How many parents teach their children to respect the cat and educate them on the basics of excellent cat caretaking? It is unusual for this to happen. In fact, I believe there is a wider parental obligation. Parents should teach their children about animals generally. I suspect the majority of mums and dads don’t know enough about cats. There is a paucity of knowledge to pass on to their children.
I would expect a good parent to teach their child how to handle the family cat and to supervise them when they are together. This probably happens reasonably often because it serves to protect the child but a parent could do more.
A significant percentage of all people in the West care for a companion animal. They are a major part of family life. Often a cat is described as a “family member”. Describing a companion animal in those terms leads me to believe that parents have an obligation to educate their children in the basics of excellent cat caretaking.
These could be the topics:
- Prioritize safety above all else except for the simple first requirement: to love your cat. From that, excellent cat caretaking flows naturally when added to a bit of knowledge. The whole cat should be loved including the claws and teeth.
- Respect the cat
- Treat your cat in the knowledge that he/she is living in a human world – a land of giants – and has feelings, desires, likes, dislikes, feels pain, can feel content and safe, can feel anxious and afraid etc.. A sentient being with equal rights to ours.
- Excellent cat caretaking doesn’t just happen, it requires commitment, experience and learning. Children should be aware of this.
- How to feed a cat properly.
- How to check for basic health issues.
- Be observant and don’t neglect or ignore your cat. Regular grooming is a great connector between cat and person if done tenderly.
- Play is a substitute for hunting and an innate desire and is therefore important.
- Neuter and spay and avoid any informal breeding.
- Adopt a cat from the unwanted ranks
The reason I am concerned about parents educating children about the cat is because when the opposite happens cat abuse can be perpetuated. Cat abuse within families is handed down, generation to generation.
Kids abusing cats is not uncommon. There are a number of distressing stories on PoC about children and teenagers getting a kick out of being cruel to a cat – in the UK read about Chester. These children weren’t taught to respect cats by their parents. The opposite may have happened. Parents who dislike cats may pass it on to their children informally. Bad parenting just happens. It is an act of neglect and thoughtlessness. Good parenting requires thoughtful and committed actions.
Nearly all problems regarding the domestic cat have their origin in human behaviour. We know that. The greatest cat problem is the large number of unwanted cats. This is directly attributable to a careless approach to cat ownership.
In order to make progress in the long term and break the cycle of cat abuse or neglect, I’d like to see a greater emphasis on parental skills being extended to educating children to respect the cat, and to understand the cat. At present there is very little if anything about this on the parenting websites. It is time for change.
A last point made by Ruth (see comment), schools could also do more. This is a photo of Martha Kane in Malta talking to school children about animal welfare. This is taking place in Malta. Not Europe or America.
Two have homes promised already, Molly will be spayed when her kittens are weaned and hopefully she will get a home too then.
Wow BEAUTIFUL – what a lovely photo – what a wonderful little family. So sweet. They look very healthy dont they. I hope they have good lives 🙂
I think that welfare should be a compulsory subject all the way up to GCSE level. Or 16 years of age basically. Simple as that. Parents too by all means – should teach their children well.
This is such an excellent article, Michael.
There is such a strong seque from animal abuse perpetrated by children who then escalate to child abuse and domestic violence.
Unfortunately, these children are often victims themselves- victims of their parents violence and abuse. Teaching their children to be kind to animals is the last thing on their mind… and sadly- these parents are generally also victims of abusive parents. It is a chain of violence that is so hard to break- and transform.
Ruth and Babz getting a camera for each other was a gift to all of us as well! I love this photo. I saw a similar one the other day, but the forth baby was a squirrel nursing on the cat!
I love kittens and mums. A good thought about schools being involved with cat/animal education too. I’ll add a line to the article.
You are right Michael, good parenting should include teaching the children to be gentle and kind and to respect animals because as you say those children who don’t learn will grow up ignorant and possibly cruel to animals.
I think all schools should give lessons on animal welfare too or at least take the pupils on trips to educational Sanctuaries, we have The Ark on the Edge here who do that, they have The Beaver scouts there today. One of the cats in care, Molly, who was pregnant when she was taken in,had 4 kittens yesterday so they will see those day old kittens and learn about why it’s important to have cats neutered.
Aren’t they just gorgeous, Molly and her babies!