9 Proven Ways to Win Your Kitten’s Heart: A Complete Guide

Having a hard time bonding with your kitten? No worries, I have been there too.

Needless to say, your home is all new to your kitten, so she needs time to get used to things.

You are also new to your kitten and as such it will take patience and consistent efforts to warm up and become buddies.

In this article, you will find tips on how to make a kitten like you.

Are you ready? Let’s paw in!

How To Make A Kitten Like You

1. Make Your Home Safe For Your Kitten

The first tip on how to make a kitten like you is to ensure that your home is safe for your kitten to live in.

Kittens love to explore their environment and find their way into any confined space. Therefore, get rid of items that can knock your kitten over.

Also, close up holes that she can fall into and get injured. The cables lying around too should be properly clothed so that your kitten doesn’t get an electric shock.

Again, keep the valuables you wouldn’t want your kitten to tamper with out of reach. Something like small jewelry should be kept safely away. Your kitten may be drawn by its beauty and choose to swallow it.

Another thing you can do to make your home safe is to remove the decorative plants from the parts of the house where your kitten will usually stay. Some of these plants have been identified to be poisonous to cats.

You also want to remove valuable items from tabletops and the top of cabinets. These cats love to climb and will not fail to try out those spots.

Investing in a vertical tower will come in handy here. It has different levels for your kitten to scratch, climb, and rest.

Your laundry is also a good hiding spot. Check it properly before putting it into the washing machine.

2. Introduce Your Kitten To Her New Home

Now that all roads are clear, it is safe to bring your kitten home. But before you do that, prepare a room for your kitten.

This room should include her bed, toys, food and water bowls, and scratching posts. The room should be spacious as well.

Take her to this room the first time you bring her to your home so that she can explore the environment.

When she is comfortable and happy with her room then you can introduce her to the rest of the house.

The next step is to introduce her to other members of the family. Do this one person at a time. Each person should play with the kitten for a while so that she can mark them with her scent.

Then after a week, you can take her out for a walk, your kitten needs lots of exercises you know (winks).

3. Feed Your Kitten Adequately

It takes a strong kitten to bond with its owner, not so? One way to keep your kitten strong and active is to feed her well.

Go for foods specifically designed for kittens. That way, your kitten will get all the nutrients she needs.

Also, make sure you are giving her the right quantity of food for her age. For example, vets recommend that 3-6 months old kittens get 3-4 bowls of food daily.

Additionally, hand-feeding your kitten can also improve the bond between you two. This will help your kitten understand that you own the food but you are willing to share it with her.

You don’t have to hand-feed her the entire meal. After giving her a handful, you can drop the bowl on the ground.

More so, make sure her water bowl is always filled. And, pick special treats for your kitten and keep them safe for when you will need them.

Keeping your kitten fed will help gain her trust and love.

4. Playtime Is A Necessity

Fourthly, on how to make a kitten like you, you have to create time to play with your new love.

Schedule regular playtime with your kitten and stick with it. 15 minutes of play three times daily is a good start.

Also, it helps to be consistent with the activities you perform with your kitten. It will help her to channel her expectations accordingly.

Get her lots of toys to make the sessions worthwhile. Dancers and feather wands are the best options.

Laser pointers make another good choice. Shining the little red dot on the floor will lure your kitten to run around trying to catch it.

Kittens love to play a lot so they will most times initiate the play. As such, you shouldn’t worry much about getting her to play.

And the more you devote time to play with your kitten, the more she will like you.

If you will not be available for play as much as required then you should adopt a 2nd kitten.

Both kittens get to interact and play all day. Super cool!

5. Socialize Your Kitten

Once your kitten is up to 8 weeks of age, it is okay to train how to get used to people.

An effective way to socialize your kitten is by handling her a lot. Pick her from the floor more often, kiss her head softly, touch her paws gently, rub her back, and pat her cheeks affectionately.

These will help remove the fear of people. Also, when you have visitors, introduce your kitten and encourage interaction between them.

Note that socialization should happen at your pet’s pace. Anytime she squirms away from touch or a person, give her some space and try again.

In good time, she will let down her guards and your affection will be well received. If you notice that your kitten is afraid of people, try not to introduce her to a lot of people at once, one person at a time will do.

Grooming your kitten is also a good way to help her get accustomed to being handled. As you touch her paws to trim the nails, she will get used to the process and it will not be a problem when she is older.

Again, don’t leave your kitten and your children together without any supervision so that they will not handle her roughly or drop her unintentionally

6. Don’t Encourage Biting And Scratching

While you are trying to bond with your kitten, it is important to curb bad behaviour in this early stage.

Biting and scratching can be destructive when your kitten develops adult teeth hence it is best to prevent this bad habit now.

When your kitten tries to bite or scratch, use the command, “no”, and when she pulls away give her a treat.

Another effective approach is to always use toys when playing with your kitten. This means that every biting and scratching will be on the toy, not you or the sofa.

Investing in a scratching post and training her to use it is also an excellent idea.

Moreover, crying out and stopping play every time your kitten bites down too hard on you will also do the trick. This will make her realize that more play is a reward for controlled biting and scratching (LOL).

7. Listen To Your Kitty’s Body Language

Another tip on how to make a kitten like you is to listen to her body language and act accordingly.

For example, you can tell when your kitten is uncomfortable based on her reaction to a particular situation. Adjust the situation to favour her and you will win her heart.

If you are introducing your kitten to something and she is moving away and twitching, with tense muscle tone and hyper-alert, then she is afraid. Retrace your steps and take it slower.

It could be a reaction to a child’s intimidation, coming to your pet’s rescue at that point will go a long way.

Maybe she is suddenly frightened by a loud noise. Rubbing her back or patting her head will calm her nerves and let her know she is safe with you.

On the other hand, when your pet is giving you lots of blinks or slowly blinking, it shows she is comfortable with the situation and you can proceed.

Some reactions could also mean a health problem. Involve your vet when you cannot interpret your cat’s signals.

8. Send Your Kitten To The Vet As Required

There is something about 8 weeks for a kitten. This is also the age at which they begin receiving shots at the vet.

It is only a healthy kitten that will remain active and bond with you. Therefore, send your kitten to the vet for all the required vaccinations and regular checkups.

Taking your kitten with you for errands will help her get used to car rides. Thus, going to the vet’s will not pose a challenge. Offer her treats as she cooperates in each journey.

9. Get Your Kitten To Trust You

Lastly, on how to make a kitten like you is to build your kitten’s trust. You can achieve this by giving her ample space to eat and sleep.

It is always good when your kitten has some space to herself especially when there is an older cat in the house. She needs a place for solitude.

Of course, in due time they will become pals but don’t try to force things in the beginning.

You can instigate this bond by feeding them on either side of a door. Encourage the old cat that it is good to have the younger one around by throwing her some treats.

Gradually feed them closer to each other. When they are finally together, give them pieces of turkey or chicken to help build their friendship.

Furthermore, it is okay to let your kitten sleep in your bed for a while to improve feelings of safety and trust.

Pro tip: the best age to adopt a kitten in to your home is 8 weeks. Also, it is better to go for a kitten that was socialized for the first seven weeks of her life.

It will make the bonding process a lot easier.

Conclusion

Getting a kitten to like you will take some effort from you. Learn her body language and do things at her pace. Avoid anything that will cause your pet undue fear or anxiety.

We have now come to the end of our discussion on how to make a kitten like you. I hope you enjoyed the read.

Now, I’d love to hear from you:

Have you adopted a kitten before? How old was she? And how did you warm up with her?

Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments section right now. You are also free to share any tip you feel should be included in this article.

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