Introducing a Cat to Children

Before introducing the fluffy bundle of joy to your family amidst happy memories of your own childhood growing up with a kitten, just remember to take steps and precautions before introducing a cat to your children.

Everyone loves a pet for their family and they make great additions, but as cute as the kitten may seem, there are many things to be careful of when you first introduce them.

Before anything, ensure that your children would like the cat or, at the very least, that if their interest was to wane at some point you would be happy to assume responsibility and look after the cat yourself!

Is it safe to introduce a cat to my children?

Though you should never leave your youngest alone with the cat, children and cats can happily play around together without a problem, but just make sure that you are there to supervise until you can be confident enough that your older children will respect the cat - and vice versa.

Make sure that you teach your children not to pull the cat's tail and, sometimes, the cat just won't want the attention so make sure the cat has an area to escape to if it doesn't want the child chasing after it all day!

Perhaps let your children play with a small cat toy so that the cat remains at a little distance - this way there is less risk of the cat becoming over excited or teased enough to put their claws near your children.

Introducing a cat to your children can be a brilliant way of teaching them how to grow close to animals in a respectful, loving way that will stay with them for life. We all know that pets can be great company, but just make sure that you take the appropriate steps to keep your children safe as well.