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We have just adopted a kitten. The people at the shelter said Tidbit was 7 or 8 weeks old. They told us she still needs to be socialized. What does that mean and how do we socialize her? She’s real sweet and we want to keep her that way.

Kittens are often taken from their mothers when they’re 7 to 8 weeks old, although cat experts now say that letting them stay with their mother and litter mates until they’re 12 weeks old helps them become better socialized.

That said, it doesn’t mean that you can’t complete the socialization process yourself. You can even expand on it to make sure Tidbit grows up to be a friendly, well-adjusted kitty.

The socialization window doesn’t close after seven weeks, although kittens learn more quickly during that early period. Nicholas Dodman, a veterinarian and animal behavior specialist, says in the April issue of Catnip that the first six months of a kitten’s life are also important in terms of socialization and learning.

You may have heard about the need to expose puppies to new experiences, people, sights and sounds during the first months of their life as part of the socialization process. Well, the same goes for kittens. Novelty is a critical component of socialization.

Tidbit needs to be exposed to people beyond those in your family and close circle of friends. For example, she should be meeting children, elderly people, people in uniforms, in hats or in wheelchairs. That’s not to say she needs to meet these specific types of people, but that she needs to be exposed to a variety.

Dodman suggests taking her to the vet’s office and letting the staff handle her. Or you can take her for a ride in the car - confined to a carrier, of course - and go through drive-throughs at fast-food restaurants and the bank. This will expose her to new people, places and sounds. Plus, she’ll get used to her carrier and riding in the car and will be less likely to pitch a fit when you need to take her for a veterinary visit.

These socialization exercises should be done several times a week at first so you can broaden her experiences as much as possible during the developmental period.

Don’t just pick her up a couple of times a day for petting. Do something like gently brush her fur or clip a couple of nails. Speak to her in a soothing voice and reward her with a treat or a toy afterward. She needs to learn that being touched is nothing to fear.

While exposing your cat to new things is necessary, be careful not to create anxiety. Make sure encounters with other people and new things are low-key and pleasant. Always remember treats and praise.

You’ll also help your kitten develop mentally, socially and physically by giving her time to play and explore her environment. You can challenge her mentally by teaching her some tricks with clicker training, which involves using a small device that makes a clicking sound for reward-based training exercises. You can read about it at clickertraining.com. Or check out feline behaviorist Marilyn Krieger’s book, Naughty No More, which gives detailed instruction on training cats. Don’t be misled by the book’s title. The book isn’t about dealing with naughty cats, but about training cats for the behavior you want, such as staying off kitchen counters. You can even teach them tricks such as how to “high five.”

Once Tidbit is socialized and trained, it’s important to continue working with her throughout her life to keep her mentally sharp and socially confident. Do so and she’ll be a wonderful companion.

Do you have a question about

pets? We’ll get you an answer

from an authority. Send your

question to Rhonda Owen,

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203 or e-mail [email protected]

Family, Pages 34 on 05/22/2013

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