How owning a cat makes your child smart

Do you have young kids? Perhaps you are wondering whether it would be a good idea to get a cat as well? If so, rest assured that having a cat in their lives can actually be of great benefit to kids! Here are five reasons that help to explain how kids who have cats are smarter:

Your kids have a furry friend!

Come on, who doesn’t want a cute little furry friend to play with? Whether dangling toys for your kitty at home or lounging with them out in the yard, kids can have a great time with your cat and form a friendship that lasts for years. Cats are known to help relax kids, which is great for reducing stress in the home and also bringing positive benefits to their schoolwork too. Homework is so much more fun and enjoyable when you get to do it with a soft kitty snuggled up on your lap!

Your cat gets a friend!

Though cats are traditionally stereotyped as solitary and independent animals, they do need a lot of love and affection. As far as your cat is concerned, the more humans that love them the better as this makes for increased opportunities for them to be the center of attention. Cats just love having a retinue of humans at their beck and call. The more people for them to preen in front of the better!

You can teach your kids to be animal lovers.

Learning to love animals from an early age gives children a quality that will stand them in good stead for many years. Around cats, kids will learn how to be gentle and compassionate – something that studies have shown time and time again will stick with them long into adulthood. Giving your child little responsibilities like feeding the cat or checking that it has enough water is also a good way to make them feel party of your kitty’s life. If you want your children to grow up into kind, nurturing adults, having a pet cat is a great idea.

Kids with cats are less likely to get allergies.

Isn’t that cool? Exposing your kids to cats (and other pets too such as guinea pigs and dogs) from an early age actually helps to protect them from common allergies. In particular, exposure to cats helps to stop kids from developing a cat allergy, as well as reducing their chances of developing a dust mite allergy. Some studies suggest that having a pet cat will also help safeguard your child against asthma. Hanging out with pets generally helps to strengthen kids immune systems as it exposes them to safe, small levels of bacteria which helps them to build up immunity from an early age without getting sick in the process.

Having a cat is educational.

Caring for a pet cat is a very educational experience for your child, and a safe way for them to learn about issues like diet, nutrition, exercise, instinct and health. If your cat has kittens it’s also a great way to introduce them to ideas of birth, parenting and development!

So, the moral of the story if get your child a cat and watch them blossom!

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Meow for now… Kristian Taylor