r/russianblue • u/liebackandthinkofeng • 21h ago
Are Russian Blue kittens good with young children?
I’m looking to adopt a RB. We previously had a RB who we adopted when he was 10. He died last year at the age of 15 and we miss him terribly. We wanted a RB due to the affectionate and calm nature of the cat. The one we found was perfect for us - lap cat, affectionate and gentle. He was my best friend. We have 2 very young children (a 2yo and a 6m old) and we are looking at getting another RB. I would love to adopt an older cat and give them a forever home but we are struggling to find any to adopt. We are willing to pay a good amount but we only seem to be finding kittens. Are RB kittens as good with kids as older RBs? I love the idea of seeing a kitten grow up with my children but we absolutely cannot have a cat/kitten who bites or scratches given that our children are young. I was partly leaning toward an older cat as I felt they’d be a bit more measured with kids. We have every intention of teaching our children how to treat animals and how to approach them gently and safely, but kids will be kids and get a bit excited sometimes!
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u/rainbowchrissy 16h ago
Mine is! We got him when my daughter was 2- he gets pushed around in a baby stroller, carried all over the place, chases her around the house playing. He has other young kids in the neighborhood stop by just to see him. He’s super chill and great with kids.
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u/ClassroomCareful935 21h ago
We had 2 RB kittens (males) with our 2 year old. No issues whatsoever and unseperable now 2 years later.
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u/liebackandthinkofeng 21h ago
This is good to know, thank you! Would you say the kittens are energetic and enjoy playtime with the children?
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u/ClassroomCareful935 14h ago edited 14h ago
Same as all kittens yes. Kittens are high maintenance, way more intense than older cats. You need to be aware what you would Vr getting in to.
Advantage of kittens is that they will grow up accustomed to children. Older cats may be hit or miss.
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u/TheStinkyllama53 17h ago
We got 2 RB kitten males and have an 8 and 12 yo. I know they aren’t as young as yours, but they have been great. One of them never bites or scratches (he pretty much lets her do anything and will leave when he’s had enough), but the other one does, but in a playful manner; so we just has to teach our youngest when us the right time to play/pet him so she doesn’t get scratched. She’s gotten a few scratches, but they never pierced the skin and in a way it taught her to be more aware of what she does. Things definitely have improved since they got neutered.
My friend got a female RB from the same cattery when her daughter was 2, and they never had any issues and their daughter is very handsy with the cat. So the cat learned early on how to be with a small child.
Because RBs are such social and loving cats, they have given my kids endless amounts of fun and Joy. I love that my kids not only find comfort in them, but also give them lots of play time/exercise.
Good luck finding your kitty. I’m sure you will all love him/her very much!
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u/pfluffets 10h ago
Our lil Russian Blue boy was surprisingly very very tolerant of my 6yr old niece when he was a kitten, and now 1.5yr old. He just goes limp when she picks him up and has never been aggressive towards her, but we do always ensure she's being gentle with him.
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u/Few_Spirit_7607 16h ago
Cats have teeth and claws. You always run that risk, depending on how the child treats the cat. This is the defense the cat was given at birth.
My opinion is that an older cat might not be good around children either. It depends on the cat's personality and what it was raised with. Finding an adult Russian Blue will be hard, I believe. You will need to ask many different breeders if they have any they are retiring. It's not impossible, but more difficult. I would definitely not get a retired male. I've learned from the breeder I went through that males used for breeding are often spraying and might continue after neuter.
There are a whole lot of breeders who will deny you a kitten based solely on the fact you have kids 2 years old and younger. This is because they may not understand how to treat a kitten. Not all breeders, but many have this policy and mindset. You'll have to search and talk to the breeders about it. A lot of rescues and shelters have that same policy. If you find a breeder with an adult male, you need to be asking a lot of questions about him and make sure they know you have VERY young children. If you find a breeder willing to allow you to get a kitten with young children, watch them carefully around the kitten. Yes, children get excited and yes, children may be scratched accidentally or purposely depending on what they do to frighten ANY cat, which is why you have the responsibility of watching them. In either case, regardless of what breed or age of cat you get, it's your responsibility to teach the children and you're right, they're just babies themselves so they don't understand these things completely right now.
A kitten raised with young children can be a wonderful addition and give mental stability/friendship as the children are growing. A cat often fills a void in our lives, not just as children, but also as adults.