At Praslin Bengals, we feel it is very important to pass on well-behaved kittens.
We start with this from day 1. The kittens grow up in our living room. That’s where we as a family are most of the time and so the kittens can also get used to new sounds. We start with petting very gently.
In the first few weeks we take them on our laps from time to time so that the kittens also get in touch with other smells
After about 2 weeks, the eyes open and they are introduced to the image of the world. After this time, we take them on our laps more often and make sure they find touching their paws and tummy normal. This will prevent your cat from suddenly lashing out when he grows up later because he is not used to something.
After 3-5 weeks, the kittens begin to get a little used to the sight and also play with each other. We make sure the cats get to hear all sounds, examples of scary sounds are the vacuum cleaner or the kitchen mixer. After hearing these sounds, we always reward them by petting them and giving them lots of attention. That way they get a positive association with those sounds. After hearing the sound 3 times, the sound is usually nothing new anymore.
After 6-7 weeks, we add the cat toy that contains only a few feathers. That way it’s not too big and not too loud and the kittens are curious enough to explore it and eventually chase it.
After 8-9 weeks we provide some more challenge and they are now well used to people and noises. Here we can show some more special toys that, for example, contain a little more feathers and sometimes have bells. In addition, we built a fun course for them. This is – as for horses – an obstacle bar where you can adjust the height with small jump bars that easily fall off. This allows us to keep building up the height for the kittens. We find that the kittens really like this concept.
We fully socialized the kittens into cuddly creatures after 10 weeks, but of course after this time it is no problem if they still find something exciting, besides, each kitten has its own character.
The last few weeks before the move we take them on our laps a lot and complete the final socialization phase. And, of course, socialization continues in the new home.
