Nothing beats the excitement of bringing home a new kitten! You’ve followed our new kitten checklist, prepared your house, and picked up your new friend to bring to their forever home.
During the excitement, it’s easy to forget that a kitten, this process can be confusing, stressful, or even scary. New kittens might be leaving their mom and siblings for the first time to live with people they don’t know.
For new kitten owners, bonding with your kitten is essential. This article explores the ins and outs of bonding with your kitten to make sure you two create a bond that lasts a lifetime.
What is the Best Age to Bond with a Kitten?
Kittens are babies, so they’re very impressionable. Young kittens, usually 6-12 weeks old, are at a point where they’re starting to explore the world and everything it has to offer. This is also a good time for kittens to get exposed to humans through socializing.
Kittens at this age are still incredibly young, and bonding takes more than a few days, but starting early can lay the groundwork for bonding activities in the future.
Is it Too Late to Bond with my Kitten?
It’s never too late for you to bond with your kitten! Kittens, and all cats for that matter, are capable of creating a strong bond with humans at any age.
One important thing to keep in mind while trying to bond with your kitten is to remain patient. Kittens all operate differently, and a new kitten may be more resistant to human interaction than another kitten or cat. Just be sure to keep at it and follow our tips below.
6 Tips for Bonding with a Kitten
If you’re starting from scratch with a new kitten, here are six tips to start bonding.
Make time for playtime
Kittens are bundles of energy, and playtime can be a great way to tire them out while creating a bond between you two. Try getting different kitten toys to find the toy that your kitten likes best, and make an effort to play with your kitten regularly. This means more than once a day, if possible.
Create a routine
From breakfast to dinner, playtime to naptime, cats can be creatures of habit. Helping your kitten ease into a routine can make them more comfortable in their new home and more receptive to human interaction. Getting to know your kitten’s routine can also help you figure out when the best time to bond with your kitten is.
Reward your kitten
Who doesn’t like treats?! When your kitten does something positive — it can be anything from catching a laser toy to using their litter box — make sure to reward them with tasty treats. It doesn’t hurt to give them treats if they start paying more attention to you. Also, be sure to purchase different types of treats to see which your kitten likes best.
Try harness training
We believe that harness training can be great for kittens and cats. Not only is this an effective way to bond with your kitten, but you also get your cat used to walking on a leash. This is perfect for anyone who wants to safely walk their cat outdoors.
Provide a safe space for your kitten
After a long day of work, we humans sometimes need a quiet place to destress and relax. Your kitten may want the same. Find out where your kitten goes when it needs a nap, and make that area more comfortable. Alternatively, set up a private place where your kitten can escape to if it needs a break.
Be patient
Patience goes beyond waiting for bonding to happen. New kittens are babies, and they’re bound to act bad at times. Express patience and don’t snap at your kitten — odds are that it doesn’t know it did something wrong.
Bonding with a kitten doesn’t happen overnight, but the journey toward a life long friendship can be fun and exciting. Keep working with your kitten, pay attention to their mood, and try new things — eventually, you two will be inseparable!
Signs that Bonding with your Kitten is Working
Here are some signs that bonding with your kitten is working:
Your kitten looks for you. From quiet meows from across the house to searching rooms after a nap, your kitten looks for you in different ways. This means that they want to be around you and it’s a great sign that they’re bonding with you!
Your kitten responds when you call it — sometimes. If you call your kitten’s name and it turns to look at you (or even comes over to you), then it could be a sign that you two are bonding. Keep in mind that kittens and cats don’t always respond to their names, so no response isn’t a bad thing.
Your kitten follows you around. Do you have a little shadow following you around the home? If your kitten follows you, it could be a sign that bonding is working.
Your kitten takes naps cuddled up with you. Animals are most vulnerable when they’re sleeping, so a kitten sleeping cuddled up with you means that they trust you to keep them safe. Not only is this a great sign of bonding, but it’s also incredibly cute and comfortable!
Keep in mind that every kitten is unique and will express its affection in a different way. Even if your kitten isn’t cuddly or doesn’t hang out all the time, they could still feel bonded to you. Just try to look at things from your kitten’s point of view!
FAQS for How to Bond with a Kitten
You can bond with a new kitten through playtime, harness training, and following your kitten’s routine. Make sure to be patient throughout the bonding process.
Bonding with a kitten takes a lifetime, but you should start to see signs of bonding in as little as a few days or weeks, depending on your kitten’s personality.
The best way to bond with a kitten is through patience. You can’t force your kitten to bond with you, so you two need to grow together naturally.
Feeding a kitten, giving it treats, and playtime are all great ways to get a kitten to trust you.
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