Tips
Here are some tips to make a smooth transition to your family and to help your kitten bond with you.
• Make sure to always allow them to come to you when you first bring them home. They most likely are scared and it will take them a few days to start feeling comfortable. Let them stay in their carrier till they are ready to come out. You can be close and offer your hand with soothing loving words and even stroke them if they allow it but never try to reach in and forcefully remove them. This will just scare them more. Give them time but allow them to know you are there for them. They are not use to a lot of people so if you have a big family please don’t all rush in to see the kitten at one time. Calmly introduce the kitten when it’s quiet otherwise you will scare the kitten.
• If you have other animals please during the time they first enter your home that you give them their own time without any of the other animals around. Over the next few days you can gradually introduce them but please not until they have accepted you first. You will be their safety person while they meet the rest of the family/pets.
• Make sure to give them at least 30 to 60 minutes of one on one time with you. This means each member of the family so they bond with everyone. They will most likely choose the one they want to bond with the most. And that normally will be the person that spends the most time with the kitten.
• Spend at least 10 minutes a day to just groom your little one. If you can’t do it daily try at least once a week.
• Make sure after play time with you to have a quiet time with your kitten of at least 15 min. This will calm them down and also make them feel more relaxed with you. It allows them to know that you are not just their play toy but their friend/companion. This is very important if you want your kitten to be a lap cat, the more quiet/gentle time you spend with them the more they will use you as their safe spot to rest and feel safe. This time should be for gentle stroking, praise, cuddling and resting.
• Don’t play rough with your kitten/cat. When you play rough it teaches them to be more aggressive or even scared if they don’t like it.
• Don’t Force them to do anything they do not want to do. You again are teaching them to be aggressive… they will lash out if your trying to force them. Best to train them with positive gentle reinforcement if your trying to get them to do something they are not use to or not wanting to do. This takes time, allowing the kitten/cat to understand and feel comfortable with what you are wanting.
Learn some cat talk and what their gestures, sounds, and movements mean. There are many more but here is a few.
- Slow Blink. This is the one I love. Your kitten/cat does a slow blink at you they are saying they trust you. Make sure you do the same to them and they will begin to trust you more and more.
- Licking/Gentle Bite. This is a form of saying I love you… they love to groom and when they do this to you it’s like a kiss, showing their ultimate affection for you. This is what their mother did for them to show her love. The Gentle bite was/is another form of their grooming. It is also a way of them saying I want your attention.
- Head Butting/Sliding against your leg. Again a form of affection toward you, or depending on how close to meal time it is it could be just meaning feed me please.
- Hissing/spitting noise. Normally means they are upset or fearful of something.
Training a kitten/cat
You can train a kitten/cat to do almost anything you want it to do just like a dog. The only difference is it takes much more time and it must always be done at the cats/kittens time not yours. By this I mean if they are not up for it don’t force them. Take time, lots of treats, lots of positive reinforcement, and loving soothing sounds/words. Never be forceful, Loud, Mean, or showing any signs of being upset or aggressive with them for they will do just the opposite of what you are wanting then.
Not only can you teach them to do tricks but also teach them behaviors like being a Lap Cat, Being Held, Walking on a Leash, More Social. Here are a few examples.
• Lap Cat:
Start by sitting on the floor playing gently with a toy (never use your hands as a toy) with your kitten. Gradually move the toy towards your lap, if your kitten goes into your lap make sure to praise her/him, gently stroke her/him and feed her/him a treat. Keep repeating this till when you sit on the floor they just run and jump in your lap. Also make sure you use a sound, a word or gesture to associate with them in your lap. Over time they will then know what that means and come running to where ever you are, knowing they will be loved on.
• Leash Training:
First start off with placing the Harness on them, they will hate it but make sure to give them a treat, positive gentle strokes, and loving words. Only leave it on for about 5 minutes. You can do this several times a day or once a day, but increase the time you leave the harness on them. Eventually you could leave it on all the time if you wanted. (I prefer not to leave the harness/collar on my cats unless I am going on a walk with them. This way they know what to expect when I put it on them.) Once they are use to the harness then I place the leash on it and allow them to pull it around with them, make sure you are always there to watch so it does not get tangled up in something. After a few days of this then I will pick up the leash and allow them to go where they want with me following them 🙂 . Slowly I will begin to place tension on the leash guiding them to where I want always with kind loving praise and a treat when they follow me. After awhile they are ready to go on their first out door walk. I always find a very quiet place where it’s just me, the cat and nature … again it’s a slow daily routine. After awhile they will begin to look forward to their out door excursions. And eventually you can introduce them to more busy environments if you so choose.
• More Social:
If you are wanting your cat/kitten to be more social with strangers that come in your house, you need to start again slowly and quietly introducing a new person to them on a daily basis or at least weekly. Be sure to only introduce one person at a time, and do not do this till they have fully accepted you and your family members. So once they have bonded with you invite a friend over to meet your new cat/kitten. Find a quiet room that your cat/kitten feels comfortable in, a perch would be nice for they feel safer in higher spots. But if you don’t have one then ask your friend to sit on the floor, the trick here is you want to be at their level. Cats/kitten see you as giants when you stand over them so when you get down to their level they feel less of a threat. Once your friend is sitting (by the way make sure to tell your friend before entering the room not to try to approach the cat/kitten, and to make no fast movements, loud noises or sounds.) Sit next to your friend on the floor and begin to call/coax your cat/kitten to you either with treats or toys. Once they are in your lap gently stroke them and hold them firmly but gently. At this point your friend can then start talking with you and the cat/kitten and SLOWLY reach toward the cat/kitten. If it does not move back then allow your friend to stroke your cat/kitten in a very calm gentle manor. Once you feel your cat/kitten is accepting this and actually likes this attention then release your hold on the cat/kitten and let your friend start playing with your cat/kitten with a toy or just petting him/her. Repeat above if your cat/kitten runs away when your release her/him, using lots of loving kind words and treats if needed. Remember cats/kittens learn by repetition so make sure you do this daily or as often as you can with different people. After awhile your cat will no longer run and hide when a stranger comes into your home. But if someone comes in fast and loud your cat/kitten will most likely go hide where they feel safe. That is why if you have a party do not expect your cat/kitten to be seen anywhere close by. They most likely are hiding in a closet or some other dark place.
So as you can see it's all about repetition, praise, gentleness, and treats (treats lesson as they learn). With this little bit of knowledge you can train your cat to sit, roll over, play dead or anything else … but the biggest part of it is not the training of the cat/kitten but training yourself to have lots of patients.
Correcting your Kitten/Cats
Never scold, yell or hit your cat if they are doing something you do not want them to do, this just teaches them to be afraid of you and can create either an aggressive cat or a scaredy-cat.
• Playing to rough:
Best thing is just walk away from them and ignore them if they are playing to rough with you.
• Not using kitty litter box:
There is normally only a few reasons why this happens
1. Kitty litter box is dirty
2. They don’t like the kitty litter your using
3. You have a cat that has not been fixed (normally male)
You can also correct the issue by placing the kitten/cat in the room the box is in, and not allow them out till they have used the box. Keep repeating this as needed. Be sure the box is clean for cats are very clean animals, that is why they bury their secretions. And again never use harsh words or scold them even though you may be upset.
• Jumping up on counters/scratching furniture:
Get a small spray bottle and fill it with water when you see them doing something you do not want them to do then just spray them. Or you can buy a product called feliaway that you can spray on the area you do not want them to scratch. Make sure they have plenty of good scratching posts and pads.
This covers a lot and I think for now this will help you with your kitten or cat but again I am always here for you so please contact me if you have any question or problems.