How
best should I introduce my new
kitten to my home?
Your
interaction with your new kitten
begins on the ride home. Cats
should always be transported
in some kind of carrier in the
car. By teaching your kitten
to ride in a confined location
you are providing safety for
your cat in future car rides.
Upon arriving at home, place
the kitten in a small, quiet
area with food and a litter
box. If the kitten is very tiny,
a small litter box with lowered
sides may be necessary at first.
If possible, duplicate the type
of litter material used in the
previous home (see our handout
on ‘House-training –
using the litter box').
The
first place you put your new
kitten should be inspected for
nooks and crannies where a kitten
might hide or get stuck. All
kittens and cats will need to
investigate their new surroundings.
For a new kitten this is a more
manageable task if you limit
space available and initially
supervise the kitten. When cats
do investigate they use a random
method of search. Be sure the
room is effectively cat-proofed,
which includes anywhere the
cat can jump or climb. Potentially
dangerous items such as electric
cords and owner items that might
be chewed or swallowed (such
as thread, rubber bands, paper
clips, children's toys)
should be booby trapped or kept
out of reach (see our handout
on ‘Controlling undesirable
behavior in cats'). After
your new kitten has had some
quiet time in a restricted location,
slowly allow access to other
areas of the home under your
supervision.
Kittens
are natural explorers and will
use their claws to climb up
onto anything possible. In the
first few weeks slow access
to the home will allow exploration
as well as the ability to monitor
the kitten's behavior.
What
should I do if I have other
pets?
Although
some kittens may show fear and
defensive postures toward other
pets in the home, most young
kittens are playful and inquisitive
around other animals. Therefore,
it is often the existing pets
that can pose more of a problem.
If you know or suspect that
your adult dog or cat might
be aggressive toward the kitten,
then you should seek behavior
advice before bringing introducing
the pets to each other.
The
kitten should be given a safe
and secure area that provides
for all of its needs (see below)
and introductions with the existing
family pets should be carefully
supervised. At the first introduction
there may be no immediate problems
so that reinforcement of desirable
responses may be all that is
required. If there is some mild
anxiety on the part of your
dog then introductions should
be controlled, gradual, supervised
and always positive. Your new
kitten could be placed in a
carrier or on a leash and harness
so that it will not provoke
your dog. Then using a leash
for control, favored rewards
and your training commands,
encourage your dog to sit or
stay calmly in the presence
of the cat. Calm investigation
should then be encouraged and
reinforced. A leash and head
halter could be used to further
improve control and safety.
Any initial anxiety should soon
decrease and the kitten should
quickly learn its limits with
the dog including how to avoid
confrontation by climbing or
hiding. If you are not positive
that you can safely leave the
dog and kitten together, then
a basket muzzle could be placed
on your dog while you monitor
the situation. If, on the other
hand there is the possibility
of aggression or injury then
a behavior consultation would
be advisable. Most adult cats
are fairly tolerant of kittens,
so that keeping the kitten in
its own area, and then allowing
introductions when the cats
are eating or playing, should
help to decrease any initial
anxiety. A leash and harness
or a crate can be used to control
one or both of the cats during
initial introductions. A synthetic
cheek gland scent may also be
useful for easing introductions.
Most cats and kittens will soon
work out their relationship
on their own, without injury.
However, if there is a threat
of aggression, then details
of a gradual introduction program
can be found in our handout
on ‘Territorial aggression'.
How
can I prevent problems from
developing?
The
key to preventing behavior problems
is to identify all of the needs
of the cat and provide appropriate
outlets for each. This is especially
important for the indoor cat
since all of its play, predation,
exploration, scratching, elimination
and social needs will need to
be channeled into acceptable
indoor options, while sexual
motivation can be reduced by
neutering. Interactive play
with wand and movable toys can
provide an opportunity to chase
and play hunt, while small plastic
or fleece toys that can be batted
and chased or retrieved can
keep the cat occupied when the
owners are away. Toys can be
stuffed with food or coated
with catnip and paper bags,
cardboard boxes and hidden food
treats can provide opportunities
for exploration. Highly social
and playful cats may also benefit
from having a second social
and playful cat in the home.
A comfortable blanket or rug
for napping, counters, shelves
or play centers for perching,
posts for scratching and a proper
litter area for elimination
round out a number of the cats
needs. One important rule of
thumb is that each cat is different
so you must choose the types
of play and toys that are most
appealing to your cat and most
appropriate for your household.
Can
I prevent my cat from becoming
overly fearful?
Most
kittens are highly social but
sociability and social play
begins to wane after two months
of age. Therefore as soon as
the kitten is obtained you should
make every attempt to introduce
the kitten to a wide variety
of people (ages, races, infirmities)
a wide variety of environments,
other pets, and as many new
stimuli (e.g. noises, car rides,
elevator) as possible. One way
to help insure a positive relationship
with each new person, pet, place
and event is to give the kitten
one of its favored treats or
toys with each new meeting and
greeting.
How
can I teach my cat to enjoy
handling?
Depending
on the personality and early
experiences as a kitten, your
cat may enjoy, accept, or dislike,
certain types of handling from
petting to bathing. In order
for the cat to learn to accept
and enjoy a variety of types
of physical contact from humans,
it is critical that the human
hand only be associated with
positive experiences and that
all physical punishment be avoided.
Begin with those types of handling
that the cat enjoys or is willing
to accept, and provide small
treats at each of the first
few sessions. Once the cat learns
to associate food with these
sessions, slightly longer or
intense sessions can be practiced.
This type of handling can be
used to help the cat become
accustomed to, and perhaps enjoy,
patting, grooming, teeth brushing,
nail trimming, and even bathing.
Never force this type of handling
upon your cat as any negative
experience will only make the
problem worse and the cat more
resistant to further handling.
It
is important to remember that
physical discipline is inappropriate.
It can scare your cat and make
him or her afraid of being picked
up or held. If required, kittens
should be discouraged from repeating
inappropriate behaviors, by
the use of punishment devices
such as, remote control devices
and booby traps (see our handout
on ‘Controlling undesirable
behavior in cats').
This client
information sheet is based on
material written by Debra Horwitz,
DVM, DACVB andGary Landsberg, DVM, DACVB.
© Copyright 2002 Lifelearn
Inc. Used with permission under
license. March 11, 2004. Pet
images provided by the Animal
Behavior Network. |