How to accustom a kitten to your hands

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Cats are not always tame and affectionate. Because of this, some owners are interested in how to accustom a kitten to being held, so that in the future the furry pet remains affectionate and always ready for human contact. Accustoming a cat to being handled when it is already an adult can be much more difficult, so this should be done with a kitten as soon as it settles in the house. In order to achieve success, you need to know certain rules of training, because otherwise, by making mistakes, you can get the opposite result and instead of a sociable cat, raise a wild animal that will react aggressively to attempts to pick it up.

How to tame a wild kitten

Future owners are worried: how to tame a kitten, what if the situation gets out of control and an unaffectionate cat will grow out of a cute creature. The baby quickly gets used to it and begins to understand:

Where is the toilet.
Where is the bowl of food?
Who lives in the family, from whom you need to hide.

To tame a cat you will have to wait ten days (maximum). Usually this much time is spent on re-educating a street dweller.

It’s worth learning from the very beginning: a kitten’s squeak means “I feel bad,” while purring is a sign of goodwill and contentment.

There is no need to push a squeaking lump into a bathtub of water or allow children to cause pain. The kitten should feel safe and loved. It’s easy to accustom a kitten to handling and rules of behavior (both in the house and at an exhibition): affection, play and treats will do.

Once the baby is in the house, you need to give him time to calm down. You can leave him in an unlocked cage or put him in a low cat basket. Don't forget to place a bowl of water nearby.

In a calm environment, the kitten will soon crawl out of its shelter and go to inspect the territory of the house. Don't pick him up just yet. It is enough to gently stroke him and say a few words in a calm tone. Then transfer to a bowl and praise. In this case, the kitten in your hands will not perceive the action as danger.

Within 24 hours, the cat will begin to trust its owner and may jump onto its lap. The kitten will learn to sit quietly in your arms if you support it by its back. The warmth of the hand is soothing, and any possible fear of heights disappears.

Ways to train a kitten

Sometimes you can’t just calmly sit a kitten in your arms, because it gets scared and, even when it recognizes the person, continues to struggle. In order for a pet to be willingly given into the owner’s hands, it is necessary to accustom it to this, if it itself does not show a desire to actively make contact. As soon as the kitten realizes that communicating with the owner, when he takes him in his hands, brings him pleasure, the baby himself will strive to cuddle the person. Be sure to hold the kitten correctly, caress the pet and talk calmly to it. It’s very good if the cat starts playing while in your arms.

Your kitten will quickly stop being afraid to be handled if you use one of the training methods below..

Using the characteristics of animal physiology. After the kitten has eaten well, it begins to feel sleepy, since maximum energy is spent on digesting food. If the animal is warm and comfortable at this moment, it will begin to experience special pleasure. The owner may well provide the pet with the illusion that he is lying next to his mother if he picks up a well-fed, dozing kitten and cuddles him, but without squeezing. Gradually, the baby will get used to the fact that sitting in your arms is very pleasant and safe.
Talk. Monotonous, affectionate conversation with the kitten gradually begins to relax it. At this moment, the owner has the opportunity to gently stroke the pet behind the ear or in the throat area. If the kitten reacted calmly to such affection, you need to place your palms on its sides. If the baby does not break free here, he is carefully picked up. When the kitten tries to escape, you should not restrain it by force. Such sessions must be repeated several times a day, until the baby agrees to stay on the owner’s lap.
Lure with a treat. This method is most suitable for kittens who are particularly freedom-loving and cannot combine being held in their arms with pleasant sensations. Using a treat, the owner lures the pet onto his lap. While the kitten is eating the treat, you need to stroke it on the back, but under no circumstances hold it by force. Gradually, the baby will get used to the fact that it is pleasant to be held and will actively seek the company of the owner.
Overcoming the fear of heights. As strange as it may sound, some cats are terrified of heights. Because of this, when a kitten is picked up incorrectly and he perceives what is happening as floating in the air, he experiences a severe shock. This phenomenon can be prevented simply by starting to hold the baby correctly. Then his fear of hands will go away. You need to take the kitten with one hand under the armpits, and place the other under its hind legs. After this, the baby should be held close to you, but not squeezed. If the fear is panicky, then first you need to accustom the kitten to your hands while sitting on the floor.
Training in the game. This method is suitable for active kittens who are not yet ready to exchange free time for affection. When playing with such a baby with a toy, you should gradually pull it onto your lap. After the kitten jumps into your arms, you need to let him catch the toy here and enjoy the catch. While the kitten is playing in your arms, you can pet it. Gradually, such games with jumping into hands will lead to the fact that the animal will not only completely get used to the hands, but will not be able to do without affection and close contact with a person. With this nature of the pet, you should often allow the cat to sit in your arms while playing with the owner.

The choice of method depends on the individual characteristics of the kitten, and each owner must evaluate for himself which method is optimal in his case. In principle, accustoming a kitten to affection cannot fail, you just don’t need to stubbornly follow a method that is not suitable, but need to be creative in your approach.

How to accustom a cat to hands and affection

If you want cat affection, become patient and affectionate yourself. An outdoor cat will begin to trust a person when it gets used to his smell and voice. He will associate his appearance with a pleasant event (food, affection).

A wild cat is tamed in the same way as a kitten. First, treats are brought regularly. Then they hold out their palm with a piece of the most delicious thing (the delicacy lies in the center of the palm, not on the fingers!), and allow it to be sniffed. When the cat begins to approach, perhaps rubs its head on its leg, you can pet it in response, speaking calmly and affectionately.

Why is the cat not affectionate?

If a cat scratches and bites as an adult, the owners themselves are to blame. While still playing with her, they allowed her to “claw” in excitement. At first it's funny, then the adult:

bites legs;
does not allow himself to be combed;
spoils things, marks territory.

The simplest veterinary examination and medical procedures (injections, enemas) turn into a nightmare for the owner.

The independence and aggressiveness of a mustachioed cohabitant should not be shown towards family members. If the owners are afraid, the pet will become impudent. It is recommended to hold the cat in your arms more often and show affection. After taming, release it for further exploration of the area, praise and treat it with something tasty for good behavior.

Gradually the cat will understand: nothing bad is happening. If you do this regularly, at the same time talk affectionately, give a piece of “yummy” - after a while you can add short-term combing, examining the ears and other manipulations.

An irrepressible desire to “cuddle” can also be the reason why a cat becomes less affectionate. Small children will happily play with the kitty and pull its ear or tail.

Adults sometimes don’t lag behind (especially if the cat is not their property): they shamelessly shove pieces from the table, try to stroke them and pick them up against their will. It's not the cat that needs to be blamed, but the owner:

If the cat is not the highlight of the program, it is better to isolate it in another room. Or warn the guest about correct behavior.
For children, it is better to find other fun, otherwise the simplest scratch on the hand of an uncontrollable child will ruin the evening.
When neither the person nor the cat is particularly anxious, let them interact as they wish.

Advice. It is advisable to wash your hands not only after interacting with an animal, but also before. Precautionary measures apply to small unvaccinated kittens.

The selection of some breeds followed the path of consolidating external characteristics. Such cats are more attached to the territory than to the owner. For example, bobtails and Norwegian forest cats do not recognize excessive affection.

It is better to choose a Burmese, Siamese, Sphynx or Rex or an ordinary yard cat - a “mongrel”. “Human-dependent” cats can hardly tolerate loneliness, they are easy to tame and they love the affection of their owner.

Why won't the cat be picked up?

Almost all cats by nature are self-sufficient and also very freedom-loving animals. And it will be very difficult to force them to do anything against their will. And this applies not only to stray cats, but also to purebred cats. First of all, this is due to the character of the animal. Thus, a British cat will be quite skeptical and sometimes aggressive towards all caresses, as well as attempts to be picked up. And she will do it only when she wants to.

In addition, the slightest rustle can cause him to immediately jump out of his hands and may even scratch his owner. Therefore, before picking up a cat, you must make sure it is in a good mood.

Almost every cat has an excellent sense of smell. And if a person smells of perfume, a specific cream, aromatic spices, alcohol or even citrus fruits, then she will also not sit in his arms. If this happens quite often, then the animal may completely lose trust in its owner. In this case, the cat will avoid him.

It is also possible that the animal has been beaten or simply abused in the past.

Many cats do not like to be picked up by small children, because they can either press the animal too hard or pinch it.

Is it possible to tame an adult cat to a new owner?

A cat tolerates a change of owner more easily than a dog. The exception is socially oriented breeds, for example, Oriental Siamese. They will gradually become affectionate with their new owners, but the first one is the only one for life.

The best way to train, even for a sexually mature individual, is not food, but play. First, an adult cat must get used to the territory. It is better to leave your pet to explore its new home on its own, and after a while offer some food from your hands. Just like a treat. At the same time, do not forget to talk measuredly, but not to stroke.

As soon as the cat gets used to it a little, you can:

lightly scratch a chair or furniture - so that the cat reacts to the sound near the owner;
roll a ball or ball of wool near you, inviting you to play;
“drive” a candy wrapper.

The cat quickly joins the game. After a while, you should again give a piece of food from your hand and praise it.