Is it best to wait for a cat until the children are older?

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DH and I have wanted a cat for years now but we have held off as we didn't feel the time was right, our kids are also still young (aged 2 and 6) so looking for some advice really.

We have been looking at the Shelter's websites for older cats, but the description mostly states that they prefer a quiet home and secondary aged children.

Is it best to wait until the kids are older and less noisy? I would love some honest opinions 🙂

Thanks in advance

If you go to a local rescue where the cats are fostered in people’s homes, they’ll be more likely to know which cats / kittens would fit well with your family.

Yea, I think its better to wait until the children are older.

Definitely too young to get an older cat, in my experience cats are wary around small children unless they’ve grown up around them. Older cats will prefer a calm household. With young children I think you’d be better getting an older kitten, from around 6 months old they will be less vulnerable to the children but still playful enough not to mind the chaos of young children. That said, 2 is still very young to properly understand rules around giving the cat space etc. I would probably wait until at least next year.

We've always had cats and brought up two children from babies with multiple cats at the same time.
I don't see an issue with cats and very young children - you just have to set boundaries and keep a close eye on things.

I would wait a bit. Small DC can be too rough with cats, pull their tails, chase them, etc, and cats can turn and scratch or bite if they feel cornered. Every DC is different of course, and you know your DC, but I waited until my youngest was six and he could understand how to treat the cat nicely and also that a cat will defend itself if it feels threatened. He wouldn't have understood that at two.

Cats really don’t like screechy, loud young children. Yes there will be some exceptions but that’s a general rule. Far better to wait till the children are older and more likely to respect the cats boundaries. Many cats end up in rescues because people have babies and the cats don’t cope well with the constant noise etc, they can end up becoming anxious and either just hiding away non stop or suddenly spraying urine in the house to mark their territory even if they haven’t done this before. This is why my cat was given up for adoption - we have a very quiet home with adult and older teen dc and he’s thriving now.

Children need to be old enough to understand that a pet is not a toy. Growing up from a very early age with pets already in the home is one thing as they both get used to one another, but bringing a new animal into a home with a 2 year-old isn't the best plan.

I've had cats all my life and we had one when dd was born. The cat died of old age when she was a few months old, and we waited until she was about 5 before we got another.

To be honest, I think a home containing dc of preschool age and under would be very stressful for most cats to be rehomed into. Animal welfare has to come first.

Thanks all for your input 🙂 we will revisit in a few years time

I read somewhere that cats are a great lesson in consent. They only want to be touched or handled on their own terms. They are not friendly to everyone like dogs (unless you get a particularly friendly one) So they are only suitable for ages and personality types that can respond to the needs and wishes of an animal. No way a 2 year could deal with that. Any self-respecting cat (past kitten age) would just run and hide from grasping hands but then there is very little point of getting one as a pet for that child.

The 2 year old is too young, I’d say.