How To Socialize a Kitten

As a cat parent, you play a crucial role in ensuring your kitten grows up to be a confident, friendly, well-adjusted cat. Socialization, the process of introducing your pet to different sensations, people, places, and other experiences, teaches your cat that they can trust the world around them.  

The benefits are endless, from reducing anxiety and fearful behaviors like cat biting and hissing, to giving them a better chance at a long, healthy life. 

So how do you socialize a kitten? Follow this guide to learn the best way to introduce your new cat to the world.  

How To Socialize a Kitten

1. Allow Your Kitten to Acclimate 

When you first bring your kitten home, keep them in a confined, kitten-proofed area for a few days. This will help keep them safe when unsupervised and allow them to settle into their new home.

This private area should be closed off from the rest of the home and include all of the kitten’s basic necessities, including kitten food, water, a cat bed, some cat toys, and a litter box filled with cat litter.

For very young kittens who are just learning to use the litter box, use a non-clumping litter, like Fresh Step Premium Non-Clumping Cat Litter. Once they are a little older, about 8-10 weeks old, you can switch to a clumping litter.

A clumping cat litter, like Fresh Step Heavy Duty 30 Day Odor Control with Febreze Freshness Clumping Cat Litter, will make clean-up easy. Fresh Step Heavy Duty litter forms tight clumps for scooping and controls odors for 30 days.

Allow your kitten to have at least a few days by themselves in their area to settle in, as this is the general amount of time it takes any cat to decompress in a new setting. 

2. Practice Gentle Touches 

These can include touching the paws and different parts of their body like their ears and around their mouths, as well as trimming your cat's nails with a small pair of nail clippers and brushing their teeth with a small cat toothbrush or finger brush. 

It’s important to reinforce calm behavior with vet-approved cat treats and praise so that your kitten learns that human interaction is a positive thing.  

3. Provide New Toys 

There are many toys that kittens can enjoy, such as puzzle toys, food-dispensing toys, and wand toys to chase.  

Providing a variety of toys will engage multiple parts of your cat’s brain and help keep them entertained and mentally relaxed. In turn, this can reduce feline aggression and stress-induced behaviors like hissing, biting, scratching, destructive behaviors, and hiding. 

4. Expose Them to New Stimuli 

Gently introducing your kitten to new experiences now increases the likelihood that they will be able to handle them without stress as an older cat.  

This can include: 

• Getting them used to a cat carrier 

• Using combs and brushes 

• Accepting new people in the home 

• Car rides 

• Plane or train travel 

• Vet visits 

• Wearing a harness and leash for short supervised walks outdoors 

As before, it’s best to start slowly with short sessions or trips and to reinforce calm behavior with treats and praise.  

How To Socialize a Kitten With Other Cats

When socializing a kitten with other cats, it’s best to be patient and allow the cats to determine the pacing of the process. Follow these steps: 

1. Start with the kitten in their own space, and begin swapping toys and bedding from their room with toys and bedding from the other cat(s). This allows them to become familiar with each other’s scent.  

2. Continue scent swapping until all cats are reacting either positively or neutrally (such as ignoring or seeming unbothered) toward each other’s smell. Positive reactions can look like relaxed posture, ears pointed forward, tail loose or held upright and curved, and open, soft eyes.  

3. When the cats are calm around each other’s scents, let them explore each other’s rooms without the other cat(s) present.  

4. When they seem calm in each other’s spaces, let them meet through a barrier, such as a pet gate, screen, or slightly open door. It can be helpful to engage the cats in play while in view of each other, such as chasing a wand toy, and positively reinforcing this behavior with treats and praise so that the cats learn how to interact with each other appropriately without signs of stress or aggression.  

5. When all cats seem to be comfortable playing in view of each other consistently, you can allow them to meet face to face for short amounts of time. Supervise their interactions to ensure both cats remain safe.  

6. Gradually increase the length of time the cats spend together as long as they show calm behavior during these meetings.  

The length of each step of this process can vary depending on each cat.    

How To Socialize a Kitten With Humans

Just like with socializing kittens with older cats, play is important to help socialize kittens with humans, especially for those kittens who may be initially shy.  

Start by giving your kitten some space. Putting physical distance between you can help your kitten feel more confident, especially when paired with play that simulates a kitten’s natural hunting instincts. Giving treats and praise for calm play around people further reinforces this positive association.  

When your kitten seems happy to play, you can move on to getting the kitten used to petting. Allow your kitten to initiate all petting sessions, giving them space to come toward you on their own. You can extend a finger or hand toward them, but wait for the kitten to approach and touch your hand before trying to scratch under their chin or stroke along their back.  

Most cats are not fond of being touched on their paws or bellies, so these are a couple of areas for new people to avoid.  

Strangers can also help your kitten feel comfortable by feeding them kitten treats, such as scattering crunchy treats like Temptations or offering the kitten a puréed treat such as Churu from the tube.  

Go slowly and be patient when introducing a kitten to a new person. Some kittens may accept strangers more quickly than others. Each session should only last as long as the kitten seems comfortable and eager to play or be petted.  

If your kitten appears agitated or starts to act aggressively, end the session and give the kitten a break in their private area.  

When To Socialize a Kitten

While there is a socialization window in kittens (from about 2 to 7 weeks of age, though some behavior experts extend this as far out as 9 weeks), most kittens are adopted into homes after this time frame. 

Ideally, kittens will be with their mother while she is nursing, in a home that has people and other animals, because kittens learn from how their mother interacts with the world.  

However, if you have adopted a kitten that’s older than 7 to 9 weeks of age, don’t worry—there’s still time to socialize them. 

Start the socialization process as soon as your kitten comes home with you. 

Other experiences that may be helpful for your kitten include visits to other people’s homes and excursions in public to meet people and animals of all kinds, from different types of pets to people of all ages, skin colors, genders, heights, and abilities. 

How Long Does It Take to Socialize a Kitten?

How fast you progress through the kitten socialization process depends on your individual cat. Some kittens may show calm behavior within hours to days of encountering new things, while others may need weeks or months of effort to form positive associations. 

If your kitten shows signs of stress or fear when exposed to a new stimulus, give them a break for a day or two before making another attempt. Patience is key with socializing your kitten, and by respecting their timeline, you will set them up for having successful interactions and experiences throughout their life. 

Can You Socialize an Older Cat?

It’s more difficult, though not impossible, to socialize older cats. Older cats may need a more extended timeline for exposure to new things before forming solid, positive associations and becoming confident. For example, while it may take a kitten only a few days to become confident and calm toward a new person, it may take an adult cat a few weeks. 

Adult cats may need additional help from calming medications, supplements, and other products to become properly socialized. These can include things like Purina Pro Plan Calming Care probiotic powder, Feliway pheromone diffusers, and anti-anxiety medications for cats like fluoxetine and sertraline.  

Talk to your veterinarian before adding any new medications or supplements to your cat’s regimen. 

If your adult cat seems to be having difficulty with socialization, it’s best to reach out to your veterinarian for assistance.