New kitten advice with kids

[chickenwing]

I'm taking in a kitten soon, mother has been rescued by a friend but she was pregnant at the time so I'm going to home one of her litter. I always had a car growing up and just adore them but my dp and dm are concerned because my children are so young, they are 3 and 17 months.

I was covered in scratches when I got my first kitten, I was only 4 and the worst thing my dm did was actually trust me with it?! She got called into the school to ask about the scratches so this sticks in her mind.

I'm arranging a high enough area for the kittten to seek refuge if it wants, a nice comfy area and the children will not be left alone with it. I'll be teaching them to be gentle ect. Can anyone offer any other advice?

Honestly I wouldn't take a kitten with such young children. They could injure it or be injured themselves.

Is it really that bad idea??

I really wouldn't. What happens when you go to the toilet or have a shower?
LO could pick up cat and get scratched. Or fall on it and kill it.
We got two kittens. Kids were school aged. Both got scratches n

I did have a kitten with young children (3 & 4 years old at the time - kitten was 7 weeks and stray) and although I wouldn't advise it, we did all get through it relatively intact (I wouldn't have chosen to combine a kitten + young kids but the kitten was rescued from under my car bonnet & all rescues were full so at the time we had little option but to keep him). In the early months my youngest in particular was quite scared of the kitten as his claws/teeth were needle-sharp and he used to pounce/play unpredictably as kittens do. Even now - children now 8 & 7 - I would say that my youngest isn't overly fond of the cat although he does talk to it and seek it out. My eldest by contrast really loves all animals especially the cat, and the cat responds well to him.

The children could also be unpredictable with noise, tearing around etc and I don't think this is always a very good environment for a young kitten (although mine is much more used to it now but has always been a nervous animal)

We did already have my 2 elderly cats at home so the children were used to being told to be gentle with animals and to give them space. We didn't encourage the children to play with the kitten (as it usually led to either kitten or child getting overexcited & someone getting scratched) and we did not leave children and kitten alone together. Fortunately because DH works from home and DC1 was at school, it was easier to manage the situation with one adult & one child at home most of the time.

Had I had free choice of any cat I would have gone to a rescue and taken on either a confident young adult cat with known temperament (12-18 months old) or an older cat (maybe 10+ years) who was known to be sociable and used to children but would happily keep out of the way & snooze

Getting 2 kittens when ds was 3 was the highlight for him. . But your younger one def keep to supervised cuddles only. .

I do get the thing about how children can damage cats. But I grew up with other people's cats and when I was scratched and bitten I was simply told that that's what cats do and why I shouldn't go near then and I deserved everthing I got and that's why I would never be allowed to have one of my own. I simply accepted it as part of what a cat is and why I love them so much.

Cats are different to kittens though. Kittens are tiny and vulnerable.

My children grew up with cats but the cats were adults when they were born, so the cats were robust enough to look after themselves. Both my children learned to respect the cats after the odd scratch. A small child could easily react in such a way that a tiny kitten could be hurt. They also may not understand that the kitten needs to be left to sleep and eat in peace. You have the right idea with the refuge for the kitten but you need to be super-vigilant in supervising the children and kitten together. All in all it's not something I would do. Rescue organisations don't normally rehome kittens to homes with small children, for a reason.

Yeah maybe it's not such a good idea then I don't know what to tell the owner, I feel bad as she's struggling to find people to take them and I really want it but I don't want to put the kitten at risk either

She should have her cat spayed. Really she should. The issue is a cat can be a 20 year commitment.

I did find it pretty stressful combining kitten & young children, it is doable BUT only if you are very vigilant around them all. If your friend is really struggling to home the kittens, that's a shame. Did she get the cat from a recognised charity or rescue? If so, would they take the kittens? Or was she a stray who turned up pregnant & moved in?

Yep she arrived at her current owner pregnant from someone who found her hiding under her car and wouldn't leave

How old would the kitten be when rehomed, chicken wing?
Would your friend be able to keep it longer until it's less tiny & vulnerable?