Raising kittens to be loving cats doesn’t just happen, you have to work on it. Ever get a new cat looking forward to it snuggling on your lap while you watch tv in the evenings, but it wants nothing to do with any of that loving, cuddly stuff? Even just being held sometimes would do, but some cats won’t even go for that.
Being an animal lover of all sorts I have had many cats, some given to me as kittens, some already grown and quite a few litters of my own. Just because you get a kitten at the age of seven or eight weeks old doesn’t mean it will grow up to be a nice cat either. Sure there are some that will turn out to be good cats, by luck of the draw, but if you want a sure bet you need to start from square one.
There are many different views on having a litter of kittens in your home. Some people say to leave them alone and don’t touch the new kittens for weeks. This is definitely not my opinion. I like to start preparing for the new kittens a couple weeks in advance of the mothers due date. I do this by making a nice, secure feeling box with a soft, inviting old towel or blanket in it. Put this new bed in a place that is easily accessible to you but not in the main traffic area of your home.
Periodically over the next few weeks when your cat is feeling like a nap take her, lay her in this new bed, pet her and tell her what a good kitty she is. She will not only become accustomed to the new bed and feel safe in it, but she will also enjoy the positive attention that you are giving her in it. Usually if she feels safe and happy in the bed she will choose this place to have her new family.
If you are home and realize she is going into labor you can encourage her to lay in the bed to have the kittens, if she has not already chosen a place. I like to stay with my mother cats and give them encouragement while they are in labor by petting them and giving them a lot of loving praise. While she is giving birth continue petting her so that she is use to your hands being in the bed with her, this way she won’t mind you touching her kittens later.
While she is giving birth I begin getting the mother use to me picking up the kittens. After each kitten is born and the mother has cleaned it up and waiting for another one to be born, I carefully reach in and pick the newly born kitten up. At first I only pick it up a few inches off the bed to examine it, never all the way out of the box and if it starts to squeal put it down right away. You don’t want to upset the mother, if she gets to upset she will move the kittens to a more out of the way place that feels safer.
From this day on continue visiting the mothers box frequently. As the kittens get older, day by day you can pick them up for longer periods of time. Make sure to stay right next to the box and if they start to make to much noise put them back in and choose a different one to cuddle. Little by little they will get use to your touch and when their eyes open they will already know your scent and welcome your hand coming toward them.
As they start venturing out on their own you can pick them up and place them in your lap while sitting nearby. Kittens nap a lot and will enjoy a nice, warm lap to snuggle up in. If the mother is out and about you can even put the whole litter in your lap for their nap. This will give them a safe feeling and as they grow older they will remember that feeling of security.
Continue playing with and having plenty of loving contact with the kittens and from this day on, from day one, to the rest of their lives they will not only put up with being picked up, but will always be in search of a nice warm lap to snuggle in. Good, loving cats are born every day, you just have to know how to treat them when they are tiny. Anyone that receives a kitten or cat raised in this manner will be a very happy pet owner if they like snuggling and having a loving cat as part of their family.
