Pets and kids: how do I ensure they live together harmoniously?

No one can predict how your children or pets will react to one another. One of the biggest factors is certainly the temperament of the animals in question, but with small children, and their unpredictable nature, even that cannot guarantee any degree of harmony all the time.

Before you consider allowing your pets and your children to interact, you need to be sure that your pets have the patience to deal with the inevitable tugs, overzealous hugs and other traumas they’re likely to be subjected to. You also need to make sure that their food and water, which are choking and drowning hazards respectively (not to mention a potential source of messy fun) are out of the way.

Try to keep food and water in a separate part of the house, like the garage, where they can’t be accessed by your children, or place them in areas where there are safety gates that limit your child’s access.

Pet gates should have wide enough openings for cats to get through, but narrow enough to stop your child from getting stuck. You should also take care to put latches on doggy doors, as they can form a means of escape for children.

For the most part, pets will be curious, or even uninterested, and as long as you make sure that you follow basic safety precautions for your child, you should ensure that your pets retain their position in the family, if only to ward off potential jealousy issues.