Welcoming a kitten into the family can be an exciting experience for both you and your kids. Even though the experience is very exciting, you should help your kids learn how to take proper care of their new pet kitten instead of rushing your children and the kitten together.
Kittens need time to gradually settle into a new living environment and children need to slowly learn how to take care of a kitten and handle small pets correctly. Many young children have a wonderful, natural affinity to their pets, so they don’t need any help in building a relationship. It is up to parents to teach them the practical things at the beginning, so they learn responsibility and so that their pet stays healthy.
Here is how to help your kids take care of their new pet kitten.
Teach Your Kids about Proper Nutrition
When it comes to kittens, nutritious and healthy food is especially crucial for their growth as kittens tend to grow fast during their first year. An appropriate diet for young kittens should have two to three times the amount of calories and nutrients needed for adult cats with extra protein and fatty acids. Specifically, kittens are recommended to have specially formulated foods until they are more than a year old to have an adequate level of nutritional requirements. You don’t want your kitten eating too much salt and other minerals so look out for the best non prescription low phosphorus cat food choices to keep your kitten healthy. As a good rule of thumb, a nutritionally balanced diet is a great diet. Moreover, when you are looking for cat food, you should opt for products that are made with natural and whole ingredients to ensure the quality level of your kitten’s food.
Explain to your kids why you have chosen that food, and then teach them how to give the kitten food and assist with other tasks during feeding time. Refilling water bowls as well as calling the kitten for feeding time are great activities for young children. Aside from that, you as the adult should be handling difficult tasks and responsibilities such as administering medications.
Gradually Build Up the Time Your Kids and the Kitten Spent Together
For the first few weeks, it is important for you to not force either your kids or the kitten together. It is highly recommended that you build up the amount of time they spend together to develop trust between the kitten and your family members, and for your children to learn how to approach as well as handle the kitten. Remember that first impressions matter a lot and kittens can easily become traumatized in their early experiences are bad.
You should teach your kids to allow the kitten to approach them first when it is ready. This will prevent your kids from scaring the kitten and protect your kids from being scratched or bitten by the animal. As a general rule, your children must not pursue and pick up the kitten in a way that overwhelms and frightens it. Some kittens love being picked up and petted whilst others are more wary, so move at the kitten’s pace.
Teach Your Kids on How to Interact With the Kitten
You should teach your kids about when, how, and where to touch the kitten. This is especially important for both children and adult members of your family to learn this in the early stages, even before welcoming the kitten into your home. You can let your children know that appropriate areas to touch the kitten are the cheeks, the chin, and the area between the ears whilst they should avoid touching the tail and the tummy as some kittens don’t like that.
Aside from learning the how-to and where-to, kids should learn to spot signs that indicate the kitten is either enjoying or feeling uncomfortable during interactions. By following the recommended guidelines, your children will have less risk of being bitten and scratched by cats and kittens. In turn, your new kitten will feel more welcomed and comfortable in your home.
With every new pet, it is important for parents to supervise every interaction during the first stages and teach children to properly handle as well as care for the new pet member of the family. Keep in mind that the best way to show your children and teach them how to be a responsible pet owner is to lead by example. Your kitten will certainly have a good life with your family and your children can build wonderful relationships with their pet with patience, guidance, and positive reinforcement.
