Choosing a kitten

It is important to note that genetics is only one part of it – I heard a good quote… genes load the gun but the environment pulls the trigger! There are good breeders out there and great rescue centres, equally there are bad in both too.

Physical and emotional development of the kitten

Temperament and genetics

Nature or nurture – it is always both!

It is thought that the father can have an effect on a kitten’s overall temperament (McCune, 1995). Temperament affects how things land on animals – and what may be okay for one cat may not be okay for another.

Again, a mother can experience stress in pregnancy and it is thought this stress can be passed on to kittens.

Epigenetics relates to stress hormones which can cause changes to kittens and how they cope with stress (Atkinson, Trudi, Practical Feline Behaviour, p.67).

Again, if a mother is stressed during pregnancy due to poor nutrition this may affect a kittens ability to learn, inceased emotional response and aggression towards other cats (Simonson, 1979, cited in Bateson, 2000; Gallo et al.,1980 in Atkinson, Trudi, Practical Feline Behaviour, p.67).

The sensitive period

In dogs the critical socialisation period, or sensitive period is thought to be 3-12 weeks, however in kittens it is thought to be much shorter! It is thought to be 2-7 weeks! A kittens neurons are developing during this time and their brain is plastic to learn. That is why a rescue centre will play noises a cat would hear in the home to get them used to these sounds.

You probably have heard the buzz words socialisation and habituation. Here is what they both mean:

Socialising means socialising them to things that they will have interactions with such as other animals, people and children.

Habituation relates to a kitten getting used to things in the environment, so they hear, see them but they do not evoke a response such as the washing machine.

Things to ask

• How much has the kitten been handled (lots of appropriate handling can help habituate an a cat and help them be more friendly. ( Casey and Bradshaw, (2008) in Trudi Atkinson,  Practical Feline behaviour p.71)  Also remembering that it can depend on the kitten and their previous experiences – i.e being dropped by a child may result in a kitten being fearful so this will need to be approached carefully – not simply having another child pick them up willy nilly!!

• Has it been around litter mates (cat bonds are sensitive and studies suggest bonds are better between related cats)

• What habituation experiences has it had and how do they respond to these? Do they run and hide, do they fight (hiss) for example, or are they neutral. Obviously a lot can depend on the intensity (how far, how loud etc), but it can give you a good starting point of elements you may need to work on. My kitten was very scared about a builder and ended up hiding behind the washing machine.

• Remember that if a experience is too scary and intense a cat can become sensitised (fearful and scared) repeated exposure will not rid them of their fear – they may need to be desensitised (exposed to it at a gradual level that they can cope with).

If you would like support choosing a kitten, please reach out.