Kitten education

Kitten education

When the kittens start crawling out of the nesting box, using the litter tray and eating food other than from their mother. their education begins in earnest. The mother must teach them a dozen things before they leave home: and a wise breeder teaches them to be loving little companions by handling them frequently and affectionately.


Those destined for a show career should be handled as a judge will handle them, so that they are used to the routine by the time they go to their first show.

One of the first things kittens learn is how to wash.

They may copy mother or perhaps it is instinctive, but their first ineffective movements are fascinating to watch. They move their paws to their mouths to lick, and then pass the paw over the ear.

The next thing they learn is how to play. They sit up and box each other using the paws. If one falls over the other knows instinctively to pounce on it. Usually play concerns two kittens only, then one of them will break away and pick on one of the other kittens.

They will also try to play with mother, who holds them down with one paw and washes them whilst they try to escape. but she is cleverer than they are Then she moves her tail, and a kitten pounces on it: she moves it again, and others join in Then she can relax knowing their interests are near the nest.

She is more anxious as curiosity leads them further afield They will graduate to chasing moving objects supplied by the breeder The moggie-play pole and the cat-bat are group toys that the whole litter can enjoy and any rattle ball on elastic attached to a door handle will give hours of exercise and amusement.

If there is a cat tree in the house or the queen has a thoughtful owner who has provided shelves at different heights in the breeding area. it will amaze you how quickly even the tiniest kitten will climb to the top shelf.

He may squeal when he gets there and find the way down not so easy, bit the mother or the breeder will soon come to the rescue. And so they learn to climb and with it to use the same posts for scratching their claws just as mother does. If there is no cat tree, any scratching post of wood. cardboard or natural bark can be used.

The handyman of the home can sometimes be persuaded to design one specially to fit your own circumstances.

If the nest is heated at one end. the kittens will soon have found this out and the foreign breeds wit be in a heap at that end. The smart ones discover that the middle of the pile is the warmest and you wonder how they can still breathe.

Other warm places in the home are gradually discovered: the boiler in the kitchen. the airing cupboard. a sunny window sill or a warm radiator. Warmth plays a large part in a kitten's comfort.

When evening comes and the family sit down, the kittens may be brought in for a little socializing Mother will jump up on to a lap and the kittens will try to follow. probably climbing up someone's leg.

Their little claws in to gain a foothold. Other kittens will be picked up very gently by other members of the family, stroked and fussed and talked to. The kittens will have discovered people and laps!

She will teach them to hunt, pounce. and protect their catches from others by growling over them. throw them in the air and eat them. She will teach them which humans to trust and love and which to avoid. She will tell them about dogs if she has ever met one, and about all the other inmates in the household.

When the family are busy and have no time to sit, the kittens will be shown by mother which are the softest chairs and they will stake their claims, but mother will be the boss cat and have the first choice If allowed upstairs, they will soon discover that beds are softest of all and that people in beds are warm too.

Their owners may even allow them in bed as fur-covered little hot-water bottles to keep them warm! The purring on these occasions is really deafening and the kitten?s faces betray their excitement. While nursing the kittens, the family can make a first attempt to groom with a brush and comb.

All will be considered a game at first but a human can follow the mother cat and hold the kitten down with one hand, while wielding the brush or comb with the other.

If the queen is allowed out on hunting trips, she will now bring home mice and other small creatures. None of the cat species regurgitates food from the stomach for their offspring, as do many other animals and birds )

She will growl over them in front of her kittens, showing them what to do when they are lucky enough to catch something themselves This will interest and excite them enormously Later on she will bring in live prey and deliberately let it go in front of them. They soon catch on and chase and pounce inexpertly.

The mother will catch it again and throw it up into the air once or twice, while they look on enviously. They will practice on toy mice that the owner has thoughtfully provided, and soon become quite expert.

If allowed out, they may even catch their own first mouse or at least a beetle or spider before they are sold. Thus their education continues and it has been shown that cats that have been taught how to hunt and kill prey by their mothers become more efficient mousers themselves

As the kittens grow they exercise well by chasing each other and playing he or 'tab'. In this way they cover a lot of ground leaping all over the furniture or up and down the stairs indoors. or round the shrubs and up the trees in the garden if allowed out. They must have space somewhere to exercise and play.

Thus they will grow up into intelligent. Healthy, agile, accomplished cats, with beautiful manners-a credit to any cat-loving home.