Do you want to keep pets for your children? My personal experience is this...

Every time my cat accidentally appeared in the camera, there were readers leaving a message saying that they wanted me to bask in the cat.

Some mothers have come to ask me before, saying that they want to keep pets for their children, but they are hesitant for various reasons and do not know how to choose.

My cat that steals the spotlight everywhere

I especially understand. When most children see the immature little life, they will have a sincere affection, pulling their parents and saying, "I want to raise..."

But we adults must have more perspectives to consider: safety issues, hygiene issues, feeding work, economic expenses... and in case of no support, the children's psychological problems are also involved.

Tell me about my experience.

I now have two cats in my house.

The big one with only stripes is called Xiao Pine Cone, and the small one with mainly white color is called Xiao Xuehua. Both of them are names given by Guoguo. They were both born last year and came to my house one after another.

The reason for raising a cat, I shared in this article "It's possible to have three babies, but it's good to have only one...".

During the epidemic last year, I couldn't go to school. Guoguo lacked social interaction with children of the same age, and was always lonely. She may have been inspired by cartoons and picture books, and she repeatedly begged me to give her a kitten.

I am not without hesitation about my child's demands.

I used to have cats when I was working in Hong Kong, and I knew that once I got them, I would have to take care of, feeding, hygiene, etc., one after another.

After I got a cat, there were no fish in my house...

And the kitten I raised at that time later got the cat-infant disease, and it died after a long time of treatment. I still feel uncomfortable when I mention it now.

But as I wrote in the article I mentioned earlier, I am soberly aware that Guoguo is very likely to be the only child of the second generation. It is normal for children to have companionship needs. Having pets is indeed good for her body and mind. beneficial.

So my husband and I discussed this matter, and he agreed, and two new family members were added to my family one after another.

real dry cat

Why choose a cat? First of all, this is what Guoguo asks. She prefers docile kittens to puppies.

Secondly, it is also out of consideration of some practical conditions. My husband actually prefers to have a dog. He thinks that the dog is more obedient, and he can take into account the exercise while walking the dog every day.

But my family's current house is an ordinary two-bedroom, not much space and full of things. Dogs have a greater need for activity space, outdoor activity time, and companionship. If we are not at home during the day, the dog will be very lonely, so we choose a relatively independent cat.

Does having a cat bring benefits to children? Indeed a lot.

I am a psychologist myself, and I have read some foreign studies on the relationship between pet companionship and children's psychological development several years ago. For example, the company of cats is especially beneficial for children with autism, calming anxiety and improving social skills.

Also good for adults. For example, some scientific studies say that keeping cats can reduce the risk of heart disease (about 1/3), and the main reason is to reduce anxiety and soothe emotions. It is said that this is because the heartbeat of a person will unconsciously slow down when the cat is stroked.

Seriously, I feel that way.

Guoguo does not have autism and is an ordinary child, but also gained a lot of warmth and happiness from the interaction with cats.

The cat accompanies her when she is in class.

The cat accompanies her when she sleeps.

When she wants to play, the cat also accompanies her.

In particular, Guoguo's shirt is not dirty

It's the batik effect she made by herself.

Every time I see the interaction between Guoguo and the kitten, I feel special love.

She experienced the kind of "unconditional love" and "tolerance" from small animals, and she also learned to get along with small animals;

We know that small animals are our playmates, but we also understand that love and respect are mutual.

Getting along with pets at home has also made Guoguo curious and loving towards more animals.

Even if she looked at the animals she used to be afraid of, she is not afraid now, and even finds the cute side, and is more willing to observe and understand carefully.

I went to the amphibian museum to see all kinds of snakes and lizards I was afraid of. ▽

The two cats at home also brought me a lot of comfort as a busy adult.

Whenever I feel a little anxious about my studies and work, seeing the two of them sleeping so peacefully beside me, my nerves will relax unconsciously.

I also feel that although this home is not big and messy from time to time, it is also a very warm and comfortable place.

As a mother who reads, writes, and takes care of her baby, she is less strict with herself and has a more sense of accomplishment.

The cat that accompanies me when I write ▽

So what's the trouble with having a cat? Of course there are.

For me, first and foremost is the hair problem. I once liked Ragdolls very much because they were so beautiful. Later, when I heard that the Ragdoll's alias was "Walking Dandelion", I gave up decisively.

Now both of them are short English in the family. Shorthair cats are much easier to take care of than longhair cats, but they still shed hair everywhere, especially in the spring and autumn molting seasons. So vacuuming and roller sticking are done every day.

See you are so cute, forget it, don't care about you

Also, cats, unlike dogs, can climb ladders. Going to bed, if you want to prevent it, you can only close the bedroom door, otherwise, rely on the kitten's cleverness (ge), Ming (zhong), (xin), wisdom (yan), and slip up when he has time.

Rather than saying that pets cause trouble, I feel that since having cats, I have been urged to clean up my house.

Raising a cat is really a very healing thing, but choosing a pet for a child is not necessarily a cat.

Let’s talk about how to choose a pet:

The choice of pets must be based on their own conditions. They do not take up space and live well, such as small turtles and large snails (be careful not to buy dyed or patterned ones, which will harm small animals). Small fish don’t take up space either, but it takes some experience to feed them.

Small hamsters, guinea pigs, and birds can all be kept in cages, and they do not take up space. When I was a child, I raised chickens and rabbits. They needed to be kept in captivity. The smell is relatively strong. It is best to have a yard and a terrace before raising them.

Cats and dogs are not suitable for cages, and they are not good for small animals physically and mentally. If you live in an apartment in the city, it is best to ensure that you take your dog out for a walk every day; cats don’t need it, just make sure you have a comfortable place to sleep at home.

Well, I occasionally walk the cat??▽

If you have children at home, what should you pay attention to when raising pets:

First of all, if you have cats and dogs at home, you must be vaccinated and dewormed on time, which is double protection for your family and pets.

Vaccines for my two cats ▽

Then, I feel that raising pets requires a forgiving heart. Because small animals are different from people, we cannot expect pets to behave exactly as people want.

Take my family as an example, the two cats have a very good relationship. One week, the second child was hospitalized for surgery, and the eldest could not find it in the whole room, and we were not at home during the day, so we had a stressful behavior and urinated on both sofas and a footstool in my house.

We all know that cat urine smell is very difficult to get rid of. Although my husband and I were very angry, after the criticism, we just silently changed the sofa cushion, patiently explained the ins and outs to Guoguo, and told the child that it would be good to wait for the second child to come back. After all, how we treat small animals is also to teach children by words and deeds.

The boss who got into trouble ▽

Also, I feel that keeping pets must be done with a sense of responsibility.

Before deciding to keep a cat, I told Guoguo that keeping a pet is to be responsible for the life of a small animal, not only that it likes it when it is small and cute, but also that it will not abandon it when it is sick or old; with such a determination, Let's keep pets.

Take the second child to the pet hospital to see a doctor ▽

If you do not intend to breed, be sure to neuter your pet. It not only saves a lot of trouble during the estrus period, but more importantly, it can prevent pets from suffering from some common reproductive system diseases and prolong their lifespan.

The sterilized eldest and the second eldest who returned from hospital, are you very happy? ▽

I support adoption instead of purchase. Both of mine were taken from someone else's house. I have no particular pursuit of breed cats. I really like the good-looking purebred cats when I see them. The same is true for adopted cats. My own children love them.

If you adopt, it is recommended to find a formal non-profit organization, or someone else's family. If you are inexperienced, it is not recommended to catch stray cats and dogs by yourself. Because our readers have children at home, and realistically speaking, if you encounter a stray animal with a disease, but you don’t know how to deal with it, it’s not good.

Keeping pets, like raising children, requires patience. After watching pets for a long time, I often realize the truth of raising children.

For example, my big cat, Pinecone, is a very sticky boy. As long as I'm at home, he can basically grow on me.

Touch porcelain type lying down, open sleep ▽

All kinds of sleeping on my stomach, hugging my feet, full of "I love you, your stinky feet are also fragrant" expressions:

When I go to the toilet, I also follow up and wait:

My second child, Xiao Xuehua, is an independent woman in the new era.

As long as the sound of "ding dong" and "dong bang" appears at home, it is most likely her. Falling asleep is like a small snow ball, but with hands and hands that will never be placed anywhere no matter what posture:

These two can fight several times a day (the kind of jokes), and love each other from time to time, which is simply the interpretation of the cat version of the second child family:

Seeing them being naughty and mischievous, my acceptance of children's behavior gradually improved, and everything was pleasing to the eye. This is also a bonus!

take time to say

I want to write this last sentence to myself, and also to my mother.

I am a person who is naturally very close to nature. The sky, the clouds, the soil, the trees, the wind blowing around...all make me feel like a part of it.

Maybe I am more fortunate. Although I was born in the urban area of ​​Tianjin, the area where my family lived when I was a child had large green spaces and river embankments. Accompanying all kinds of plants and insects is the best memory of my childhood.

Since I was a child, I have been especially "recruiting" animals. Neighbors' pets and stray animals on the road are more willing to take the initiative to approach me. My mother has always felt that this is a very valuable quality in a person, and she would not hesitate to praise me for this in front of my neighbors.

Last year in Quzhou, I took my children to play dogs ▽

Feed stray cats in Tibet this year ▽

Looking back now, the part of me that is often praised as "very spiritual" is inseparable from my mother's encouragement and cultivation.

In fact, my mother doesn't like cats, which has something to do with some of her experiences when she was young. But my mother never restricts me from touching more lives and treating them kindly. I had a lot of pets as a kid, from the aforementioned chicks and bunnies, to snails, chipmunks, and even lizards.

Now that I have Guoguo myself, I will be more aware of how meaningful it is to be able to put aside some of my own limitations or prejudices and not imprison children because of my own experience.

As parents, the company we give our children is important, and it is even more important that we let our children see a wider world and learn to appreciate and cherish the company from other lives.

Finally, put a photo of my pet dog, it's called Cola, a little white Pomeranian. In 2019, when he was 14 years old, he returned to the dog star. I miss it so much.

Maybe one day Guoguo will also face such parting. That would be the most important lesson pets teach us about life. I'm sure we'll be able to handle it then. Until then, cherish every day.

—End—