Training & Handling - Socialising

Socialising a cat or kitten is an important part of being a responsible pet owner. While there is no question that some breeds of cats are naturally more social both towards humans and other pets, typically any breed of cat can be appropriately socialised provided that the owner is prepared to spend some time and effort in introducing the cat or kitten to new experiences, pets and even other people and environments.

There are many misconceptions about cats that limit or prevent owners from fully recognising the cat as a companion animal. People mistakenly believe that cats are solitary creatures, tending to be either very timid and shy or very aggressive, with little middle of the road behaviour. The truth is that many breeds of cats are almost dog-like, with Manx, Maine Coon, Ocicat, Persian, Birman and British Shorthair just a few of the many breeds that absolutely enjoy human company as well as the company of other pets and people. Another common misconception is that cats will basically live their lives totally independent of the human family in the house. Again, this couldn't be more inaccurate as a well socialised cat will be interested and involved in most of the activities in the house and even in the garden. Cats will often run to greet their owners when they arrive home, rub affectionately on people's legs, or even jump up on a friendly lap for a bit of attention. Cats typically are not as demonstrative as some breeds of dogs, but they are still very intelligent and highly entertaining for the family.

Just like all types of animals the more positive time and attention that is spend on and with a cat the more likely it will enjoy the time spent with humans. Socialising a cat properly starts with that premise and continues to build on positive interactions right from the first time that the kitten is handled. Older wild or feral cats can also be socialised the same way, but generally starting with a kitten is the easiest method in socialising a cat.

Kittens need to spend the first two weeks of their lives with their mother. During this time the kittens will usually feed about once and hour and will usually sleep for a good portion of the rest of the time they are not feeding. This is a time when kittens are growing rapidly and developing, so over stimulation by humans is not appropriate or healthy for the kittens. Humans will need to move the kittens to clean the area they are housed in as well as care for and feed the mother cat. Kittens should have exposure to human voice and gentle touch, but should not be picked up or handled unless absolutely necessary. Any handling should be done very carefully and with the least amount of stress or time away from the mother and littermates as possible.

Between two to four weeks it is possible to gently pet and caress the kittens and talk to them to desensitise them to the human voice. Kittens, at this young age, should not be played with by humans as this can often traumatise them. Speak softly and avoid any sudden noises, movements or bright lights as this can confuse and scare the small kittens.

Despite what people often do, kittens should not be picked up by the scruff of the neck. Although the mother cat will use this method to move the kittens, she does not use it often and usually only if the nesting area is unsuitable or unsafe in some way. Picking kittens up by the scruff of the neck can be painful, leading to kittens associating people and human touch with pain. The correct way to pick up a kitten or full grown cat is to place the flat of the palm under the kitten's or cat's stomach, then slide the other hand around the hind end, just above the "knees". This will support the back and hips and prevent stress on pulling on the developing spine. The hand that holds the stomach area should also support the neck on small kittens, as they may not have enough muscle control to hold their head in this unusual position. By carefully picking up the kittens only when needed the socialisation process is started positively and with the kittens understanding that humans will not cause them pain.

Be aware that small kittens may hiss or spit at people the first few times that they are handled, especially if they have not been familiarised to humans in the first 30 days of their live. Never spank or slap at a kitten that is hissing or spitting, they are only trying to defend themselves from an unknown threat that they perceive. By keeping your hand steady and softly speaking to them the kittens should relax and calm down. If they are just being introduced to humans progress with touching and picking up at a pace that suits the kittens rather than the pace that you would like to set. When kittens come to understand by your gentle and kind behaviour that you are not a threat they will stop the hissing behaviours. The worst thing that you can do is to try to grab or physically control the kittens if they are frightened. This will only further damage their trust and can lead to cats that dislike being held or petted.

When you first begin to pick up and pet the kittens try to pick times when they are sleepy or restful rather than when they are ready to play or explore. By timing your interactions you will catch the kittens when they are most likely to want to be petting and fall asleep on your lap or in your hands. Typically kittens will begin to purr when they are content even as newborns nursing off their mother. The queen will purr back at the kittens, so kittens that are left with their mother longer tend to purr more towards humans when they are removed from the mother. This aspect of socialisation is very important. A kitten that is very nervous and never seems to purr even when drifting off to sleep is likely to have socialisation problems and be a more aloof cat than the kitten that happily curls up to purr when petting, full, or just content.

It is extremely important to continually introduce your kitten to new people and new activities, animals and places. Of course it is very important to ensure the safety of the kitten while these introductions are being made. Kittens that are isolated or only see the same people each day will usually develop into shy cats that disappear when company arrives. In addition cats may become very distrustful of other pets and even other cats if they are not exposed to these pets as they mature. Since a kitten will not have completed its full vaccinations until about twelve to thirteen weeks of age it is important to limit their contact with other pets or animals at this time and to even ask guests to wash their hands before playing with the kitten, especially if they have been in contact with other cats.

If children are in the house supervise the contact between the kitten and the kids until you are confident that the children understand how to work, play and pick up the kitten. Make sure that the children understand how to correct the kitten if it does become too aggressive in play. More information on will be provided in the article on "Behaviour".

Be sure to find time to play with your cat. Roll a ball, a toy or just a ball of paper for the kitten to play with. Toys on strings that can be retracted or pulled across the floor are a great sense of amusement. The more positive interactions that the kitten has with the family the more involved he or she is likely to stay with family activities as they age.

It is interesting to note that feral kittens brought into families before thirteen weeks of age are almost as easy to socialise as fully domestic kittens after they have overcome their initial fear of humans. Since many of the kittens have health issues they are often in isolation while being treated and so have time to learn about humans as caregivers and feeders, which also helps with the socialisation process.

Adult cats can be socialised to new people, places or animals by using a gradual desensitisation technique. This includes gradually increasing the amount of positive time that the cat spends in an environment or with another animal or pet and gradually increasing this time as the cat becomes more comfortable.

Adult cats that are rehomed often have a difficult first few weeks in adjusting to a new home. Cats are naturally rather fond of routines and typically will have a favourite sunny spot to sit in or a favourite chair or bed to lie down on when they are tired. Changing homes, moving, or adding new family members or people to the household will throw off these routines and environments, causing stress and minor discomfort for the cat.

As with the socialisation of kittens, owners must allow cats to set the timetable for socialisation. Try confining the cat to a small area of a new house and allowing them to become familiar with this area, then gradually giving them more access to greater parts of the new residence.

Socialising cats to new people involves having the new person simply spend time in the room with the cat, not attempting to make contact. Often having the new person feed the cat or offer to play with a highly desired toy with the cat will speed up this socialisation process. The new person should never try to catch the cat or confine or restrain the cat in anyway. Once the cat understands that the new person is a positive individual in the cat's life the cat will choose to spend more time with the person.

Socialising two cats can be a bit problematic, especially if neither cat is used to being in a home with a companion cat. Cats, unlike dogs, will typically be very aggressive or highly afraid of each other when they are first introduced. You may find that both cats either wish to run and hide or else the both start to hiss, spit and arch their backs and fluff their tails. Typically two cats that are afraid of each other will have an easier time in learning to live together than two cats that are aggressive or dominant. Neutered or spayed cats generally will get along better than two intact males or two intact females, although this is not always true. If the cats seem to be aggressive towards each other or one cat is aggressive and the other cat is afraid or timid it is important to carefully monitor the interaction. This is particularly true if one cat is mature and one is a kitten or very young or small cat. Try separating them into different rooms, then exchanging a piece of bedding to allow both cats to get used to the scent of each other. Gradually allow them to interact for longer periods of time, carefully monitoring this transition.

It is typical that there may be a bit of growling, spitting and hissing, but cats can severely injure each other in fights so monitoring is very important. If the cats are still somewhat hostile to each other it is a wise decision to separate the cats when you have to leave the house, even if it is just for a short period of time.

If the older cat is a senior cat, he or she may need to have a break from the constant attentions of a kitten or young cat, especially if it is a high energy breed of kitten. Senior cats can become very aggressive towards kittens, with toms being the most aggressive of all cats towards kittens. Intact toms should never be left alone with very small kittens for the safety of the kittens. Older female cats, even if they have been spayed and have never had a litter of their own may naturally "mother" a younger cat, often licking and cleaning the younger cat as if it was her kitten.

Cats may also do the same to dogs or puppies in the house, or even towards humans in the family. Some breeds are more prone to this "mothering" behaviour than others, with many of the longhaired breeds being the most common of the highly affectionate cats.

In extreme cases cats may become very aggressive towards a new cat or pet or even towards a cat that they had previous been housed with. These change in behaviour may be caused by a change in the family, a move, a new cat or pet in the house or even a health issue with either of the two cats. There are some mediations that have been successfully used to help combat these aggressive tendencies in cats and reduce their anxiety levels. In cats that are very timid and afraid anti-anxiety medications can also be used to calm them and allow them to adjust to the changes. Unfortunately some cats never adjust to changes and may need to be rehomed or sent to a rescue or shelter for adoption.

Socialising feral cats takes a special type of person. He or she must be very calm and gentle, and must be able to work with cats that are virtually wild animals forced into captivity. Feral cats may take many months to just stop hiding when they see a person, especially if they were mistreated by other people when they were living on the streets. Many people that do work with socialising and finding homes for feral cats report that they are very loving and loyal and seem to appreciate the humans in the family.

There are organisations and charitable groups that need volunteers to work with socialising and fostering feral cats in most larger communities. People that are interested in learning about these forgotten cats can contact the local shelter or RSPCA for more information about programmes in the community.

Making the decision to rehome a cat is a difficult one for any pet owner. Most owners only consider this after all other options have been attempted and have not worked. Typically the hardest decision is which cat to rehome if the issue has been caused with incompatability between two or more cats in the house. As a general guideline it is important to remember that younger cats will usually adjust to changes much more readily than older cats and are also much easier to find homes for. Most senior cats are not rehomed and either live out their lives with foster families or in rescues, or are put down in those shelters that use this option.

Rehoming your cat should be done either through a shelter or a rescue, but never through an advertisement in the paper. It is very difficult to tell if the person that comes to collect your pet is going to be a good and caring owner, and usually you will never have contact with the individual again. Shelters and rescues will make every effort to match your cat with an appropriate home and they will also make sure that the new owners are responsible and caring people. If you are planning to rehome your cat consider making a contribution to the shelter or rescue to help them continue with their valuable service to cats and kittens.

Cats that are raised together often form a very close bond, and the cats will grieve and mope about if one of the cats is removed from the home. Often the remaining cat will become very despondent, depressed or may become very aggressive towards other pets or even family members. If there are more than two cats in the home and two have been raised together all of their lives it is usually better for both of the cats to stay together while they are rehomed. Making the decision to keep one of the pair and the new cat or kitten is not always the best decision, especially with some of the breeds that tend to bond very quickly. Even with mixed breed cats if two cats are constantly together it will be extremely difficult on both of them to be split up after they are adult cats. This can further cause difficulties with rehoming as it is harder to find new homes that want a pair of cats as opposed to a new home that will take one cat.

Ideally cat owners should carefully consider bringing a new cat or kitten into a home with an existing cat or kitten, especially if the existing cat is an older cat or is not a well socialised cat. The more socialised the older cat is the more accepting he or she will be to changes in the environment, new pets or people, or even moves to new homes and locations. There are some options for socialising cats through taking them to shows, exhibits, or even having them boarded at professional boarding kennels or catteries for a few days during the year when the family is away.

Socialisation is always easiest if the process is started with the kittens and is increased as the kitten matures. The techniques for kitten socialisation are largely the same as for adult cats, with lots of attention, positive interactions and play provided during socialisation and introduction to new events and activities. Breeders, groomers, vets and professional pet trainers can all provide assistance on socialisation questions and can offer strategies if your cat is having difficulties in getting along with others. New medications can also help in temporary stressful situations and changes to help the cat in staying calm and adjusting to new environments, people and animals.