A cat is for life

an article by cat lover and supporter about the importance of pets and children

When I met my husband I knew he was the man for when I realised he loved cats as much as I did. We both brought a cat into the relationship, and when we moved in together it felt like a ready made family.

When we were expecting our first child we had a dilemma. What happens if the baby is allergic to the cats? I could bear the thought of my child not having the same experiences as I did and growing up without cats. I then thought about the facts. I had eczema as a child, allergies, but the cats didn't trigger any of this. I then did some internet research. It seemed that common findings from research showed that children who grow up with dogs or cats in their home have a significantly reduced risk of devloping common allergies.

It is natural to worry about your new baby, and all the questions keep going round in your head "what if the cat gets into the cot and sleeps on the baby's head?", "what if the cat scratches the baby?" The big day arrived and the 3 of us came home from the hospital.

The big test would be how they would react. It soon became clear that we wouldn't have a problem of the baby getting slept on. If the cats could talk they would have been saying "What's this thing you've brought into the house?" Any whimper and they were off! They would be brave enough when he was quiet to creep up to give him a quick look and sniff, but were pretty dis-interested.

As our son has grown up he has become more and more interested in the cats. One of our cats is a little more afraid of people, and my son has been scratched a couple of times when trying to stroke him. Our son has become more aware of this cat's behaviour, and although our first reaction was to keep the cat away from him, in the long term their relationship would never improve. I believe that having cats with our son has enhanced his development substantially.

Their names were amongst some of his first words, and at 1 year old he knew what happened at feeding time, where the cat food pouches are kept, how to shake them to attract their attention, and where their food dishes live. He knows how to be gentle, how to play with them and how to look after them.

They have been a valuable part of his life so far and hope they will be with us for years to come.

Regards

Alexis