Du Catters: Best age to give a son a cat

[Taverner]

The Boy has wanted a cat every since he could talk. He knows to be gentle around cats, but he's still a kid (age 5) so the outbursts of insanity in the room still take place.

So what age would you give this future catter a feline?

[Gidney N Cloyd]

1. I'd save it for a housewarming gift.

;)

[devilgrrl]

2. We had cats at age 3.

Mister and Missy cat, way back in 1966.

[mcctatas]

3. Depends on the breed and the boy....

if you don't like him very much, give him a Siamese;) Here is my lovely companion (and this is his happy face!)

[huskerlaw]

4. My sister and I each got one

for our 7th birthdays. I think 7 is pretty arbitrary, but it seemed to work well.

The thing is, cats exist perfectly fine around babies and toddlers. They're fully capable of dealing with child-insanity (unless the cat has an anti-child temperament).

The bigger concern is whether or not your son is capable of taking care of "his" cat. As long as you're willing to help take care of it and keep on your son to complete his portion of the cat chores, his age really doesn't matter.

[stuntcat]

5. If he knows how to not hurt it!

I think it would be okay anytime, as long he knows how to be gentle with it. Kittens have the tiny bones and stuff.

[fizzgig]

6. i've been around cats since i was born

and i think anytime is fine for a kid to get a cat, as long as it's one that is good around kids. i guess the bigger question is whether you and mom are ready to take care of a cat ;)

[Lil Missy]

7. In my experience, cats don't like to "play" with children. Get him a dog.

[Arugula Latte]

24. My kids play with our cats all the time.

Plus, dog bites are way scarier.

My son got off the bus, walked by the neighbor's dog (which was on a leash) and the dog just went up to my son without warning and chomped his leg -- hard. Broke the skin, bleeding, etc.

[Phillycat]

31. Well, this post is very uninformed.

Cats can be wonderful companions for children.

[EFerrari]

8. 25.By that time, they usually have the ability to manage their temper,

they have wheels or know how to get around and they have the presence of mind to find a vet when one is needed. They may have the sense not to let a cat outdoors to become roadkill and may take some pleasure in the pleasure of others.

But I may be idealizing 25. :evilgrin:

[Xipe Totec]

9. Aquarius

Cat Steven's...

Cat's in the Cradle....

[Flaxbee]

10. My older sisters had two cats when I was born --

and it was fine. The only thing is, you can't get freaked if the cat scratches your son (and DON'T declaw) -- it's all part of the learning process. Just make sure you have some neosporin around. If your son gets a little rough, just because of age or exuberance, and the cat swats him to back off, that's normal.

You might want to adopt an older cat, and ask the shelter about temperament and sweetness. Or, adopt an older cat who has been (cruelly) declawed and is living in a shelter, give the sweet thing a home and protect your son's skin at the same time.

[LeftyMom]

11. Can he be mellow and quiet?

Can he watch for cues that the cat wants to be left alone and back off?

Kids that age can get along with cats, mostly by ignoring them. If he really likes cats and thinks they're going to be buddies, that's probably going to cause more trouble than a kid who's indifferent toward the cat.

PS Holy Shit, he's five already?

[Taverner]

12. I know - time flies no?

Yeah I'm thinking 7 or 9 might be the right age

[La Lioness Priyanka]

13. 9 ish. i know my 10 year old brother is perfect around cats.

i would also not get a kitten but an older, mellow cat.

[sammythecat]

14. I'd say a cat and a pre-schooler is not a good pairing.

Cats can be playful, but only sometimes and not for any sustained length of time. Even as kittens, I think a 5yr. old may be too much. Once they're grown up, their toleration of excitement plummets.

5 year olds want horses too, but if they get it, the horse becomes yours. Unless YOU want a cat, I don't think it's a good idea to get a tyke a cat, or any other animal. They're just not responsible enough, and don't really understand animals, and animals require, and deserve, an owner that understands their needs and their nature.

[electron_blue]

15. Define "give".

The parents will still be taking care of this cat, right? I don't think kids are old enough to most of the caregiving for a cat or dog until 10 or so.

I have a 6 yr old and she's always been gentle with cats and played with them, loved them, etc. I've had the cats long before her, so she's always known them. I think if *you* want a cat in the house and will take care of it, and your 5 yr old is gentle with them, then it's probably fine.

[Taverner]

16. Kid has a sleeping partner

Yeah, I know we'll end up doing all the work - but he loves having a warm body next to him when he sleeps

[GreenPartyVoter]

20. Well, kittehs are up a lot of the night, and you can't really force them to sleep

where you want. On occasion mine will sleep one on my head and the other on my feet, but they chose to be there. It's not often I can bring them to the bed and get them to stay if _I_ want that to happen. LOL (Also, if you get a kitten I would suggest keeping it in its own little room at night with a litter box and food and water until it is housebroken and old enough that you wouldn't worry about it wandering around at night.)

[electron_blue]

21. aw, cute. One of my cats always takes up residence outside dd's bedroom door

at bedtime. As if to guard her while sleeping. She comes downstairs after dd's nodded off. The other cat always comes and sits very nearby when we read aloud from a book.

[Spock_is_Skeptical]

17. depends on the kid and cat in question but

I'd say take a trip to the local humane society to find a nice mellow adult kitty (or whatever kitty he bonds with of course.)

[Richardo]

18. Age of the son or age of the cat?

:)

I think older than 5.

[GreenPartyVoter]

19. The cats preceded the kids in our house, so I haven't dealt with

acclimating kids and kittens with each other. OTOH I was about 5th grade and lil bro was 2nd when we got our first kittens and they survived us.

I bet your little guy would be fine as long as you either get a kid-friendly cat or a kitten that could be raised to be kid-friendly. Most cats know to scoot when there is an outburst of insanity. LOL

[just a girl]

22. Mine son got a cat for his 2nd birthday

The 2 have grown up together and play well together.

[davsand]

23. We got Chaucer when Material Girl was still in pre-school.

She was almost five by the time we got him in Feb. She turned five in late May.

Literally, when we went to the shelter to look at kitties, I was screening for a cat that could deal with a child and our household. I had spent 17 years with a vicious kitty that was the product of a rescue made during a drunken three day weekend. Not a day went by that the cat was normal and I loved her anyway.

I figured that if a cat could be happy in the bedlam of a shelter full of barking dogs and yowling cats my house was probably not gonna be a terrible problem. He was relaxed and playful that day and that has not changed in the 6 years he's been with us. He leaned out of his cage to pat at her when she walked by and he hopped into her lap as soon as we got into a visiting room.

They are good pals and they actually play with each other. The kid will go down the hall with the cat in hot pursuit then the cat will come back with the kid in hot pursuit. She used to dress him up in baby clothing and he has never deliberately scratched her--but he HAS swatted her a few times without using his claws. He sleeps on her bed when she is gone and he runs to the front door when he hears her voice in the driveway.

He is not a normal cat and even his vet says he's the most mellow Kitty she has seen in a very long time. He weighs in at 16 pounds and his vet says he does not need to lose weight ("but don't let him get any bigger!") He's huge and when he runs thru the house you can HEAR him thundering around. I have never seen anything like it.

The big thing with a little kid and a cat is that you need to ALWAYS make sure your kid is gentle with the cat (at least as much as a kid will be.) That really IS how kids learn to be good to animals--by their parents telling them how important it is. By the same token you ALWAYS want to be gentle with the kitty because your kid sees how YOU interact with that animal. You have to set the example.

Short haired is probably best unless you want to spend a lot of time grooming the cat. Trust me--YOU will be the ones doing it--not your child. Same thing with feeding and scooping the litterbox... (I strongly urge a water fountain for the cat no matter WHO takes care of it because it is better for the cat. They drink more.)

You can probably get your kid a cat now if you like and if you trust your kid with an animal. My only caveat is that you realize it IS your cat when it comes to the work and responsibility.


Laura

[Arugula Latte]

25. We've always had three cats. When one died five years ago,

we got a kitten. My daughter was three at the time, and she was just not quite as gentle with the kitten as I would have liked. Five is probably fine, though, because it seems he understands the need for gentleness.

[harmonicon]

26. 29

That's how old I am, and I'd like a kitty.

[woo me with science]

27. I would have the family adopt the cat. Terminology is important,

and I like it to be understood that animals are a part of the family, rather than being "given to" or "owned" by one member. Of course they still form special attachments with children.

The age would depend a lot on the child. Is he able to follow rules about the cat, and does he show empathy for animals that will help him internalize the rules?

Good luck. I think having an animal in the house is very good for children. We started our children very young.

[gristy]

29. Yeah, I like the idea of the cat "belonging" to everyone

That's the only way it could work when I was growing up, since I had 4 siblings. But even for an only child, I share your view.

[badgerpup]

28. Check out your breeds first...

The SPCA handbook has a short chapter covering about 70 different breeds, and one of the little icons they use (along with chatty, high energy, needs special attention for grooming) is 'Good with kids'.

I'd recommend a rescue kitty if you can do that, but here's a quick and dirty rule of thumb.
The angular kitties tend to be more high-strung, and the 'rounder' (I don't mean fat, I mean general build) cats tend to a more phlegmatic nature.
Think Siamese as compared to Maine Coon (the Maine Coon cats, IIRC, are listed as good with children).

As I said, this is general. YMMV, especially if you're adopting a "mixed breed" (read: Mama kitty got out while she was in heat) kitty.

[applegrove]

30. 6 would be the perfect age to get him a kitten. The two of them will exhaust each other with

all that play.