Cat - Socialisation and Habituation

What is socialisation?

Socialisation is the process by which your kitten learns about his own identity, the identity of his own species and the identity of the other species with which he will share his life.  Appropriate socialisation enables your kitten to go on to develop relationships with other living beings in his environment.

What is habituation?

As all animals develop there are numerous stimuli (sounds, smells, sights and events) that they need to become accustomed to in their environment.  If kittens do not encounter these stimuli and place them in their frame of reference for the world around them, then the stimuli can induce fear and anxiety when they are encountered later in life.  Habituation is the process whereby cats get used to a wide variety of stimuli and stop reacting to them provided that there are no untoward consequences.

Why are these terms important?

Cats that receive insufficient exposure to and contact with people, other animals and new environments during the first two months of life may develop irreversible fears, leading to timidity or aggression.  It is vital to expose your kitten to situations where he can effectively socialise with and habituate to these stimuli (people, places and things) while he is in a positive emotional state and where these stimuli are not allowed to scare him.  The first two months of life (seven weeks) is the most important period in the social development of your cat.

Are cats a social species?  

Although they are fairly independent and can do well on their own, cats can live in social groups under certain conditions.  Feline social behaviour has not been as extensively studied as that of the dog but it is well known that the domestic cat is much more sociable than has been reported traditionally.  There are many situations where cats live together in groups and interact in a friendly manner although the composition of these groups differs from dog groupings.  Usually they consist of mothers, daughters, aunts and grandmothers; female cats that are related and in large colonies.  There may be many smaller related groups sharing the same space.  Male cats will leave the group and live very much on the periphery, but return for breeding. However males that have been neutered join the group in much the same way as females.  Colonies of feral cats will be found in areas where food is abundant such as barns or dumps or around fishing ports.  The cats in the group will allogroom (lick each other) and allorub (rub on each other).  They will also share the raising of kittens, often fostering others from different litters.

Do cats have 'personalities'?

Research has shown that it may be possible to classify cat 'personalities'.  One study identified cats that were shy, timid or fearful and those that were confident.  The timid cats took significantly longer to approach people and would stay with the person for significantly less time than the confident cats.  Another study identified cats that were 'shy' and those that were 'trusting' and noted that trusting cats were trusting regardless of where they encountered people, while shy cats were more fearful the further from home they were when people were presented.  Based on these and other studies two common personality types have been identified:  (a) sociable, confident and outgoing; (b) timid, shy and unfriendly.  Some other research has also suggested a third personality type: (c) active and aggressive.  Different personalities may be expected to react to new situations in different ways and this fact of individual characteristics needs to be borne in mind when you structure socialisation and habituation opportunities for your kitten.

How does the mother cat (or queen) teach her kittens?

The queen starts to teach her kittens at a young age.  While they are still with the queen, kittens learn about elimination behaviour and predatory behaviour preferences.  Kittens will begin to spend time in the litter tray at about 30 days of age and will learn appropriate litter usage through a combination of certain olfactory (smell) cues and the presence of a suitable rakeable substrate (material - eg the litter).  If allowed access to prey, the queen will begin to bring them to her offspring at about 32-36 days of age and teach them to hunt.  The kittens will also begin to be weaned and eat solid food at the same age.  Play between kittens is also an important part of social development in early life, particularly for those kittens that will be housed with other cats later in life.

What can I do to improve my chances of having a social non-fearful cat?

The level of attachment that forms between people and cats is variable.  The two most important factors appear to be the cat's genetic personality type and the amount of socialisation he receives during the sensitive period of socialisation.

The genetics of an individual cat plays a critical role in how sociable, playful, fearful or excitable your kitten will become.  The first issue in helping to ensure that your kitten will be friendly and social when he grows up is to choose an appropriate kitten for your family.  Since cats have a variety of personality types, the question is whether these personality types can be determined at the time of selection.  Of course the development of the personality is a multifactorial affair and one that is very dynamic.  A number of issues must therefore be considered.

What influences the development of personality type?  

Not surprisingly studies have confirmed that not only is personality inherited from the mother, but that it is in part, inherited from the father.  In particular there is a strong paternal component to the boldness aspect of your cat's personality and the presence of boldness will increase your kitten's exploratory nature and can make him a more interactive and thus more sociable cat.  It is ideal therefore to know about your cat's mother and his father when making your selection.  In many cases of course this will not be possible.

In addition to genetics, the amount and style of early handling, the number of handlers and the methods of interactions around feeding are very important factors in the subsequent success of socialisation of kittens.  The important stage of development for these issues is between two and seven weeks of age and it is termed the sensitive period of socialisation.

Knowledge of the breed (bearing in mind that there will be variation within breeds), assessment of your kitten's parents and evaluation of your kitten's environment and upbringing are important considerations when selecting a kitten.  Some important questions to ask are:  Has there been adequate exposure to people, both adults and children?  Has the kitten been handled frequently, preferably on a daily basis for a total of at least 30-60 minutes?  How does the kitten behave when picked up by prospective owners?  Does he hiss, bite or scratch, or does the kitten purr and solicit affection?  Does the kitten approach people or does he stand away?  What has been the historical behaviour of the queen and tom?  Did they hunt and/or have access to prey?  Do they have a good history of litter usage, and what type of litter material is used?  What are the feeding habits and preferences of the parents?

General observation of the temperament of the kittens in the litter and of the parents is helpful.  Are they outgoing, shy or timid?  Assessment of young kittens is likely to be of limited value if the kittens are still progressing through the primary socialisation period, and the assessment of the parents may provide more useful information.  Assessing older (especially related) kittens and adult cats at the same premises that have already passed through their primary socialisation period will provide much more accurate information.

Kittens that are stimulated and handled from birth are more confident, more social and more exploratory. They mature faster and are better able to handle stress as they develop.  Therefore, kittens obtained from a breeder or home where they have had frequent contact and interaction with the owners, provided that the contact has been appropriate, are likely to be more sociable and less fearful as they develop.

Certainly, the greater exposure your kitten has to humans of all ages and to other pets, the better adjustment your kitten will have in his new home.  The socialisation period starts and ends earlier in cats than in the dog and therefore the early environment is very important in determining future sociability.  Early handling of kittens decreases their approach time to strangers and increases the amount of time that they stay with them.  The more handling the better, but even limited handling, provided that it is carried out in a positive context, will positively affect later behaviour.

How best should I introduce my new kitten to my home?

Your interaction with your new kitten begins during the ride home in the car and all cats should be transported in some kind of carrier.  When you get home you should place your kitten in a small, quiet area with access to water and food and a litter tray. These resources should be well spaced out from each other and if possible they should have some familiarity for your kitten. For example, duplicate the type of litter material used in the previous home and bring food and water bowls with your kitten from the breeder's premises to the new home.

When you start to introduce your kitten to the house you should begin the process very calmly and you should ensure that the first room you allow your new kitten to explore has been inspected for nooks and crannies where he might hide or get stuck.  Often in a new environment, a kitten may look for a secluded place to hide so provide safe hiding places.  Your kitten needs to be given time to investigate his new surroundings and the process can be helped by limiting the space available and initially supervising your kitten closely but not interfering with his investigations. After your new kitten has had some quiet time in a restricted location, you can slowly allow access to other areas of the home.

Kittens are natural explorers and in the first few weeks gradual access to the home will allow exploration as well as the ability to monitor your kitten's behaviour.  The provision of Feliway in the diffuser form in the new home has been suggested as a positive adjunct to the introduction process.

Play and handling

New kittens need plenty of outlets for play.  Stalking and pouncing behaviours are important play behaviours in kittens and aid in neural and muscular development.  If given sufficient outlets for these behaviours with toys and perhaps a related playmate (such as a littermate), kittens will be less likely to use humans as their targets.  Good toys are ones that move rapidly and are light enough to be picked up, but large enough so that they are not swallowed.  Never use your hands or body parts for play as this can lead to dangerous play and human injury.

Depending on his personality and early experiences as a kitten, your cat may enjoy, accept, or dislike, certain types of handling, from stroking to bathing.  In order for your cat to learn to accept and enjoy a variety of types of physical contact from you, it is important that your hand is only associated with positive experiences and that all physical punishment is avoided.  You should begin with those types of handling that your cat enjoys or is willing to accept, and provide small treats at each of the first few sessions.  Once your cat learns to associate food with these sessions, slightly longer or more intense sessions can be practised.  Handling your cat in this way can be used to help your cat become accustomed to, and perhaps enjoy, patting, grooming, teeth brushing, claw cutting and even bathing.  Never force handling upon your cat as any negative experience will only make the problem worse and your cat more resistant to further handling.

It is important to remember that physical discipline is inappropriate.  It can scare your cat and make him afraid of being picked up or held.