to feed it, brush its hair and so on. You should support this behaviour while keeping an eye on these tasks. Although you should teach your kids about responsibility, you must not forget that children should never be the main owners and guardians of any pet. Only the parents and other adults are mature enough to look for the well being of an animal.
New baby and a cat at home
There is no need to give your cat away if you are expecting because you can absolutely live with both cat and baby at home and keep the harmony. The only concern you do should have towards your cat is to keep some daily time where you focus on your relationship with it: play, stroke it, brush its hair… Bear in mind that it is easier for pets to gradually spend less time with their owner than to get used to a new home. Make some time for your feline and turn it into a rule. You can enjoy some relaxing time while doing it.
Adult cats can peacefully get along with babies, as long as someone is watching over them. A cat that is used to the house it lives in will rather seek a refuge somewhere than to get into conflict, even when the baby starts crawling and learns to walk. Supervising, however, is always required. Children should never be let alone with any pet.
There are, as well, some things that you can do in order to better accommodate the cat to the arrival of a newborn:
- Do not let the cat enter the bedroom that is meant for the baby;
- Keep a small place where you can play with your cat without the baby around; make the cat get used to be with you in that space before the baby comes;
- Gradually reduce the time you spend with your cat, so as to prepare it for when the baby comes;
- Do not let the cat get to the baby crib but let it, however, explore it by smelling it around;
- Try to always have half an hour each day to completely devote to your cat, so that it doesn’t stress out and starts showing rude or strange behaviours;
- Every time the baby and the cat are at the same place, reward your pet so that it mentally links the baby to positive events.
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