The Suckling behaviour is necessary for a kittens survival, but when the kittens reach adulthood this need for survival is replaced with lapping and chewing, although the kitten stops suckling when weaned, the paw kneading action always stays with the cat through its life time, this is the only kitten action that will carry on into adulthood, you will have seen your kitten/cat doing this kneading also known as knitting against the soft surface the cat is sitting on, when the kitten is suckling ,it uses its forepaws to knead the area around the teat, this stimulates the milk to flow, so when the kitten has grown into an adult and performs this action it is very comforting and reassuring action for the cat.

Early experience’s are very influential in whatever a kitten is exposed to, by the time you collect your kitten usually at around fourteen weeks of age, their mind is already dramatically and sometimes irreversibly formed, total responsibility is almost totally with the breeder, the critical period in the emotional development of kittens is between two to seven weeks, If a kitten has not been exposed to human contact during the critical period for socialization, it may always be timid in the company of humans and its surrounding’s I start with socialization from birth.

I have a great relationship with all my queens which allows me to stay close by during the birth, should I have to intervene, In fact I’m sure my queens wait for me to be present before they start their delivery, as the kittens are born ,they are weighted and checked over to make sure all is well, I will then handle each kitten daily, gently stroking it and breathing on it, although the kittens are born with eyes closed and very little hearing, there sense of smell and sensory abilities to touch is extremely well developed, this is how they find warmth, their mother and then onto the teat.

At around ten days the kittens eyes open for the first time, as the kitten reaches the two week stage, the kitten can orient towards sound, the kitten is now entering the most sensitive period of its life the socialization period. From two weeks of age I spend a great deal more time with the kittens, mainly stroking and talking to them, I also clip the claws at this age, as the kittens can become very determined at getting to their special teat and will try to sweep the other kittens away, now that the kittens eyes are open these can easily become scratched, the kittens kneading against the mother’s teats becomes stronger, if the claws are not clipped mum could end up getting sore which could make mum reluctant to let the kittens feed, of course the other part of claw clipping at this very young age is so the kittens will grow up excepting this as a normal part of its routine. During the early part of the socialization period kitten’s sensory abilities mature.

By three weeks of age their sense of smell is well developed and they see well enough to locate their mother by sight rather than by sent. By four weeks the hearing is well developed, and sense of smell fully mature, as is their righting reflex and they start to play with littermates.

By five weeks of age the eyes have become crystal clear, allowing mature vision. Although weaning ends by the seventh week, kittens will continue to suckle intermittently for several more weeks, it’s simply a comfort behaviour, this is an important reason why kitten’s should not leave the mother early, certainly not before eight weeks of age, kittens that leave their mothers early can grow to be hyperactive and can develop common behavioural problems, IE wool chewing and sucking on fabrics.

When looking for your new family member, I strongly recommend that you go and view the kitten, the kitten should be playful and should never run and hide and refuse to come from behind whatever its hiding behind, this may not be a well socialized kitten, you could be taking home a lot of problems, IE not being able to groom, toileting problems, and possibly a very shy and withdrawn kitten. I put an enormous amount of work and time into my cats and kittens and it defiantly shows, this is just a small snippet of information, it’s a very interesting subject, and there is so much more than just a kitten or just a cat.