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Cat Behavior 

Understanding your cat's behavior and knowing where to learn more is essential in having a good bond with your furry family member.

Kitten Socialization

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). 

Undesirable Behaviors

Behavioral issues can arise at any point during a pet's life and for a number of reasons. Many behavioral issues are caused by a medical problem or for a specific reason. Remember that animals are limited in how they can communicate with us, so it is up to pet owners to identify when their pet is trying to tell them when something is wrong.

Medical problems and behavioral issues

The first step to trouble shooting a behavioral issue should always be scheduling an appointment with your veterinarian. Many health problems can present as behavioral issues. Please follow the links to explore common behavioral issues that have a medical cause. 

Cat Friendly: https://catfriendly.com/signs-symptoms/

Understanding your cat

Behaviors are often not random and are trying to communicate something with a pet owner. Please follow the links to explore more about why your cat might be showing certain behaviors. 

Cat Friendly: https://catfriendly.com/why-does-my-cat/

OSU Indoor Pet Initiative: https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats/problem-solving

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