Small kids and kittens

What do you guys think about placing a 3-months old kitten into a home with two small kids and no other pets? I'm a bit wary about it, both the two little kids and the fact that there are no other pets. Ideally kittens should have other cats to play with, imo. But my rescue don't have a policy against placing single kittens into a home like some other rescues do. I do still prefer it though. What do you guys think about it? Would you place such a young kitten into a home with small kids and no other cats?

Most of the shelters out by me do have a policy and/or requirements about placing very young kittens (under six months) with children under five years old. How old are the kids? The other concern I have, is that the kids don't have any experience with cats, let alone a fragile 12 week old kitten. Children under the age of five and young kittens, don't mix. It could be disastrous for the kitten. It also depends on the children. My sister has a four year old girl and they just got a four-month old kitten. But my niece was raised with cats and they already have cats in the home. So I think that has to be considered in this case, the fact that the kids don't have cats already and have no prior experience with them and would probably be to rambunctious with the kitten.

It would depend on the kids. I was around cats/kittens since I was born. My grandparents had siameses. My great grandmother got 2 kittens for me she kept them at her house. I loved my great grandmother's cat Inky. He even came running to me every time I was there. My aunt and cousins had Smokey who just layed there and let me pat him for hours at a time, when we were there. I wasn't rough or mean to them. I knew how to hold them gently and pat them. I had toys that I could play with them, or throw for them. Plus grown ups were with me at all times. Same with dogs I grew up around. My grandparents German Shepherd, and her friend a beagle who lived on the next farm over from them. My father, aunt, grandfather, grandmother all grew up with cats and dogs as small children. Actually I think it's good for kids to have pets. If my mother had seen how great having a cat could be as a child, I'd have been able to have a cat at home when I was little.

Many children are fine w/ the right kittens, some are rowdy but there are well behaved children out there. I don't like "blanket rules" as there is almost always an exception to the rule!

I think it is really going to depend on the vibe you are getting from the parents. Do they seem like they have control over their kids? Are the kids well behaved?

When I was a child, I had a kitten who was my best friend in the world and I adored him and he adored me. I never hurt him and being with him taught me to be gentle with animals. It is where my love for cats began.

Also, when my youngest son was 2, we got Rosco (my cocker) who was just 6 weeks old and was smaller than my adult cats. I used that time to teach him how to handle and be around animals and we never had any problems at all.

Now my kids are 11 and 7 and both are extreme animal lovers. If anything, they could LOVE the cats to death. Here is an example: (Blue was above his head, but my dh abhors it when I post a pic of our children online, so this is going to have to suffice...





Follow your gut having met the parent and the child/children and go from there.

What are the ages of the children? Young could be anything from toddler to IDK maybe 7 to 10 years old. We got our first kitten when our first child was less than 2 years old. She learned to say "kitty" before she could say "baby."

Just because there are no other pets right now - do you know if this family has previously had pets? If yes, what happened? Could be a old pet recently died.

I'd worry more if they had a pet in the form of a large dog or a lees-than-year-old dog and wanted to get a kitten.

I haven't met the family yet, just recieved an application. They have two girls, 3.5 and 5.5. The kids have not had pets before. The mom says that they've been waiting to get a kitten until the kids are old enough to be respectful of pets. I take that as a good sign, that she is aware of the issue. However, a 3.5-year old is very young and things can happen with small kids despite their good intentions. But, as pointed out, every kid is different and a lot has to do with how well the parents teach them and supervise them.
I was 4 when we got two kittens and I can't recall myself or my siblings ever mishandling the kittens. I know that we were not allowed to pick them up when they were little and later my mom showed us how to hold them. So I guess under the right circumstances small kids and kittens could de just fine together. I'm just going to have to meet them and see how the girls handle the kitten and how the parents handle the kids. The problem is that I just hate to turn people down after a visit with them. I'd much rather turn an adopter down at the application stage. I hate to disappoint people.

One positive is that if any kitten would do well with small kids I believe it would be this one. She is very outgoing and completely fearless. When I brought her home she acted like she's lived here forever. She wasn't a least bit scared of my husband or I. Some other kittens I would never consider for a home with small kids but I think this little girl could do just fine. She's a tough one, that's for sure.

I have a 2 year old son and a 5 year old cat. They are fine together and my son behaves well for someone his age. He does get carried away sometimes but I just remind him to "be nice nice" and if that doesn't work, I redirect him to give the cat some breathing room.

That being said, yesterday we started fostering a 3 month old kitten along with a 1 year old cat. My otherwise behaved son has lost his mind. He can't help but SCREAM and chase these new kitties around. Of course we stop him, tell him no, give the cats a safe room, etc but man..I'm glad they're just short term fosters for their sake.

I got my first dog at 3 years old. Sure, not the same as a cat but I was very well behaved with him.

I say it depends on the cats, the kids and the parents.

It sounds like it would be a good match after reading your recent post. The girls seem like they have been waiting for a kitten and the mother would definitely be supervising them all anyway. The girls sound like they would be very good with this kitten and already understand about being gentle, cautious and respective of their new kitten. And, the kitten has the right temperament/personality to fit right in with this family.

Each situation is different as far as young children and kittens and has to be evaluated as such. Policies are just put into place just for guidelines, but there are exceptions and this sounds like a perfect match. Hope is works out

Personally, I'd recommend for them to get 2 kittens. A single kitten will only have the children to play with, and it could get rough. We got 2 kittens when my brother was 3, and it turned out well. He carried them around and was very gentle with the,.

I think it is going to depend on the parents, for sure. Are they going to watch them around the cat? Are they prepared to teach their children how to handle/be gentle/etc?

My DD is 16 months. She LOVES the cats. I got Keebler (almost 2) when I was pregnant with her and he would lay on my lap, purr, and drape his head over my tummy. We adopted Louie (almost 1) before we moved (DD was about 10 months) and she immediately said "Bob Bob" every time she saw him. She knows to "be gentle" and if I notice her getting too rough I either remind her, or redirect her and just move the cat. She generally leaves Keebler alone as he isn't as laid back as Louie is, and she doesn't really get a chance to bug T.J. (almost 4 months) much as he's always "busy" with something funner.

But for sure, I think it is great for children to grow up with pets. We have always had cats, since before I was born even. A 3+ year old can understand that they have to be nice to the cat. It's just up to the parents to teach them.

Just remember that something could happen with ANYONE. Not just a young child. Big kids can get too rough or loose interest, adults can do the same.

I have a two year old and just rescued two four week old kittens. My DD knows she is never allowed to pick up the kittens and is very gentle when petting them. The kittens are blocked off in their own room where she can't get them unless its "kitten time" in which the cats are allowed to roam at will and everyone is closely supervised. I think if the child is well informed about the kitten/cat and supervised until both child and feline are older there should be no problem. It sounds like these children are informed and the parent sounds responsible enough I think your kitty should be fine.

I agree with other posters.

1.) I would strongly encourage this family to get 2 kittens. I think most people are receptive to the reasons behind this.

2.) It really does depend on the kids as to whether or not this will be a good fit. I'm not sure how your rescue works; but, we do meet-n-greets at the foster home to see how people/kids interact with the cat they are interested in (and how the cat interacts with them.) We have on occasion directed people towards an older kitten (sometime a 2-4 yr old cat.)

Ziggy'smom said:

What do you guys think about placing a 3-months old kitten into a home with two small kids and no other pets? I'm a bit wary about it, both the two little kids and the fact that there are no other pets. Ideally kittens should have other cats to play with, imo. But my rescue don't have a policy against placing single kittens into a home like some other rescues do. I do still prefer it though. What do you guys think about it? Would you place such a young kitten into a home with small kids and no other cats?

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Hm... I would want to meet both the parents and the children. This can go really well, or really bad. It totally depends on how the parents have taught them.

I had animals all my life, but I was born into a home with an adult cat and dog, and treating them kindly was practically burned into my DNA. My parents kept me away as a baby, and began training me to treat them right as soon as I was ambulatory. For the most part, I was always pretty good about it, but on the rare occasion I got too grabby and the cat swatted at me, my parents would say, "That's what you get when you don't respect their space!"

When I was 9, after the elder cat had passed away of old age, I wanted a cat of my own, and my parents got me a Cornish Rex kitten. It was a perfect match. My combination of training with how to treat animals, and the high energy of just being a child, was exactly what a Cornish Rex needs.

Of course, I know other kids who are great with animals too, because their parents taught them how to be.

But there are a lot of parents who don't train their children how to be nice to animals, and blame the animals when they lash out after being harassed or harmed by children. My cat actually came from a home like that: 4 children under 10 who were very rough with her. She never did lash out because she's just that passive, but she did wind up hiding all the time. She was so scared of them that she didn't even want to cross the house to get to her litter box, and she would just go where she was instead. Eventually they dumped her back in the shelter because she wasn't entertaining anymore.

And unfortunately, I see a lot of that. Tons and tons of animals -- adopted as babies -- wind up back in the shelter as young adults because parents blame the animals for being afraid of unruly children.

For a family with no other pets, I would be concerned about whether the children know how to treat animals. They can't just assume that they will suddenly get it at X age. They have to be taught. That's a bigger concern with a kitten, who is so small, and still forming their disposition towards people.

I'd want to see the kids in action with the kittens, and how the parents guide them.

This thread is over two years old.. I doubt the original poster has made their decision by now! lol