My cat doesn't get along with kids. I’m moving in with my boyfriend and he has a son. I...

Great question! Some of this depends on the child’s age, and whether or not he’s ever been around cats before. Very young children (under age 6 or so) need lots of supervision before you can trust that they know how to safely interact with the cat. It’s a safety issue for both the child and your cat--a toddler won’t understand why it’s not permitted to pull a cat’s tail or pick him up by one leg, for example.

Don’t expect it to be love at first sight--or even second sight. It will take time, and requires some planning. Here are some step-by-step tips that can help.

First, sit down with your boyfriend and his son and explain some of the basics about cats in general, and Tiger in particular. Set some ground rules--perhaps, no chasing the cat, and when Tiger is in “his” room (a specified area with his litter box, bed) or perched on a favorite high place, the cat is off limits. No pestering during meal times, either. Every cat needs his own space.

Cats don’t like change, so moving Tiger to the new home will likely upset him and he’ll be on edge anyway, not a good time for the child to pester. Give Tiger at least a week to settle, and make it a game for the child to IGNORE the cat that entire time. This makes Tiger have to come to the boy for attention, rather than being pestered and avoiding interactions.

Then set some specific “Tiger times” for the boy and cat to interact. For instance, make it the child’s duty to fill the cat’s bowl with food--and then back away and leave the cat in peace to eat. Perhaps in the evening while watching TV or other quiet time, the child could try to engage the cat into a game with a fishing pole style toy or other favorite game (show him how Tiger likes to play). Or if the cat has a favorite treat – have the little boy toss those to the cat. Once Tiger learns that there are benefits for him being near to the child, he hopefully will warm up to him. Children smell different, move different, and sound different than adults, though, so it often takes time for cats to be convinced children are also humans.

Source: http://www.catchow.com