Cat Socialization: Getting used to people

As is to be expected, it's not easy for a cat to bond with us immediately. Just try to imagine how cats see us. We probably look like these huge strange giants that move in strange ways and smell strange. If we look at it this way, it is easy to put ourselves in their place and understand why they get so easily frightened. Cats need to get used to us little by little, they need to learn that we look different from them, talk completely different from them and smell completely different. Besides this they need to learn that each individual person has a different face, smell and voice as well. Although this may seem like a big task, the best solution is to let a cat associate with a lot of people starting at a young age. It's very likely that a cat will never get used to being around humans if it has not been exposed to them frequently when it was a kitten.

Just being around other people of different ages, sizes, and appearances begins the socialization process for a cat. Socializing is done by exposing the cat to as many people as possible starting at a young age (when it is a kitten). If a cat has not learned this at a young age, it's very unlikely that it will adapt well to humans. The best age to begin the socialization process is in between five to twelve weeks of age. Usually though, cats do not live with us at this age, so it's best to get your cat from a reputable breeder that has trained the kittens to socialize while it is still under the care of its mother, and before it moves into its new home. Remember to continue training your cat in this way when it comes home with you, even when the cat seems extroverted and brave. Remember that there are many different types of people and smells so doing this more will not hurt the cat, but help it. Whenever you have a visitor come to the house, ask him or her to spend a little time with your kitten, or to play with it or offer it a little treat, so that the kitten learns that people are nice and enjoyable to be around.