Cat Health

Believe it or not, there is a lot to learn about kitten behavior! Aside from appreciating that nearly every single thing they do is ridiculously adorable, they are learning a lot and ultimately shaping their future personality during these early weeks. The more you understand about your current or future feline-friend, the better off you will be!

Starting at the Beginning

If you have a cat having kittens, have found abandoned ones or are simply wondering what your kitten has gone through before coming into your home, you may as well get educated from the beginning.

• Birth to Two Weeks - By the time the kitten reaches two weeks, eyes begin to open and they are getting familiar with sounds around them. Competing for rank and territory has already started.

• Two to Eight Weeks - They can see well enough to recognize their mother at three weeks and their sense of smell has developed. They are walking (even if it is clumsy) and their teeth come in by week four. Then, a week later, they start pouncing and learning to avoid obstacles. By the eighth week, kittens know how to groom themselves and socially interact. They have also developed motor skills and sleeping patterns.

• Two to Three Months - This is their most active play period. They learn to ambush, lick, hug, toss, paw, hold, chase and leap during this period.

• Three to Six Months - During these months, they see and use dominance or submissive behaviors either within their litter or in their household with their humans and other pets.

Importance of Socializing

A kitten that is abandoned or taken away from its litter-mates too early will miss out on a valuable socialization period. They may be more withdrawn or timid or they can be completely opposite and end up being quite aggressive towards both people and other pets.

Kittens are generally weaned around seven weeks however, some do suckle longer than this if they are looking for comfort when their mother starts leaving them for extended periods of time. Kittens that have been weaned too soon or orphaned will often suckle on pillows, blankets, your arm or anything else, long after they are adults.

Those that aren't granted enough socialization time with their mother and litter-mates will have a hard time reading signals. They don't know where the line is drawn between mouthing and biting or they may become too rough when wrestling.

It is suggested that skills not acquired before the kitten is eight weeks old may never be learned. It has also been proven that kittens held by people daily for 15 to 40 minutes, before they are 7 weeks old will generally develop larger brains.

Unfavorable Behavior

If you are thinking about getting a kitten, there is some behavior you need to be prepared to deal with that you may not find all that cute.

• Scratching - Kittens scratch to condition their nails, release energy and mark their territory. Don't get mad, simply redirect them to a nice scratching post.

• Soiling Outside the Litter Box - When a dog goes potty in the house, it's easily cleaned; cats are a different story. Make sure that you have a quality product on hand to clean any messes so the smell doesn't linger and so they are not tempted to return to that spot.

• Playing too Rough - Generally this is mainly a concern when a kitten has been weaned too soon. They will chase you, pretend to bite (or sometimes bite for real!) and they may even chew your arm or feet.

• Jumping - If you don't want your kitten on your counter or table, stop this at an early age. An easy trick is to take pieces of gift tape and create bubbles with them and stick them along the edges of the counter. The gift tape isn't strong enough to even pull their hair if it does stick but it annoys them enough to not continue to try.

Kittens may show changes in behavior or may start acting out for a number of reasons. They could be bored, lonely, anxious, stressed, scared, hungry or unhappy with changes in schedule or environment. It should also be noted that some may display peculiar behaviors like licking dirt, dry nursing, wool sucking and fur pulling. Sometimes they are a passing phase, other times they could be a cause for concern. You should always address any kitten behavior concerns with your vet if you feel there may be a mental or physical health issue.

If your kitten needs help jumping up on your bed or climbing to his favorite window perch, Cat Stairs can help!

For answers to older cat's behaviors, visit Sonia Manning's Cat Behavior Solutions where you can also receive a free mini-course on "Secrets About Your Cat's Behavior: Why He Does the Things He Does!"

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