Growing up with a pet gives many values to children. Enjoying the company of a cat while children learn to be responsible benefits their psychosocial development. From the moment a child and an animal begin to live together, they should learn to take part in their care, parents have to teach them how to correctly take care of a cat.
Children must learn that cats are not toys, depending on the age of the child, there are some tasks they could take care of.
Benefits of growing up with a pet
Before we begin with guidelines for teaching a child to care for a cat, we want to emphasise the benefits that animals have on the development of young children:
- Animals teach children to be more responsible.
- They reduce daily stress.
- They increase children’s physical activity.
- They give them self-confidence.
- They reduce separation anxiety.
- They improve relationships with other people and animals.
- Children who grow up with animals have less risk of allergies and diseases.
Teaching your children to take care of a cat
If you decide to take the plunge and adopt a new pet, or if you are about to become parents and you already have a kitten, these are the activities you can teach your children so that they also learn to take care of a cat.
Food
Involve your children in the feeding of their cat. Set times so that they don’t forget to put the food out, and so they themselves learn the importance of eating every day, and of doing it correctly.
Games and physical activity
Although cats spend a lot of time sleeping, they also need to be active every day. The perfect excuse for kids to try out new toys with their favourite pet, having a fun time.
Grooming your cat
Another important aspect in the daily life of any cat is its cleanliness. While cats often spend several hours grooming, they also need a little help to remove hair that falls out and preventing the formation of hairballs in their stomachs. It’s as easy as teaching children to brush a cat properly, using a special pet brush, or a silicone glove if they’re still too young.
Cleaning the litter box
Perhaps the least fun part of having a cat is having to change and clean the litter box. However, it’s not a complicated task at all, and it can be easily performed by children of any age.
Very young children should always do it with the help or under the supervision of an adult. As they get older, children will acquire the skills necessary to remove the dirty litter and put in new cat litter, in under 10 minutes.
The quality of the cat litter we have at Sepicat makes this task much easier, making it easier for children to learn to care for a cat from an early age. Let’s get to work!
4 Responses
My daughter just turned five about a week ago, and lately, I have noticed her fascination and love for animals. She is always watching the neighbor’s cat, and she lights up every time she pets her. I am thinking it might be a good idea to add a kitten to our family, and it is great to know that having a pet will help my daughter to avoid getting allergies.
Lovely idea! Be sure to check out our post on the most affectionate cat breeds, we are sure you will find the perfect match for you daughter https://sepicat.com/the-8-most-affectionate-cat-breeds/
When I was a little kid, we tried to get a cat. Her name was Rosie, and she was a tuxedo cat. Unfortunately, though, my dad suddenly developed bad cat allergies. I have no clue why they developed out of the blue. I was sad when we couldn’t keep her.
So sad to hear that you had to give up Rosie! It’s true that a person can suddenly develop allergies to cats, but there are a few ways that they can be controlled so you can keep your pet. Bathing your cat weekly, vacuuming daily and installing an air filter could help reduce the symptoms. Hope you can get a new buddy soon!