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How To Prepare Kids For Bringing Home a New Pet
Bringing home a pet is such a fun experience! When we adopted our kitten it was a memorable time for our family. We talked about how important it was to be serious about this new responsibility. Each of our kids knew ahead of time their role in caring for their future friend.
New pets need both time and space to adapt to their new environment. As parents, we know that kids are not good at giving people or animals either of those things. It’s important that we make the time to prepare kids for bringing home a new pet.
A Checklist of Things to Discuss With Your Kids
We recommend sitting down with your kids and using the talking points in the checklist below. Use this time to help your kids understand the value of being a good pet owner. Once you’ve completed your discussion, download and print the Certificate of Completion that we’ve created for you. It’s a great way to reward your kids for being a team player!
Checklist
- Where will the pet be sleeping?
- Does it have a safe zone, like a bed or crate where it can rest kid-free?
- Who’s responsible for taking the pet to potty or cleaning the litter box?
- Can the new pet scratch or bite? If so, discuss warning signs to look for like growling or hissing.
- Discuss giving the new pet space during its first week home.
- The Do’s and Don’ts of playing with a pet, for example, don’t pull tails or whiskers.
- Who feeds the pet and what is it allowed to eat?
Certificate of Completion for Kids
Giving Your Pet the Best
If you’re purchasing or adopting a new kitten/cat we recommend 9Lives® brand cat food. Did you know that this year, Morris the 9Lives Cat is celebrating his 50th Adopt-i-versary! He is one of the most famous cats in the world, starring in over 50 commercials, and appearing in a film with Burt Reynolds! Morris the 9Lives spokescat has a cat pack and you can meet them here.
When looking for a brand of cat food it’s important for me to find one that provides taste, nutrition, and variety. For 50 years 9Lives is the brand that’s been helping cats lead long, healthy lives. It’s why they’re the brand we trust! Learn more at the 9Lives Facebook Page.
You can pick up a bag at your local Dollar General. Here is a coupon for our favorite 9Lives dry cat food.
The Joy of Being a New Pet Owner
We’ve talked a lot about the responsibilities that come with being a pet owner but let’s shift gears for a minute so that we can get to the good stuff! Having pets is not only fun but most of the time these animals end up being our loyal companions. The joys of being a pet owner always outweigh the work involved. In fact, my cat and I have become very good friends. Sometimes we can be found hiding out from the kids, it’s nice to know I’m not the only one try to get a moment to myself.
Our Adoption Story That Ends With a Thumb Sucking Cat
You see our cat adoption story is actually a funny one! When we brought home our kitten, he instantly attached himself to my oldest daughter, who was still little at the time. The very first night home, our new kitten slept in bed with my oldest (who sucked her thumb). In fact, the kitten had become so attached that he slept with my daughter for the first few nights! After a couple weeks, I started noticing the kitten sucking on his paw. I thought at first that maybe he was cleaning himself. Finally, I discovered what was happening, instead of purring our cat sucked his paw.
Would you believe that to this day, a few years after adopting him, he still sucks his thumb! Every night he jumps in my bed lays on my chest, and after a few moments, he starts sucking his paw until he goes to sleep. Of course, we blame this habit on our daughter and we always tell her that she taught our cat to be a thumb sucker! Every pet has a story and that’s just one of the reasons why they’re so special.
We hope this has helped prepare your family for your new pet! If you have a fun adoption story, please leave it in the comments below.
