136 Chapter 9The Importance of Early-life Influences
The reader is referred to Chapters 5 and 8 for more detailed information.
What happens to a kitten before it is weaned and even before it is born can have life-
long influences on its behaviour and can make the difference between a kitten that
grows up to be a friendly, relaxed and affectionate household pet or a difficult, nerv-
ous cat with a far greater prospect of exhibiting behaviour problems.
Personality traits such as levels of confidence or timidity can be inherited from
the parents, and the health and welfare of the mother during pregnancy can have
damaging effects on the behavioural development of her kittens. What a kitten expe-
riences during the first couple of months of life is also of tremendous importance.
Socialization
Young animals, including kittens need to learn at a very young age which other ani-
mals are safe to be around. Kittens that have very little or no positive experience of
people prior to 7 weeks of age are likely to consider humans as potentially threaten-
ing and remain fearful of people throughout their lives (Karsh and Turner, 1988;
Knudsen, 2004).
Habituation
A fear reaction to novel or unidentified sights or sounds is a normal defensive behav-
iour that is essential for survival. A young animal needs to learn what sights and
sounds are going to be a part of its everyday life so that it is not in a continual state
of fear. Becoming accustomed to sights and sounds is a learning process known as
habituation that also needs to occur when the kitten is very young and still with its
mother.
What to Look For and What to Avoid
If acquiring a kitten
● Try to meet the kittens’ mother, and father if possible (although this is rarely fea-
sible because a pedigree stud cat may live some distance away and the father of a
non-pedigree litter is usually unknown). The parents of the kitten should appear
healthy, confident and friendly.
● Make sure that you see where the kittens have been raised. Kittens intended to be
pets should be raised within the hub of a normal family home where they are
likely to experience everyday household sights, sounds and smells. Kittens that
have been raised in isolation, e.g. in an outhouse, external cattery, or separate
room away from the rest of the household, might not have had the early experi-
ence to become sufficiently habituated to normal, everyday household sights and
sounds and may be less suitable as household pets.