How to Socialize Your New Kitten

Cats have a reputation for being independent creatures who don’t crave interaction the same way as a dog. While it’s true that cats are often happy in solitude, it doesn’t mean they don’t bond with their humans or enjoy interacting with other animals.

The best way to help your kitten grow into a friendly and loving cat is to start the socialization process with them early. Here are a few of the key steps to take for safe and effective socializing!

Let your kitten get comfortable in your space first.

Before you dive in with any of your socialization tactics, give your kitten a few days to adjust to their new environment. Keep them in a small room or confined area of your house with just their bed, food and water, litter box, and a few toys. Sit with them while maintaining your distance (unless they approach you) during this time, so they start to feel safe and ready to explore and interact.

Build trust with regular handling and play.

Spend time holding, petting, and playing with your kitten a little bit each day until they start to act comfortable with and open to your affection. Every time you take a new step forward, such as playing with a new interactive toy or climbing on your lap on their own, reward them with a treat or extra chin scratches. Positive reinforcement is the key to making the socialization process a good experience for your kitten.

Slowly introduce new surroundings, people, and animals.

Once your kitten grows secure and relaxed with you, use that trusting relationship to help them feel safe and confident about exploring new things. Introduce them to new surfaces (wood, carpet, tile, concrete, etc.), rooms, and areas around the house to get them used to unfamiliar environments. As they become more outgoing, you can move on to new people and pets—just make sure you’re bringing them in one at a time. This way you’ll avoid overwhelming your kitten.

Feline socialization is an important aspect of health and wellness that should begin at an early age.

That’s why the cat townhouses we build at The Cat’s Inn are designed to allow cats plenty of room to interact with their environment and an expansive view to observe their surroundings. You can even customize your commercial enclosures with pass-through doors, so the cats you’re housing can go back and forth to one another as they please.

Contact The Cat’s Inn today to learn more about our top-of-the-line cat boarding solutions and order our condos for your business!