I open on Monday (SO excited ) and honestly, my biggest concern right now is my cat! She's not used to seeing kids and the ones that have come to visit...well, she has not been welcoming! Even when I have them slowly put their finger out to let her sniff, she sometimes swats at them I can't imagine 3-5 year olds actually avoiding her when she's just so cute...but I feel like I just may have to tell them stay away (or lock her up). Any advice? She is very affectionate towards my husband and I but I know she is scared. Unfortunately, a parent will not care about scared when their kid gets scratched. Thanks!

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You might have to lock her up, during the day, But she may just hide on her own, I have two cats, And one has never really liked kids, having two myself, he never bothered them, So I figured I would see how it goes after I opened a year ago, we were going to give him one chance, and if he didnt do good, we were going to lock huiim up or get rid of him, And we have had no problems, Because he will not come out during the day with kids around, I never see the cat til my husband and I go to bed, and when I do see him, He has actually become tolerant of the children, And the older children just kind of sense to stay away from that cat, and if any of the little ones come near him, He takes off really fast! He never used to run from kids, When my niece came over before I had children, He stalked her, and almost attacked her, So I was concerned, and still if he ever makes one move to be mean, He will be gone.

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Cats instinctivly hide when they feel their space is being invaded. The cat will either remain hidden during daycare hours or slowly warm up to the kids. I honestly wouldn't worry about it =) If she does become agressive, however, you can by a large dog kennel and put some blankets and food/water inside to accomidate her.

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When a child starts in my care they are not allowed to touch the pets until I have worked with the child to see what their personalty is & how ruff or gentle they are. Some kids are allowed to touch the pets before others are & depending on the mood of the pet on a particular day they may not be allowed to touch them at all. I have 3 cats & a dog. The one cat I have no problem with them touch, she will go & rub up on the kids when she wants attention. One cat that will play with the kids but wont let them get close enough for them to touch. The last cat will sit & watch them but stay out of reach completely. The dog has his days where he doesnt mind the kids petting him but other days that he lets a grunt to let me know that he is not in the mood.

With the cat you are discribing I would start off by letting the cat get used to kids being in care before allowing them to touch it. That way the cat does not act out in other ways to let you know that it is not happy.

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I don't have any advice on the cat issue but I just wanted to say congratulatons on opening and best of luck

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Just make sure your cat has a hiding place to go like under the bed or in another part of the house without freaking out from baby gates that the cat has never seen. I don't have any children of my own, but I do have three kids which are, of course, my cats! When I have children come over though, they steer clear until they're comfortable and they have many places to hide. I only have to worry about our girl cat because she has claws and swats when she is done playing and runs off....weird little girl. The two boy cats we have are extremely gentle even though they all have claws, you would never know because they're so gentle. I'm more worried about the kids getting licked by my cat than anything though, lol, our big boy cat has an obsessive licking disorder. He licks the floor, wall, your sock, you name it!

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congratulations & good luck on monday!

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