Cats: Socializing your kitten

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Want a friendly, confident cat? The way you raise her during early kittenhood plays a huge role in achieving that goal.

There's a critical period in kitten development--between four and 14 weeks of age--when a kitten's personality is shaped by her experiences. During this time, a kitten's brain is like a sponge, soaking up all of her encounters and storing them away for future reference. If she's socialized--meaning she gets lots of handling by people and exposure to different sights, sounds, and experiences--she'll be self-assured and sociable when she faces these people, sights, sounds, and experiences as an adult. Without this crash course in kittenhood, she can grow up to be shy, skittish, and not very friendly.

The age at which your kitten leaves her mom can also affect development. Traditionally, kittens have gone to new homes at six to eight weeks of age, but knowledgeable breeders keep their kittens until 12 weeks. During the additional time with their mother and littermates, kittens learn important lessons such as bite and scratch inhibition--how to use their teeth and claws cautiously--as well as other perceptual, motor, and social skills.

Bring your new kitten home too early, and you risk getting a cat with behavior problems such as separation anxiety, obsessive sucking or chewing on objects, and poor litter box habits. She can also have more trouble adjusting to her new home and getting along with other cats, because she never learned how to behave toward them.

Don't worry that a kitten won't bond with you if you bring her home after her 12-week birthday. If anything, she'll be a much better companion.

How to pick a kitten who's been socialized

• Look for a kitten who's had plenty of handling and exposure to different sounds, sights, and experiences. A good breeder will do this, as will a quality shelter or rescue group.
• Look for a kitten who's confident and eager for attention from people, who enjoys being held and petted and follows people around.
• Look for a kitten who recovers quickly when startled by an unexpected noise such as a handclap.