mypetfriends.co.uk

Kitty and Teddy discuss the finer points of buying a child’s first pet.

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Children love pets; you just have to watch a child’s reaction at seeing a cat or dog to see how they’re magically fascinated by us. We guess it’s because we’re similar to their soft toys and feature in many children’s stories, but unlike toys and fictional characters we live, breathe and need caring for.

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Our owners don’t have any children, but when children of friends come over we love playing with them. Teddy is full of energy and loves to play, Kitty is more serene and will snuggle up to anyone to be stroked and gently caressed. Not only are we a great source of company but like humans we are also valued members of any family. A pet is a great way to teach a sense of responsibility for a child and there are many ways to introduce your children to pets and pet care which we’ll outline for you here.

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Nagged...

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If you’ve ever been nagged by your children to but them a pet, you’ll know that most children are not aware of the responsibility, time and financial cost it takes to own a pet. Many children may display affection for the cat next door, or have a fairy tale perception of keeping a pet, but along with the fun of owning a pet there’s the serious nature of vet’s bills, vaccinations, pet insurance, cleaning and exercising them – a task that is often left to parents.

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If you are thinking about your child’s first pet, there are a number of points to consider. These include the obvious – such as will the pet fit around your lifestyle; if you work long hours, it’s perhaps not a great idea to have a dog as it’s unfair to leave them alone for long amounts of time. So, you need to consider how much care the pet you choose will require. Feeding, grooming, toileting and entertaining is an essential part of our wellbeing, after all, we pets only have you as our carers – and often this task is left to adults, so you need to make sure you have the time to do this.

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Is your child old enough to care for a big pet?

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Although a dog like Teddy looks appealing to children, one has to consider the practical implications of keeping him. A dog is perhaps the most demanding of pets to have and after the initial realisation that he is not a big furry toy, children realise that dogs will need walking at regular times with the amount of exercise varying depending on the breed of the dog. Often this will be left to you, as young children may not be able to venture out by themselves or walking times may be past their bed times.

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Feeding has to be regular and a fresh supply of water should always be available (we’ll be including specific pet care guides in our tips section, so we’ll not cover the details here).
It is worth remembering that pets are animals and can behave unpredictably – especially if they are young, so decide if the pet you are having is suitable for the age your child is at – a dog maybe too overpowering and a cat may not appreciate a 3 year old pulling his / her tail (this is one of Kitty’s pet hates by the way).

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The positive points about having a dog or cat is that it can help a child’s development and research suggests that a child finds it easier to emotionally bond with an animal than that of a human being.

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Cat, dog, goldfish, hamster, rabbit, gerbil…choices, choices, choices….

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Cat’s and dog’s are the most popular pets in the UK, but what pet would suit a child between the ages of 5 upwards? Choosing your pet is a decision process that should be made carefully. All pets are lives that are precious – they are not toys that can be discarded when a child becomes bored of them.

It’s a fact of life that inevitably we will die, and like humans pets have an average lifespan. This is an important consideration for which pet you choose as this can be a factor in your selection process (you have to be really committed to look after a tortoise – they can live for up to 100 years!!!)

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- Cat – 12 to 20 years.
- Dog – varies with breed, but around 10 to 17 years
- Gerbil – 3 to 5 years
- Hamster – 2 to 4 years
- Goldfish – 1 week to 4 years
- Stick insect – a few days upwards
- Rabbit – 8 to 12 years
- Budgie – Average life span is 5 to12 years (NOTE: a parrot has a life expectancy of 80 years!!!)

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Family Lifestyle.

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When deciding upon your child’s first pet, space and time should be considered. Larger animals such as dogs and cats like to roam around the house, reptiles such as snakes and iguanas need a spacious tank to move around within and require special food; exotic fish will also require special care and attention.

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If you have a house that is already crammed with you and your belongings then having a larger pet will just add to the lack of overall space you and your family enjoy. Moreover, under the New Animal Welfare bill, as of April pet owners are required to provide [for their pet] a 'suitable environment, a suitable diet, the ability to express normal behaviour, the need to be housed with or apart from other animals, and freedom from pain, suffering, injury and disease.'

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It is therefore clearly evident that a large animal should only be chosen if you have a home with a lot of space.

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If you are a family who love going away on long or short holidays, then it would be wise to go for a pet that requires minimum attention.

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A pet to grow up with.

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For a child, having a pet should be a pleasant experience. If the novelty of having a pet wears off, it can become more of a chore. At the same time the “chore” can become part of everyday life and routine. If you are considering buying a pet that has a long life, be sure that your child does not get bored with it easily and quickly.

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A pet that naturally lives long enough can grow to be a long surviving member of the family. This can be from the age of your toddler, right through to when he/she grows into their teenage years. A tortoise was long considered a great pet for a child. Tortoises are easy to keep and don’t need much care. Food consists of lettuce and cabbage leaves – and a few left overs from your local grocers won’t break the bank, especially if they are to be thrown away anyway. They also hibernate in the winter months and therefore don’t really need much attention. However, tortoises can bite and can live for up to and over 100 years so be sure that you want to have a pet in the family for this long. As a tortoise can out live any human being!!

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Research and trial run

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Before you make a final decision on buying a pet, perhaps take your child to the local zoo or petting park. You can assess their relationship towards animals here – you may even decide that these places are better as you don’t have all the cost and care that’s associated with pet ownership yourself.

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Another idea is to ask family members or friends if you can adopt their pet for a day. This is an ideal way of seeing if your child is friendly towards pets or if their initial interest soon disappears.

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Some pointers to ensuring a good child and pet interaction:

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- Observe your child’s behaviour and interaction with the pet.

- Is the child looking out for a energetic pet such as a cat or dog, or is he/she looking at a goldfish or hamster? (Note their facial expressions. Does the child seem excited at particular animals or are they looking despondent?)

- Does your child generally become bored easily?

- Does the child poke, pull or squeeze a pet? They may not realise that this is a living animal and not a toy.

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People with pets and pet sellers will be able to tell you more about caring for the pet and may highlight points that you may not have not have considered. Ask them what is popular and never lie about your personal circumstances i.e. don’t say you are at home all day, when you are out and will not be available to look after your pet.

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(We will include basic care guide’s for UKs most popular pets on the My Pet Friends site, but in the meantime, you can find other useful guides by doing a search on the internet. Or, speak to a pet shop, a vet, a breeder, a re-homing centre of friends – you can find details of pet businesses in the My Pet Friends Pet Business directory. )

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Ideas for first Pets

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There are many Kitty and Teddy’s that were once loved and have now become unwanted pets, living in re-homing centres across the country waiting to be re-homed. We suggest that if you are looking for a cat or a dog, you go and look there first. But perhaps, the most ideal pets are goldfish, hamsters and rabbits. They require less attention, cost less to look after and … (dare we say it) have a shorter life expectancy; so can cope with most fads children may have.

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Kitty and Teddy’s final word

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We hope you’ve found this guide useful. We’ve tried to cover most of the key points, in summary the questions you need to ask yourself are:

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Q. How much spare space do we have available for the pet?
Q. How much can we afford for the upkeep of our desired pet (not forgetting insurance and unexpected health care costs)?
Q. How will the pet fit into our existing routine?
Q. Are we away from home a lot, or will our pet be left at home for long periods of time?
Q. Is there any one that can pop in and see if our pet is OK, fed, watered and if necessary walked?
Q. Should be purchase our pet from a breeder or a re-homing centre? (remember – there are hundreds of Kitty and Teddy’s out there looking for a good home)

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When you have decided what your child’s first pet should be (or not be), try to gain enough information as you can about the pet – books, the internet, vets, pet breeders and other pet owners are an ideal source of information on how to care for the chosen pet. This would help in times of any minor of major crisis, should there be any.

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Never make an impulse decision when it comes to buying a pet for your child. If the pet has to be given away for any reason, it will only cause heartbreak for your child. It may be the case that you and your child are not ready to look after a pet at the moment, but that doesn't stop you from planning for your pet in the future.

(Kitty & Teddy only speak cat / dog language and are unable to type these articles themselves because their paws are so big. For these reasons, this article has been translated and written by the My Pet Friends team writer listed at the beginning of this article.)

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