Cats – what to watch for if you have children.

If you already have a cat or if you get a cat, take it easy when introducing the animal to a baby, toddler or a child. Cats need time to adjust; some are more curious and affectionate, some respond by hiding or acting up.

Newborns: If you have a newborn baby, keep the cat away from the baby’s crib. Affectionate cats might try to rub on the baby, “play” with it and accidentally scratch it. Worse, the cat may lay down close to the baby’s face and nose which could result in suffocating it. Some cats might even urinate or defecate on the baby’s bed, blankets or outfits. This is not a sign of jealousy rather a territorial marking that relieves the cat’s anxiety by covering up the scent of the baby with it’s own.
Don’t punish the cat for this behavior, it will increase the animal’s anxiety. Keep the animal out of the baby’s room.

When you interact with the baby, such as holding it, feeding it, changing diapers, etc. let the cat be in the same room and keep interacting with the animal. Make sure the cat is not allowed into the baby’s bed or stroller, even in your presence. That way the cat will feel less neglected and will soon accept the new baby as a family member.

Toddlers: When your baby gets older, allow supervised interaction between the child and the cat. Don’t forget, toddlers can be ruff and even they don’t intentionally harm an animal, they lack experience and can hurt your cat. Teach your toddler not to squeeze the animal, not to poke into the animal’s ears, eyes, mouth, not to step on it. Keep the toddler away from pet food, pet toys, water bowls and litter box! Toddlers are curious and will put everything into their mouth.

Children: Supervise first to determine if your child is old enough to understand the cat and knows how not to harm it. Tell your child to never startle a sleeping cat by screaming into its ear. Don’t allow your child to take away the animal’s food bowl or disturb it when eating. Show them to gently pet an animal and what spots on the cat’s body are acceptable to be touched. Involve your child in the process of grooming the cat. Teach your kids to always wash their hands after handling an animal. Don’t let your child share food with animals (neither cats nor dogs!). No ice cream licking from the same cone!

Children under the age of at least 7 - 8 years should not be made responsible for cleaning litter boxes.

It is very uncommon that a healthy cat transmits any disease to a child. But make sure your animal gets a yearly check-up by a veterinarian, is dewormed and flea and tick-free. Pay attention when you apply topic flea medication! Since this medication is applied to the cat’s fur/skin, the animal should not come in contact with toddlers or kids for at least 12 hours!

In case accidents, such as a cat scratch happens, clean the scratch with soap and water, apply anti-bacterial ointment and cover the scratch with a bandage. See also our article about >> Cat Scratch Disease.