Kittens are in fact like our own children and hence they love attention and are very playful. Most of the time you will find them in a mood to explore things and places while at the same time they will come running to their safe area if they perceive any threat in the environment. It is generally a myth that kittens should not be touched at the tender age while from my personal experience, i know it is totally wrong. Even research has proved it wrong. According to research, kittens who are handled every day for the first month of their lives are not only friendlier cats, but also learn faster and accept new situations easier. Socializing your kittens properly is really the best thing that you can do for them. A well-socialized kitten will be a happy and emotionally healthy cat.
Things you can do to help socialize kittens:
* Handle your kittens daily from the moment they are born if the mother cat will allow you to.
* Touch and rub the kittens paws, ears, and face. This will help for future nail clipping, combing, or when medication needs to be given.
* Allow visitors to hold your kittens. The more people the kittens are introduced to, the easier they will accept strangers as adult cats.
* Allow children to hold the kittens! Ask them to sit on the floor or on the couch and play with the kitten gently. This is good experience for the kitten and the child.
* Let your kittens meet other animals. You don't want to leave kittens unattended with other animals, but it is good for them to accept other animals in case they ever need to be boarded or if they go to a home that has dogs or other types of pets.
* Allow your kittens to hear normal, every day noises at their regular volumes.
* Practice holding kitten like a baby, cradled in your arms. Cats show their belly as a sign of trust.
* Leave a kitty carrier out and available, possibly with a blanket inside. Your cat will go in there to sleep, and if you ever need to put her in there for a vet visit or travel, you'll have less difficulty getting her in the crate.
* Make sure your kitten has lots of toys to play with, most importantly a scratching post.
* Allow your kittens to be part of your every day family life after they are about 4 weeks old.
Things you should avoid when socializing kittens:
* Never tease or allow children to tease kittens!
* Don't allow kittens to bite or scratch when playing. This causes aggressive behavior.
* Don't allow children to be too rough with kittens or they might dislike children when they are adult cats.
* Avoid sudden, loud noises when possible.
* Never let kittens go to their forever homes until they are at least 8 weeks old.
Remember that kittens that are raised underfoot as members of your family will be much more confident, happy, and social kitties as adults.
Things you can do to help socialize kittens:
* Handle your kittens daily from the moment they are born if the mother cat will allow you to.
* Touch and rub the kittens paws, ears, and face. This will help for future nail clipping, combing, or when medication needs to be given.
* Allow visitors to hold your kittens. The more people the kittens are introduced to, the easier they will accept strangers as adult cats.
* Allow children to hold the kittens! Ask them to sit on the floor or on the couch and play with the kitten gently. This is good experience for the kitten and the child.
* Let your kittens meet other animals. You don't want to leave kittens unattended with other animals, but it is good for them to accept other animals in case they ever need to be boarded or if they go to a home that has dogs or other types of pets.
* Allow your kittens to hear normal, every day noises at their regular volumes.
* Practice holding kitten like a baby, cradled in your arms. Cats show their belly as a sign of trust.
* Leave a kitty carrier out and available, possibly with a blanket inside. Your cat will go in there to sleep, and if you ever need to put her in there for a vet visit or travel, you'll have less difficulty getting her in the crate.
* Make sure your kitten has lots of toys to play with, most importantly a scratching post.
* Allow your kittens to be part of your every day family life after they are about 4 weeks old.
Things you should avoid when socializing kittens:
* Never tease or allow children to tease kittens!
* Don't allow kittens to bite or scratch when playing. This causes aggressive behavior.
* Don't allow children to be too rough with kittens or they might dislike children when they are adult cats.
* Avoid sudden, loud noises when possible.
* Never let kittens go to their forever homes until they are at least 8 weeks old.
Remember that kittens that are raised underfoot as members of your family will be much more confident, happy, and social kitties as adults.
