It’s a lovely idea to have a pet in your home, because before long they become honorary members of the family, and that’s quite wonderful. No matter what kind of pet you’d love to have such as a dog or a cat (or both), a little furry friend can help your home come to life and help your children bond with an animal, which is actually very worthwhile and healthy.
Yet it’s also true that introducing a pet to your family for the first time may need a little planning, and that especially goes for your children and other pets you may have. For instance, a small child might not be familiar with how a cat generally likes to live, and of course, if your child treats them as if they were an energetic dog, they won’t be making fast friends.
For this reason, a little planning, a smooth introduction, and perhaps a little investment is more than worth it in the end. In this post, we’ll discuss how that’s possible, and how best to achieve this practice. Without further ado, let’s get started:
Introduce Them To The Space Slowly
It’s a good idea to slowly introduce your pet to your home instead of letting them run around the place straight away. To begin with, this might be good sense depending on how young the pet is, a little puppy or kitten cannot explore very far to begin with.
However, it can also be worthwhile to separate your pets from one another to begin with, so that they can get used to the idea of another one occupying the space. For instance, you might allow your dog to come in the room after your puppy has been in there, just so they can get used to the smells bit by bit. Then, you can carefully introduce them and help them feel relaxed in their presence. This way, you time it just right.
Educate Your Family
It’s not always easy for our family to understand the needs of a pet, particularly if they are rescue animal, or if they have specific needs depending on their breed. You may find a benefit in sitting down with your children and reminding them that cats are independent, and so need to be treated differently to the dogs they have become accustomed to. For instance, holding them, picking them up, and playing rough will usually result in an aggressive response, but that doesn’t mean the cat is aggressive. Understanding that can help not only our pets fit in to our family life more, but our family can fit into our pet’s life more. That’s a good compromise to strike.
Prepare The Household
Preparing the household is also a worthwhile use of your time. This can be aided by putting up safety gates if necessary or considering the best DIY toys to make for your cat so that they can feel engaged and they have a little property to play with.
It’s also important to purchase a bed they can relax in, as well as a feeding, litter, and water tray they can use at all hours of the day. This way, your family, and younger children especially, can become accustomed to the routine that takes place when bringing an animal into your home. This might involve helping your teenagers feel empowered to let them out and feed them the right amount of food in the morning, as well as showing them little issues that can happen, such as accidents that take place before the pet is fully outdoor trained.
Take It Day By Day
While pets are domesticated animals and before long they’ll get used to living in your environment, it’s good to remind your family that this might take a little time, and so to extend a little patience as you take it day by day.
You might ask, for instance, your teenager to come with you to training sessions so that your new puppy can see both of you as points of authority within the household. This can also increase the bonding you may both enjoy.
Conclusion
There are many measures you can take that help you introduce your pet to your family, and with these in tow, you’re sure to come to a worthwhile result. The best thing to do is to create an environment where everyone is informed and the pet can prosper. Before long, they will become an integral part of your unit and you’ll wonder how you did without them.
With this advice, we hope you can easier introduce your family to a new pet.
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