I think it is safe to say that it’s every kitten owner’s dream to have a kitten that grows up to be a very sociable, loving, & cuddly cat! Well lucky for anyone wanting to get their first kitten, this is so very doable, but it is up to you as it’s human to give the kitten a proper environment where they can gradually become acclimated to human touch, let them explore the space where they would grow up, more minute things such as daily exposure to human smells, sights, and sounds. There is so much that contributes to a kitten’s upbringing and if not done correctly, your kitten can grow up to be quite grumpy, standoffish and simply never wanting your affection, which let’s be honest, nobody wants!

As soon as you get your new kitten, you’re going to want to get them used to your touch and being held, they may have gotten this back when they were with their litter but never from you, everything about you is new to them, brand new sights and smells that can make them cautious at first. A cat’s most vulnerable spot is their belly, so guess where you’re going to pet, their belly! You need to gain their full trust early on, and believe me they will grow up right along your side and think of you as their companion, always wanting to cuddle and purr when around you.

Just a few more tips and habits to incorporate into your kitten’s life as soon as you bring them home would be some of the following. Introduce them to all the textures of your house, let them explore anything and everything, with your supervision of course. Expose them to all the different sorts of noises that will always be in your house for years to come, noises such as blenders, washing dishes, alarm clocks, music; they will grow to become accustomed to these things very early on. Besides all of those, I believe the most important tip when growing a kitten to become sociable will be introducing them to as many humans as you possibly can, of all ages. Doing this will make your kitten into such a confident and loving cat, and you’ll be so happy you did it.

One last tip that I would like to add would be about litter boxes and the training that comes along with it. Well, for 90% of kitten owners, this will never be a problem as it is instinctively in a cat’s DNA to simply want to use the bathroom in someplace where they can dig, so naturally they will be drawn to the litter box from just a few weeks old. So with that not being a common issue, one thing I’d like to add is to follow a litter box rule; this is the rule of not only having one litter box for the entire house, especially if you have more than 1 kitten. Ideally, it’s beneficial to have 2 litter boxes per kitten, depending on the space you have. If you’re limited on space, that’s okay, but at least make room for a second litter box, it will make your kitten a whole lot happier mentally! Here is the litter I use and recommend after many tests of brands, and research. I use a mixture of ‘Tuft + Paw Really Great Cat Litter’ and ‘Arm & Hammer Cloud Control Platinum’. About a 70/30 mixture, with the 30% being the ‘Tuft + Paw’. My cats love it and it’s great for us because it smells great and isn’t dusty at all.