Does anyone have any good advice about teaching little kids how to be gentle and respectful with cats? I know my two year old just wants to pet the kitty, but I'm afraid she will play too roughly and never allow her to touch anyone's cats. It is harder to keep her from them as she gets older. Should I just let her loose and see what happens?

The thing I would worry about the most is, the cat scratching her or biting her.

Just watch her closely...my 17-month-old has some learning to do with the animals, he still tries to choke the cat occasionally, but when we see him being rough with her we reprimand him then help him pet her nicely. He does great with the dogs, he loves to hug them...the only big problem he has left with the cat is not realizing he can't just flop down on her to give her a hug.