Early learnings essential

Everything a kitten experiences in his first, formative months has an effect on the rest of his life. So the more he can experience during this important time, the more open and trusting he’ll be as an adult.

Watch (and learn) with mother

A kitten’s first and most important teacher is his mother, and she’ll teach him everything he needs to know to survive, from how to look after his coat and nails to all aspects of toilet training. The kitten will also learn about potential dangers and that some things are just not allowed. In this way, the most important aspects of a kitten’s personality are cast at a very early stage in his life.

Lessons in social behaviour

A kitten’s character will already be formed by the second to seventh week of his life, and his behaviour in later life will be a direct result of this. If there’s been intensive contact with human beings during this time, there’s a good chance he won’t be shy later on. So, if you want your kitten to be an open and active member of the family, it’s important to handle him, talk to him and stroke him, while he’s still very young.

Early learning lasts a lifetime

By the time your kitten is twelve weeks old, his mother has taught him all she can and it’s time for you to take over. As his new parent, you’ll need to teach him everything he needs to know about living together happily with humans, like using the scratching post instead of the furniture, for example. As a rule, always reward good behaviour with soothing words and gentle stroking, and when reprimanding naughty behaviour, be firm, but don’t shout. That way, he’ll associate good behaviour with fuss and attention, and be deterred from behaviour that gets a less than favourable response.

Even easy things have to be learned

It’s a good thing to expose your kitten to as many normal things as possible as early as you can, so he can get used to everyday life with his new parents. Simple things like being in the car, or being faced with the hoover can be daunting to a small kitten, but with continual exposure, he’ll soon realise there’s no danger and take them in his stride. And not surprisingly, the same goes for food. It’s best to expose him to a variety of flavours and textures as early as possible, because if he learns to eat only one type of food, you may have difficulty varying his diet later on. Whiskas® Kitten is ideal for this, as both pouches and Whiskas® Kitten Complete dry food come in a huge variety of flavours, and give him everything he needs to satisfy his taste buds as well as his nutritional requirements.