How To Bond With Your New Kitten
A new kitten brings with it the hope they grow into a happy, loving member of your family. It is vital to bond with your new kitten to establish a relationship and to understand your pet’s personality, its likes, dislikes and their place in your home. There are multiple methods you can utilise to bond with your new kitten, creating an ongoing relationship of love to match their cuteness. Bonding activities and methods take time and can include:
- Simply deciding on a name for your kitten is an important bonding act. Naming your pet allows you to connect better with an animal and the relationship established has a core basis with which the kitten can recognise what is being directed towards it.
- Establishing routines with your kitten, as cats love routines. Time spent together and experiences shared will create a loving bond and form a strong relationship. These routines could be as simple as inviting your kitten into the bathroom with you in the morning or calling your cat in for a treat and a cuddle at the end of the work day. Be timely with food and at first feed kittens by hand.
- Spending as much time playing with your kitten as you can spare, seeking to teach and encourage them to jump high, pounce, run, sneak and explore just like their mother would have taught them.
- Handling kittens on a daily basis is a vital bonding act allowing the kitten to bond with your human scent. The first seven weeks of a kitten's development should include human handling to develop a respectful relationship between pet and human owner. Whether it be neck petting or ear scratching, take a respectful hands on approach with your kitten.
- Responding to your kitten’s meows. Simply listening and hearing your kitten, and responding in turn when they seek to communication, allows for both owner and kitten to bond.
- Grooming your kitten. Young kittens love the attention that grooming entails, mimicking the feel of their mothers tongue and the rub of her body against theirs. An owner can simulate these feelings by petting them, brushing them or using a cloth with warm water to establish a pattern of comfort.
- Getting down to your kitten’s level. The lower you are, the less threatening you will be to a cat, allowing them to approach and greet you without fear. Cuddling with your kitten will establish a closeness and rapport. A shared nap in addition to finding other times to snuggle comfortably, such as simply holding your kitten while watching TV, will also allow you to bond.
- Every kitten is unique, so a lot of bonding comes from sharing time and experiences with your new kitten.
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