How Long Does it Take For House Cats to Become Household Pets?
It’s easy to feel a deep longing for your old kitty. He was a part of your family, and you got to know him really well. Now you live alone, and he is a distant memory. But your cat doesn’t seem to be taking it quite so easy, and you’re starting to wonder whether he feels this way because he’s been separated from you or because he’s simply adapting to his new situation. Here’s some information on feline behavior that might help you determine if your cat wants to be left alone.
Wild cats have a strange way of picking up on the subtleties of human behavior. Because many feral cats are so strongly attuned to their feline roots, many seemingly random cat behaviors make much more sense when understand exactly where the cat comes from. Many experts agree that today’s domestic cats descended from a few tiny African wildcats, Felis sylvestris, and the word domestic cat is used to distinguish the domestic cat from the other wild cat family group that includes the other big cat specie, the Lion. These smaller cats probably lived in the forests and woodlands as prey animals, picking up a variety of food as they moved through the landscape.
After about a year of age, your kitten begins to explore its surroundings. In the first few weeks of life, kittens begin to look around, run across rooms, and look around corners before they start exploring physical territory, such as your bedroom or other furniture in your house. One of the big changes in a kitten’s behavior is curiosity. You may be wondering if your kittens have come home with a new cat and a whole new set of household behaviors. Kittens who are curious will often wander around, scratch, and investigate everything around them.
While the majority of kittens are playful, you should also keep in mind that this does not necessarily mean that they will not establish their own play patterns later on. While playful kittens love to explore, mature cats like to play. Whether they are playing with another cat or with you, the most important thing for you to remember is that these cats are still very much feral animals.
After about a year of age, kittens begin to show classic symptoms of domestic cat behavior. They are weaned (they can no longer nurse), they gain weight, and they start to exhibit some of their earlier wild cat tendencies such as meowing, scratching, and meandering. A domestic cat will usually meow at this time, but it can also just be a sign that the cat wants to explore its surroundings again. If your kittens seem less vocal during these times, it might be a good idea to introduce another cat into the household.
After about one year of age, your kitten will begin to show their adult characteristics. Meowing will become less frequent and your kitten will start to wander about the house, meandering to look at objects of interest and playing with other cats or objects that it finds interesting. Your kitten will also start to grow hair, and will become more active. You should keep a close eye on your kitten, but don’t worry; these signs generally only last about a year.