Funny Cute Cat

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How to ensure your kitten becomes a friendly, sociable kitten, by socialising your new kitten from the very first moment you bring him home.

We all want a cat who is friendly, sociable and wants to spend time with us. The time for socialising your kitten is in the first two months of his life, this will help shape your cat's personality for the future. Making sure he experiences as much of the 'real world' as possible is of utmost importance.

In cats, shyness and boldness are, to some extent inherited; shy mothers and fathers tend to have shy kittens and bold parents tend to produce bold kittens. However, kittens' personalities are by no means fixed for life. A timid kitten can become bolder as he matures, so long as he doesn't encounter anything unpleasant when he does pluck up the courage to do something brave. Conversely, a brave cat can turn into a scaredy-cat if he is mistreated, or gets hurt when he pushes his luck once too often. All experiences need to be positive for a kitten; a bad experience can be as detrimental as having no experience. Build up a kitten's experiences gradually over time, and repeat them regularly throughout the first to months of his life.

The greater the variety of positive experiences kittens have between two and eight weeks of age, the more likely they are going to be able to adapt to whatever life throws at them in the future. Many rescue centres will have their kittens placed in foster homes for this reason. Whether you've rescued or purchased a kitten, find out what socialisation he has already had so you can continue this at home.