Even a pet-crazy kid needs to learn how to play with animals

Taking care of a pet doesn't come as naturally to my daughter as I thought it would. She loves animals. Her favorite toys are stuffed animals. Her favorite TV shows have always had animals front and center. And, it's rare that she draws a picture that doesn't have an animal in it.

So I really thought taking care of a cat would be as easy as breathing for her.

She has been asking for a cat for years, so we finally got one this summer.

At first, she seemed hesitant to touch the cat, but these days, she is always picking her up under her front legs, and the cat drops some pretty big hints that she doesn't like it. She yowls. She nips. She flips around.

My husband has tried again and again to explain to our daughter the best way to pick her up, but for some reason, it just hasn't sunk in yet.

And then there's the water. My husband and I thought our daughter had the feeding and watering part down, but then I caught the cat trying to drink out of the toilet. After that, my husband checked the cat's water dish, and sure enough, it was bone dry.

So now we check that periodically to make sure she doesn't forget.

As I typically do, I worried, so I googled for advice. What I found is that really, our daughter isn't doing so bad at all for her age. Everything experts recommended, my husband and I already do:

• Be a good example.
• Explain to the child the best way to pet and hold a pet.
• Take your kids to a vet.
• Praise your children when they do their chores correctly.

I guess I just need to give her time.