Kittens are only in rescues and shelters for a very small portion of their lives. It is the adopter's responsibility to continue socializing and training their kitten to become a well-rounded pet. The first few months of a kitten's life are important to determine how they will behave in the future, respond to changes and new things, and how your bond will develop with them over time. 

​

With anything you want to socialize your kitten with, remember to always include positive reinforcement. This is something that is rewarding to your kitten and makes them have a positive association with whatever you are socializing them to. Positive reinforcement may include treats, praise or attention, or play. 

​

Handling

Your kitten should get used to handling early on to allow for their regular care, grooming, and vet visits to be a positive experience. 

• Touching paws, ears, and tail

• Opening mouth, touching lips

• Picking up

• Carrying 

• Trimming toe nails

• Cleaning ears

​

Travel

Expose your kitten to their carrier, a leash and harness, a collar, and the car early on and frequently. Do not just use these items when you need to go to the vet. Consider taking your kitten on quick errands that they can accompany you on, such as going to the pet store, coffee shop, bank, etc. 

​

Noises

Expose your kitten to a variety of noises. You can even find audio clips online to help provide new noises they haven't heard before. 

​

People

Always encourage people to interact positively with your kitten. Remember to advocate for your kitten and be specific with what is positive reinforcement (i.e. please play with my kitten with this toy, please feed my kitten a treat) and discourage any behaviors you do not want to reinforce (i.e. play biting hands).