How to raise a kitten

Although it’s an exciting experience, taking home a kitten entails responsibility. Kittens require care, patience, and direction to develop into happy, well-mannered cats, just like any other young animal.

Raising a kitten involves a lot of steps, from teaching them where to use the restroom to assisting them in acclimating to new surroundings. It’s critical to provide a nurturing, safe atmosphere where they can flourish.

This post will discuss helpful advice on how to raise and train your new kitten to make sure they grow up to be a happy, healthy pet.

Body language – cat habits

Understanding a cat’s body language is essential to understanding them. Although the pet won’t express his feelings verbally, he will make it obvious whether he is happy or upset.

1. If a cat wags its tail, its skin twitches – this is a sign of discontent.
2. Arches its back, snorts, hisses – it is afraid and ready for aggressive actions. It is better to leave the animal alone and wait until it calms down.
3. The pet presses its ears to its head, hisses or growls – it can hardly restrain itself and is ready to attack. This is not a game, in this state the cat is ready to fight.
4. Purrs and rubs against the owner – expresses love and devotion, asks for affection.
5. Touches or lightly hits a person"s hand with a paw without extended claws, the cat is ready to play and asks for it.

At what age to start raising a kitten?

The kitten is beside the mother for two months, sometimes even three or four. She gives it food, licks it, and imparts some basic hygiene knowledge. A good cat will undoubtedly teach her youngster how to use the potty, and ideally, she will also demonstrate where the claws should be sharpened. Raising such a pet and acclimating it to a routine will be simpler.

Taking care of a kitten that was found on the streets or adopted from an animal shelter presents greater challenges. In this situation, feeding the kitten and giving it support is crucial to its growth. The secret to a pet’s healthy physiology and psyche is a gentle, loving attitude.

The litter box and scratching post must be introduced to the animal gradually in the early going, without punishment for misbehavior.

Any kitten can be naughty, energetic, and active as early as four months of age. You can already exhibit strictness in the classroom at this age. It can only be conveyed by voice intonation; physical punishment should never be used.

At six months or so, the pet starts going through puberty. Males and females alike have the ability to mark their territory and may even become aggressive. In the event that breeding is not intended, the animal must be castrated or sterilized promptly after consulting a veterinarian.

The most important skills

Important lessons a kitten should pick up in a new home.

Regimen

The infant needs to get used to the routine of the new house. It is worth actively playing with it before bed to avoid waking anyone up at night. Ignore the kitten’s cries if it wakes everyone up early in the morning; it will soon wean itself out of the bad habit.

Food

Depending on the baby’s age, feedings should occur at the same time each day, either twice or three times. The feeding location ought to remain constant. In between meals, bowls should always be kept spotless and empty.

Toilet

The task is made easier if the kitten is accustomed to using the litter box. It is necessary to use the same kind of filler and device that it is used to at home.

If your pet lacks the requisite skills, you will need to select a toilet device based on its preferences.

15 to 20 minutes after feeding, the infant must be placed on the toilet multiple times to ensure the right outcome.

Scratching post

The pet must be trained to sharpen its claws only in the approved location if it is not familiar with using this product. A two-month training cycle is complete.

Game

The infant needs a sufficient variety of toys, including balls, squeakers, waving toys, and interactive gadgets. The most important thing is to keep it from biting and scuffing household members’ hands and feet.

Human

The owner must teach the pet from the very beginning that they are the primary authority and pack leader in this new home. Future issues won’t arise if the infant comprehends this.

Mr. Cat recommends: what not to do

A kitten may grow up to have a bad experience if its owner raises it incorrectly from the beginning in a new home.

Main errors made by parents when teaching a child:

• Dirty litter box. If a kitten went to the toilet in the wrong place, first of all you should figure out whose fault it is. A cat is the most clean animal on the planet. Some individuals will categorically not go into a dirty litter box. Others prefer to go into two, in one they urinate, in the second – they defecate. If the owner is not at home during the day, then you can place several clean litter boxes around the room.
• Inconsistency of actions. When prohibiting something to the pet, the owner must understand that this "taboo" should always be in effect. If you allow a kitten to run on the table, tear furniture, wallpaper or climb on the curtains once, then punishing him for subsequent similar actions will be illogical and incomprehensible to the baby.
• Instilling fear skills. You can not shout, and especially beat the pet. Fear breeds aggression. In this case, mutual understanding between a person and a cat will never develop.

Advice from breeders

Purchasing from a nursery is the most ideal way to obtain pets. Expert breeders will always assist the new owner by offering advice on education, assisting with behavior modification, advising when to call the veterinarian, and identifying situations in which you can handle things yourself.

Reputable breeders constantly monitor their graduates.

Main guidelines recommended by breeders to abide by:

• First of all, the kitten must understand that its role in the house is secondary. If the baby recognizes the authority of the owner, it will obey him and listen unquestioningly.
• Never raise your voice at the pet.
• Never use physical punishment.
• For the rapid adaptation of the animal in a new home, two or three days, sometimes a week, you should act according to the principle of "limiting space". It is better if it is a separate room, in extreme cases, a hallway, kitchen or balcony. It is important that the room does not have secluded corners where the cat can hide. There should be a litter tray, bowls with water and food and a house nearby. The pet can and should be released into the house and interact with it, but only under supervision.
• A cat"s house is its burrow, not only and not always a place to sleep, rather it is a shelter. The pet must understand that this is his private territory. Therefore, you should never take it out of there by force. If the kitten hits you with its paw or scratches you at this point, it is within its rights. And you can’t scold it for aggression, in this case it is justified.
• Never play with a kitten with bare hands.
• If the owner plans to walk the cat on a leash, you should accustom it to the harness from an early age, carefully and gradually. At first, it is put on without a leash for five minutes, the wearing time increases each time.
• You should accustom it to new food and filler sequentially, adding a new type to the old.
• You cannot violate the established daily routine. To do this, be sure to play with the kitten, especially in the evening before bed. Physical fatigue will contribute to sound sleep.
• Carefully monitor the health of the cat. Sometimes unjustified aggression and inappropriate behavior are a sign of illness.
• Always love and understand your pet. Mutual respect is one of the foundations of excellent education.

A kitten must be raised in a secure and caring environment, with all of their basic needs, including food and medical attention, met. It also entails instilling positive behaviors in them from an early age. The key to assisting them in developing into a well-mannered, self-assured adult cat is socializing them with people and other pets. It takes persistence and patience to guarantee a solid bond and a happy, healthy pet.

Correct methods of adaptation

A kitten goes through its most stressful period in its brief life when it leaves the home where it was born and lived next to its mother. It is the owner’s responsibility to assist it in swiftly and simply emerging from its melancholy state rather than to aggravate it.

To accomplish this, a few basic guidelines must be followed:

• Organize the correct feeding, sleep, and play schedule for the baby and in no case violate it.
• In the first months of life in a new home, limit visits to friends and noisy companies. The pet should be accustomed to new people gradually and only after its complete adaptation.
• In no case should you change the food and type of filler in the first days. This will aggravate the baby"s stress.
• Take a piece of bedding with the mother"s smell from the nursery and put it in the new house. This will make the adaptation process easier.
• A handful of filler from the old tray will also help the pet quickly master the new toilet.
• If another animal is planned in the house, it is better to either bring both of them at once or wait for the complete adaptation of the kitten (up to six months).
• To train a cat to use a scratching post, you can use valerian, catnip, special sprays with pheromones. Vinegar, citrus fruits, or perfumes with strong odors are often used to wean a baby from sharpening its claws in forbidden places.
• It is necessary to train a baby to use the toilet from the first minutes of life in a new home.
• Listen to the advice of the breeder, contact the nursery first of all with all questions.
• Do not shout, do not hit the pet. The correct punishment is a remark made in a stern tone. It is acceptable to use a spray bottle with water, a light slap on the nose, a light blow with a rolled-up newspaper.
• The following action of the owner helps well. If the baby has broken the rules, you can pick it up and gently blow into its nose. This is not painful and not dangerous, but very unpleasant for cats, as is a light slap on the earlobe.

It takes patience, love, and attention to their needs to raise a kitten. You can foster an environment that is both secure and supportive as they develop into healthy, self-assured cats.

It’s crucial to instill positive behaviors in your kitten from an early age, such as appropriate litter training and scratching habits. Giving them positive reinforcement will help them pick things up quickly and have fun while they’re with you.

Remember how important socialization is. Kittens that receive regular attention from people and other pets are better able to socialize and adapt to new environments.

Your kitten will flourish and grow to be a valued member of your family if given the proper care, direction, and lots of love.

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