New pet for the household

angeldaisy

Okay, as if having a stressed out dog wasn't enough:D My son who's 7 is at me to get a pet. He originally wanted a rabbit, but I managed to persuade him otherwise as he wants a pet he can cuddle!

We live in the country and have a large garden and I'm at home a lot (college student!!) so I was thinking along the lines of a rescue dog or cat.
Thing is we would be turned down by the rescue centres for a dog - garden isn't fully enclosed - we back out into fields that our dog takes himself off into regularly so don't really want to fence him in.
I've never had a cat, and am not really a cat person and have not really had many good experiences with them - do cats actually like being picked up and cuddled?? Also I'd be worried that they would get killed on the road - we live surrounded by farms so lots of farm machinery going up or down the road.

I was trying to pacify him with fish - but it doesn't seem to be working:rolleyes:

So I either need another really good excuse or need to start looking seriously at our options

Any advice??

loveisdivine

Well unless you actually want another pet yourself, I wouldnt get one just to placate a child. What happens when he gets bored of it?

Could you have an indoor cat? Have an enclosure in the garden so it can go outside without the danger of getting knocked down?
What if you got some more interesting fish than your standard goldfish etc? They would require more work but he might be more interested in them, and obviously there would be no worries about them escaping!

If I were you I wouldnt be letting my dog wander off into fields. I would assume and hope that at least he's neutered. What if he gets knocked down?

angeldaisy

loveisdivine wrote: »

Well unless you actually want another pet yourself, I wouldnt get one just to placate a child. What happens when he gets bored of it?


If I were you I wouldnt be letting my dog wander off into fields. I would assume and hope that at least he's neutered. What if he gets knocked down?

Okay for the first point it wouldn't just be a child's pet...

Secondly my dog is nearly 11 its what he's used to there are no roads at the back of us only fields, he's well trained and will only go onto the road if I'm with him- he hates the noise of cars and if one passes when he is with me he will sit into the side of the road until it passes - but thanks for your concern

As for the fish he wants something he can pick up and interact with - bit hard with a fish:)

SillyMangoX

Some cats like being cuddled, some are happier with just a stroke, some dislike contact at all, and some are complete freaks like my fella who likes to be picked up like a baby cradled on his back in my arms and rocked to sleep :rolleyes: It really depends! If you got one from a rescue they would be able to give you a good idea of personality types and help match a cat to you. I would also second keeping your cat as an indoor cat, I find they tend to be friendlier and it really reduces the risk of them getting hit on the road. Mine are indoor/outdoor, they are out by day but have never spent a night outside in their lives because I feel that they have more of a chance of getting hit if they get caught in headlights and freeze, and mine just didn't take to being indoors. They were born on a farm and despite keeping them indoors for the first year, they always tried to escape at every possible moment. But only get a pet if it is something you want yourself, getting a pet for a child isn't the best idea because they could get bored of it easily, I think around 12/13 is a good age to get a pet for a kkid because at that age they have a bit more cop on that pets need looking after for up to 20 years!

kylith

Just so you know, most animals don't like being cuddled as it's completely unnatural to them and they hate to feel trapped, so cats and dogs may struggle to get away instead of enjoying cuddles. When they get more comfortable they will, well dogs will, burrow in under your arm, but this is a sign of great trust and, while they may tolerate it, I think that a lot of dog bites and cat scratches are from them trying to show their displeasure at being cuddled.

I wouldn't under estimate the interactivity of fish; my betta recognises me, comes to say hi, and nips at my fingers when I'm feeding him. Some people even train fish to do tricks!

January

Would you get a rat? Pet rats are really affectionate if trained right, lots of handling, stroking etc. My pet rat loves nothing more than to sit on my shoulder while I do things around the house. They're not as vicious as hamsters etc and they're really clean pets too.

**Vai**

This really annoys me, after seeing this exact situation with the outcome being a forgotten pet after the novelty wears off for the child. Your son has a dog is that enough? It certainly should be. And if its not, you can say no, he is 7 after all.

If he wants something to cuddle get him a stuffed bear.

angeldaisy

**Vai** wrote: »

This really annoys me, after seeing this exact situation with the outcome being a forgotten pet after the novelty wears off for the child. Your son has a dog is that enough? It certainly should be. And if its not, you can say no, he is 7 after all.

If he wants something to cuddle get him a stuffed bear.

Oh I'm sorry I didn't realise you were only allowed to have 1 animal per house:)

the dog is mine not his. And believe me this is not a decision that is being rushed into, he has been looking for a pet for a couple of years now. We are in the position now to offer a home to an animal and I think that all children wherever possible should have the opportunity to be responsible for an animal.

My house is full to bursting with cuddly toys that he loves cuddling but unfortunately our dog is not impressed by cuddles!

angeldaisy

January wrote: »

Would you get a rat? Pet rats are really affectionate if trained right, lots of handling, stroking etc. My pet rat loves nothing more than to sit on my shoulder while I do things around the house. They're not as vicious as hamsters etc and they're really clean pets too.

I really like them but my oh is a bit freaked out by them - big brave man that he is:))

Sigma Force

A new cat or dog could easily be killed on a road wether it's a country road (which are generally just as dangerous and any town) or in the suburbs. Since you have a large garden maybe building..which would be fun for him too..a cat enclosure and getting two friendly cats so they are company for one another and a rescue could then pair you up with suitable cats.

Or what about guinea pigs ..provided the child is supervised even at that age they can accidently drop a delicate guinea. But guinea pigs if held correctly will gladly cuddle up on a knee once they feel secure (as long as there's a blanket underneath). They need large housing if outdoors the minimum is a warm shed, they aren't suitable to be housed outside in winter especially as the weather is so upredictable. But there's kind of no point in having them outside for a kid because they'll generally only go to them when the sun is out so having them indoors is better and you can get two and three storey cages these days if space is an issue.

A secure outdoor run in good weather is great for them.

PieForPi

angeldaisy wrote: »

He originally wanted a rabbit, but I managed to persuade him otherwise as he wants a pet he can cuddle!


I was trying to pacify him with fish - but it doesn't seem to be working:rolleyes:

So you persuaded him off a rabbit on the grounds that it isn't cuddle-able and are now trying to have him accept a fish...something remarkably less cuddle-able.

I don't think getting an animal for the purpose of giving your son something to cuddle is appropriate, to be honest.

angeldaisy

PieForPi wrote: »

So you persuaded him off a rabbit on the grounds that it isn't cuddle-able and are now trying to have him accept a fish...something remarkably less cuddle-able.

I don't think getting an animal for the purpose of giving your son something to cuddle is appropriate, to be honest.

Okay I think you misinterpreted my op, the rabbit was a no go as having spent some time with one he realised they weren't pets that he could cuddle and play with.
We already have a fish but its not a 'play with pet'

He doesn't want a pet solely to have something to cuddle, he has me, his dad and his stuffed toys to cuddle.
He wants a pet he can play with and be able to interact with.
If you think for a second that I would consider the expense both materially and emotionally of getting a pet just so he could cuddle it - well I can't even begin to explain...

He is 7, almost 8 and he wants a pet - I'm sure most of us as children had pets and it is beneficial in my opinion for children to have a pet.
I am simply asking for suggestions for a suitable pet, as I have no experience in anything other than dogs, goldfish and rabbits.

As I explained I was looking for options not a lecture

The Sweeper

Cats give back exactly what you put into them. However I can tell you that even if you get the friendliest, most utterly bomb-proof cat from a shelter, if your son keeps picking it up when it doesn't want to be picked up, in about six months nobody will be able to pick it up. It's just one of those things.

You might be able to find an adult cat who adores kids - they do exist - but it will be quite a high maintenance cat so you need to be prepared for that.

Whispered

I agree with you and think that it's really important for kids to learn to take responsibility for a pet early on.

Could you "share" your dog with him? Give him more responsibility with regards to your current dog, ask him to feed the dog or train some simple tricks like sit, giving the paw etc.

Depending on the type of dog you have, 11 is a pretty good age so he's probably slowing down. Introducing a puppy now could be stressful for him in his twilight years so that's something to consider too.

If you're not really cat people then I wouldn't suggest a cat, it wouldn't be fair on you or the cat. They are often thought of as easy pets but truthfully they can be every bit as demanding as dogs. If they are the type that enjoys being picked up and cuddled, you're likely to have a clingy, noisy, demanding cat who follows you around the house mewling up at you (I have one of these, not very fun!!). If the cat doesn't like cuddles then it defeats the purpose of getting a pet for your son to interact with.

I don't know a lot about Guinea pigs, but going by Sigma Forces post, they sound ideal for your situation I think.