If you have small children in the house and in particular those under the age of three then a cat might not be the best pet to have around.

This is taking into consideration both the child and the cat's well-being. Cats love to snuggle into people for company and warmth and this can be particularly dangerous where cats have been known to get into bed with babies and accidentally smother them.

Another problem can occur when young kittens like to play with children. Kittens have particularly sharp teeth and claws and when they play they can get overly excited and do a lot of damage to the tender skin of children. There is also the chance for the child to get scratched in the eye when playing with a kitten.

On the other hand, cats can get a hard life from children. Young children often tend to be a little bit heavy-handed when handling cats, and this can lead to anxiety for the cat.

If there are cats and children in the family, then it is a wise decision to teach the children how to handle a cat correctly. Children need to be told how to pick up the cat and handle it carefully and also to become aware of when the cat doesn't want to be handled any longer and would like to be left alone in peace.

Many cats also get quite stressed with loud noise and sudden action which is something that is quite common with young children.

It is good for children to learn to be considerate towards animals at a young age. They will not only treat animals better but will also be more considerate towards other people, so having a pet in the family that the children can learn to respect can be excellent for your child's development into a responsible person.