Your New Kitten, diet & training

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Training your new kitten requires creativity, patience and perseverence. Self-sufficient and independent – sometimes to the point of being aloof – cats aren't as inclined to earn human attention and affirmation as their canine counterparts. The prime time for socialising kittens is between two and seven weeks old, and the training process is a great opportunity to bond with your pet, so the earlier you start the more successful you will be.

Socialising your kitten
Get started with socialising your kitten as soon as you bring your kitten home, exposing them to lots of different people and a variety of cat-friendly dogs and other animals from the age of two weeks. Be patient and use treats, petting and praise to make your kitten's socialisation experiences positive and they will grow to be confident adult cats.

Rewarding your kitten
Cats are not as easy to motivate as dogs so take some time to identify a treat they find irresistable. Try rewarding desired behaviour with small dices of raw kangaroo, liver or fish. When your kitten does something naughty or distructive, say “no” firmly, redirect its attention with a toy, and reinforce the good behaviour with a raw treat. Never smack your kitten or shout its name when you're angry or it will come to associate its name with fear and will stop responding.

Scratching post training
Scratching is a natural cat behaviour but that doesn't mean your kitten should be allowed to destroy your soft furshishings! Instead, provide your kitten with a scratching post and teach them to use it by furnishing the post with toys and dangling twine and taking the time to play with them around the post. You can even put some catnip on the post to attract them. If you find your kitten using the sofa as a scratching pole, say a firm “no” and redirect them to the scratching post. Over time the post will start to smell like your cat and they will be naturally attracted to it.

Litter tray training
Cats are territorial so the key to introducing your kitten to their litter tray is making the area smell familiar. Try putting some of their shed hair in the tray and watch your kitten closely for signs that they need to use their litter tray, placing them gently in the tray and rewarding them when they use it correctly. Following this process and your kitten will soon get into the habit of using the tray.



Feeding your kitten
Compared to dogs, cats are generally uniform in size and dietary requirements vary little between cats and kittens. At Vets All Natural we're committed to a balanced fresh meat diet as the best and most natural and nutritionally complete way to feed cats. We do also recognise that many pet owners do feed dry food and, if feeding dry food, I encourage cat owners to add balanced fresh meat to your cat's diet to increase gastric acidity, aiding digestion and helping to protect their intestinal tract from infections.

.A “balanced” fresh meat diet includes fresh meat with added vegetable matter and appropriate vitamins and minerals.

Introducing your kitten to a balanced fresh meat diet
The easiest way to introduce your kitten to a balanced fresh meat diet is when they are young, kittens can go onto meat as soon as they are weaned off mums milk - from 3-4 weeks onwards. If your kitten is hesitant towards a fresh meat diet, perseverance is key - like children, pets will pick and choose if you let them but they won't starve themselves. You can also try adding some meat stock or sardines to their meal, gradually decreasing the quantity as their taste for balanced fresh meat develops.

You can also encourage your kitten to go for meat and bones by tying a chicken neck or lump of meat onto a string, and playing "catch the mouse". The kitten will do play attacks and pouncing, and then start to chew on the meat. This game introduces fresh meat in a fun way but remember to play in an area that can be cleaned easily, not on carpets etc.

Training you kitten takes time and patience but with perseverance it is a hugely rewarding and bonding experience and will ensure your pet becomes a fully socialised member of your household.