Moral of the Story

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Rhaegar's Lesson

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Kitten VS Baby

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The Day

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Being Careful

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Memories

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Baby Toys

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Cold Kittens

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Pictures Tell the Story

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Adult Cats

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Rhaege

Rhaegar

Boober

Boober

Rhaegar

Rhaegar

Sickness and Bonding

We all got sick after my daughter's wedding.  My daughter, my grandson Draven, and I did.  I thought maybe it was just exhaustion, since it was directly after the wedding, but it wasn't.  It was a severe strain of the flu.

My daughter ended up staying a night in the hospital,  I missed several says of work and school, and Draven had a temp of 102.  He mostly laid on the couch and watched Curious George.  Rhaegar laid along with him the entire day, and was very patient.  He got cuddled and manhandled and never complained.  

They have a very sweet bond, Draven and Rhaegar.  It's wonderful that he can learn to care for an animal at such a young age.

Kittens and Comfort

I take back everything I said in my last post.  Well, kittens are mischevious and they do get into things they shouldn't, and they do destroy things here and there.  But when things go wrong, they can be a source of emotional support that is irreplaceable. 

Everything that could go wrong with my daughter's wedding did go wrong.  The photographer and the DJ were driving down from Kansas City together.  They should have been at Gage park at 3 pm.  They missed the entire ceremony and didn't show up at the reception until 9:45 pm.  There were a few amateur pictures taken at the ceremony, so that is all we'll have.

The cake we ordered was not what they delivered.  This cake was hideous and the wrong flavor.  It was supposed to be a pretty, light colored, woodland themed cake.  The one they made was bright and tropical colored.  My daughter joked that we needed to run to Wal-Mart and get a couple toy dinosaurs to use as cake toppers.

When I got home that evening I put my grandson to bed and sat down to unwind.  Rhaegar immediately jumped up on my lap and started rubbing and purring.  It was such a joy after a stressful day to be welcomed home and comforted by a sweet little kitten.  Of course, he was probably trying to distract me from the plant he knocked off the mantle...

Kittens Are Bad for Weddings

On the day of my daughter's wedding I wake up to Rhaegar sleeping on top of the newly clawed keepsake box for her wedding dress.  There are a million things to do on the day of a wedding and nobody wants to deal with a naughty kitten ruining things.  

That is the one thing you have to understand when you get your child a pet.  Not every day is going to be fluffy cuteness.  There is going to be cat puke and cat poop to clean up, and cat hair ends up on EVERYTHING!  There will be clawed couches, pawed knick-knacks, and midnight house racing.

Sometimes I wonder if having a pet is worth it.

Awesome Pet Videos

I was looking around on YouTube for something to entertain my grandson, and we found several videos that he thought were very entertaining and relevant to my blog.  So I thought I'd share them with you.

This first video shows the joy a pet can bring to a child's life.   

8 Awesome Kids With Awesome Pets by BuzzFeedVideo.

The second video is still a reason your child should have a pet.  But it's for the entertainment value, not the love and happiness. 

 It's also by BuzzFeedVideo.  21 Pets Get Revenge On Kids

We hope you enjoyed these videos as much as we did!

The Top Four Reasons Why Your Child Should Have a Pet

1. Health.

According to Alice Park of Time Magazine, "Reporting in the journal Pediatrics, researchers say that babies who grow up in homes with a pet — namely a dog or a cat — are less likely to get sick than children who live pet-free."  "Previous research has linked the presence of pets with a lower risk of allergies among babies, while a recent study in mice found that exposure to household dust from homes with a dog prevented infection with a common respiratory virus that is thought to increase the risk of childhood asthma."

In my personal experience, my boys went from babies to toddlers when we still lived at my mother's house with her cats an dogs, and neither one had any problems with allergies or ear infections.  My daughter however, has allergies and had some horrid ear infections in her toddler years.

2. Stress Reduction.

It's hard out there for a toddler.  You're constantly getting into things and your family is trying to redirect you everywhere.  Sometimes its good to have someone who's always on your side for cuddles and loves.  Someone who never raises their voice or gets frustrated.  Someone who doesn't mind when you carry them around to hug and love them.  Studies have shown that petting an animal reduces your heart rate and calms you down and makes you happier. 

3.  Self Esteem

The world can be cruel.  Mama can be having a bad day and be grouchy, you may have lost your favorite toy, maybe you went to tumbling class and couldn't figure out how to do a somersault and everyone else could.  What do you do?  How do you not get sad or feel you're a failure as a toddler?  You go pet your kitty, that's what you do!  

Your kitty or doggy wont judge your bad haircut after you played with Mama's sewing scissors.  Your kitty wont care if you can do a somersault or not.  Your doggy wont care if you hid a dirty pull-up under the treadmill.  But he might tell on you.  Also, studies show that having an animal increases your self esteem.

4. Building Empathy, Compassion, and Responsibility.

Children with pets learn a lot about giving.  They need to make sure their pet has food and water.  They can watch their kitty meow and beg at the cat food bowl and realize they have a job to do.  Their animal needs something from them in order to not be hungry and thirsty. They understand what hungry or thirsty feels like because they get hungry and thirsty too.
They know that if they don't put food or water into the bowl that their friend will be unhappy.  

From the article How Pets Teach Children Empathy and Compassion by Silvia Foti for Webvet, "Parents have traditionally encouraged children to respect and care for animals in the belief that this would enable children to become more caring, compassionate, and responsible," said Elizabeth Omerod, companion animal veterinary surgeon, and member of the Pet Health Council in London, England. "Studies demonstrate that children who interact with animals have higher levels of self esteem, greater empathy, and better social skills."

So what are you waiting for?  Give your child the joy of a pet today.

A Little Background

We had a couple cats before my grandson was born, but had a little surprise addition when a pretty little stray cat kept visiting us.  We brought her in with us on a bitterly cold winter night and she never left. Little did we know she was pregnant!  Then on April 22nd, three little kittens were born.

By the time they could climb out of the box they were antisocial kittens.  They didn't like people or other animals.  When you opened the door to their little room they scattered like spilled marbles.  My grandson was enraptured by them at first glance.  

He particularly loved the orange kitten.  I think it was because he visually stuck out since his brothers were both black and white.  He would always toddle after him and try to pick him up but the kitten was always faster.  Eventually, he won.

Welcome to Paws and Pampers!

Welcome to Paws and Pampers!  I'm writing this blog is to share the adventures between my eighteen month old grandson and his four month old kitten while they grow up together.

I grew up with cats in the home, but I didn't get a cat for my children until they were in middle school and could help take care of one.  

It's a hilarious new perspective for us to watch the interaction between a baby and a kitten.