Getting To Know Your Kitten

When you bring home a little masterpiece of God, you marvel at His creation. Getting home a kitten is the same as having a new member in the family. It becomes a part of your family after a while. You instantly fall in love with this 'other being'. Eventually as you want to know your kitten, it also wants to know you.

Early Days

A comfortable bed, or basket, a litter tray, food and water will be enough for your kitten for the first few weeks. However you shouldn't allow it to move unsupervised during this period. And in no case should the kitten be taken outdoors until it is capable of facing outdoor threats.

You should have two kittens if you're to stay away from home for long periods. They provide company to each other, and help in each other's development. They also become playmates and as a result get good exercise.

If the kitten is not picked up, handled and petted well, it'll prefer the company of other kittens or cats. So handle your kitten lovingly as often as you can.

Communication

When the kitten starts to become aware of its surroundings and its life with you, it'll develop some social skills. Generally this stage begins at about 14 weeks or so. During this time, you need to provide kitten proper training as it'll be totally dependent on you for its learning.

Kittens vocalize, so respond to them verbally. Your voice gives the kitten a sense of comfort and security and strengthens the bond between you both. Purring sound shows contentment. It calms you and may lower blood pressure levels and prove to be a stress buster. However, the kitten's purring sound may be a result of anxiety or frustration as well.

Play Games

The kitten depends on you, as it once did on its mother and littermates, for play. You need to play with it often, and also provide it with toys especially designed for kittens. At the age of 3 months, kittens start enjoying catnip toys.

Observation

The walk, movement of muscles, and looks of the kitten can determine its mood. Where erect tail and relaxed facial muscles show contentment; flattened ears, dilated pupils, and puffed up ears show fear in the kitten.

Kneading toes against you and licking you shoes show that the kitten has substituted you for its mother.

Normal Functions

You should know the needs of your kitten i.e., its feeding needs, its excretory discharge color and smell, etc., so that any deviation gets noticed and you are better prepared for the health of the kitten. Also, you should know about its pattern of growth, its shape and size to ensure that it has normal growth.

Apart all, you should have patience while dealing with your kitten. A few weeks of perseverance will help you build a bond for a lifetime. The time you hold this God's creation for the first time, you should decide to care for it in the best possible way to turn it into a beautiful companion in every way.