The same is true for a home that already has other animals. While a resident dog can be a hazard for a small kitten, an adult cat will soon set boundaries and decide with the dog who belongs where, and when. This seems to be also true of homes with a resident feline. A kitten can be too playful and annoying for an older cat, whereas another adult, introduced slowly and patiently, will work out with the first cat a pecking order that suits both parties. Households with very young children are another poor choice for a kitten.
Young children can sometimes be very rough with a kitten.
Adult cats seem to be able to tolerate a certain amount of handling from kids yet are still able to leave when enough is enough. Go to top Why mixed breeds make great companion animals Each breed is descended from a limited number of dogs. Because breeders have sought to create animals who have certain fixed attributes, purebred dogs today are very inbred. Genetically this means that, while all purebreds do not have significant health problems, they are predisposed to a range of hereditary and congenital diseases, including skin and eye conditions, allergies, various cancers, cardiac problems, and abnormalities in the kidneys and other organs. A 1994 Time magazine article on the effects of overbreeding reported that as many as 25 percent of the 20 million purebred dogs in the US are afflicted with a serious genetic problem.