How to Play With a Kitten
Written by Small Door's medical experts
Playing with your kitten is not only fun—it’s an important part of the bonding process between you and your new pet! Kittens need plenty of playtime and socialization to grow into happy, well-adjusted adult cats.
However, if you’re a first-time kitten owner, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed. How should you play with your kitten? What games are good for them, and what might encourage bad behavior in the future? In this article, we’ll explore some of the benefits of play, as well as how you can engage your kitten fully.
In This Article
Kittens usually learn how to appropriately socialize with other cats from their mother and siblings. During this time, they play with each other and learn feline boundaries—and, ideally, also have their first encounters with humans.
Experts believe that human contact before 10 to 12 weeks is often required for kittens to grow into good pets. This does not mean that feral kittens can’t eventually learn to trust humans. However, socializing kittens from a young age whenever possible will give them the best chance of easily adapting to life with a human family.
Playing solidifies the human-animal bond. Whenever you play with your kitten, you are building trust and affection. Additionally, interactive toys that keep your cat happy, busy, and entertained will ultimately decrease destructive behaviors such as scratching and marking outside of the litter box.
Pet stores are full of cat toys! Here are some common ones you will see.
Wand toys
Cat tunnels
Crinkly toys
Balls
Toy mice
Climbing toys
Cat trees
“Fishing pole” toys
Scratchers
Interactive toys
Catnip toys
Household items
With so many options, how do you choose?
Depending on your budget, consider investing in several different types of toys — but for very young kittens, hold off on the catnip. Most cats don’t develop a sensitivity until four to six months. Try to choose a selection of toys that engages your kitten’s natural instincts: chasing, pouncing, scratching, and climbing.
Cats are natural hunters. Games that tap into their prey drive, like wand toys and fishing pole toys will encourage leaping, pouncing, and stalking. Toy mice and balls will entice your kitten to bat and chase. Climbing toys, like cat trees and perches, give your cat something to climb when you’re not home, as well as places to nap; scratching posts and boxes let them scratch in appropriate locations.
(When in doubt, you can always find an empty box—the internet is full of examples of how much cats love boxes!)
Worried about your cat shredding your couch? Scratch posts or boxes with built-in wand toys are fun for kittens and will encourage them to scratch in only the places you want them scratching.
If possible, provide your cat with a range of toy types. This will give them variety, and help you figure out what interests them.
To interest your kitten in play, assemble several toys and your kitten in an environment where your cat can focus on you. Twitch the toy in front of them, just out of reach. You will know you’ve succeeded when your kitten pounces, bats at, or tries to chase the toy.
It could take time to find the balance between letting your cat catch the toy and keeping it out of their reach to maintain their interest. Take note of what works as you go, and don’t be afraid to try new motions or techniques!
Cats are natural hunters. Games that tap into their prey drive, like rolling toys, wand toys, jingle balls, and toy mice can keep kittens entertained for hours.
Some types of play are less desirable.
For instance, play-fighting with littermates is a natural part of a kitten’s socialization process, but without a littermate to play with, most kittens will turn toward their human companions.
We know kitten play-fighting can be adorable, but play-fighting with your kitten can result in biting and scratching, and it can be hard for you to break this habit later. (Which means guests in your home could also inadvertently become targets for play-fighting—something you probably want to avoid!)
Discourage play-fighting by refusing to engage or acknowledge it. Keeping your kitten’s nails trimmed will also reduce the damage they can do to unprotected skin.
Also, keep in mind that not all toys are safe for kittens. Contrary to popular depictions of cats, they shouldn’t be playing with balls of yarn or string. Eating yarn, string, ribbons, or similar materials can be fatal for your cat if left untreated.
Kittens have a natural instinct to bite because this is how they play with their littermates and while this behavior is cute to watch, you don’t want your kitten developing this habit as they grow. So, it’s important to teach your kitten which objects they can direct this attention to.
Follow the tips below to train your kitten not to bite:
Say “OW!” in a loud voice.
Slowly remove your hand (or whatever body part you kitten has bit) from their grasp. Doing so slowly removes the play factor as kittens associate fast movement and snatching as a target to play with.
Redirect their attention to an appropriate toy to bite.
Stop playing with your kitten immediately. Ignoring them helps to avoid inadvertently rewarding the bad behavior with attention.
Because biting is a natural part of play for kittens, it will likely take time to break this habit with your kitten. Remember that consistency is key and you may have to repeat the training time and time again.
Avoid physically punishing your kitten, especially when training them to develop positive behaviors. Cats and kittens have a difficult time associating physical punishment with bad behavior, so by physically punishing your cat, they may become withdrawn or develop aggressive behavior in response. Physical punishment can also break the bond you’re trying to develop with your kitten.
Instead, remove yourself from the play scenario and ignore your kitten. Avoiding any negative behavior will be more beneficial than paying negative attention to it.
Socializing your kitten is important if you want them to grow into a good-natured adult cat. Setting up playdates with other kittens once your kitten is fully vaccinated can be a great way to keep your cat’s social skills sharp.
It is also important to introduce your kitten to other animals, like older cats and friendly dogs, as well as people who aren’t members of your household. Bear in mind that some cats and other pets in the home may be territorial.
The best way to introduce your kitten to an older cat is to do it gradually. Allow the animals to smell each other through a barrier like a gate, then hold the animals while they meet fully face to face. Take a break. After a day or two of trying this out, see if they tolerate each other for short, supervised periods of time. Gradually lengthen the time you leave them together.
Keep in mind that it can take up to six months for an older cat to fully accept a new cat in the home, and stay patient.
A kitten and a puppy that grow up together are more likely to develop a bond and play well together than two adult pets that are introduced. Likewise a kitten and an adult dog tend to get along just fine if the dog is accustomed to cats and has been trained to be gentle.
Adult dogs may unintentionally hurt kittens due to their size difference, so it’s often best to make sure interactions are supervised until the kitten is fully grown and more active. Supervision will also help ensure that the kitten develops good habits with playtime.
The amount of playtime your kitten needs will vary from kitten to kitten, as some cats are more energetic than others, but they generally need at least two to three play sessions a day, if not more.
These sessions do not have to be long: short bursts of play throughout the day will keep your kitten stimulated. Ideally, play with multiple toys until your kitten loses interest.
Timing your play sessions to your schedule can also help you establish a routine with your cat. For instance, brushing your kitten while playing with a wand in the morning can be a special bonding time that develops into a healthy brushing routine over time.
A vigorous play session before bed may help reduce the chances of your kitten pouncing on your toes in the middle of the night (though it’s no guarantee!).
Kittens and cats have a natural instinct to scratch. Doing so helps them wear down their claws. They also scratch to mark territory, relieve stress, and just stretch their paws and bodies. Unfortunately, this can wreak havoc on your furniture, especially if you have a kitten, which is why you’ll want to learn how to protect your furniture.
If your kitten scratches your furniture, you can reprimand them by giving a loud “NO!” or clapping your hands — but make sure to never physically discipline your kitten. Then, redirect them to a proper place for them to scratch.
1. Provide your kitten with scratching posts
You can never have too many designated places for a kitten to scratch. That’s why scratching posts around your home are a great place to redirect your kitten to when they get the urge. Make sure cat posts are stable, big enough for them to get a good stretch, and have a variety of surface textures and shapes. Most scratching posts are vertical, but some cats may prefer horizontal ones.
You can make scratching posts more appealing to use by spraying them with pheromone spray. Be sure to reward your kitten for their good behavior when they use a designated scratching area.
2. Trim your kitten’s nails
Trimmed nails will do far less damage to your furniture than sharp, unkempt ones. This may take your kitten some training and getting used to, but your veterinarian can always help out here.
3. Keep your kitten active
Sometimes kittens will scratch out of boredom or if they need attention. Spend time playing with your kitten and keeping them both physically and mentally stimulated to help reduce unwanted behavior.
4. Use furniture covers or scent deterrent
While these methods don’t curb your kitten’s undesirable scratching behavior, they can be a short term solution to protecting your furniture. You can keep covers over your furniture until your kitten is fully trained or a scent deterrent spray on furniture that your cat usually scratches to help curb this behavior.
Make playing with your kitten a fun part of your daily routine. As your bond develops, you will discover what your cat likes, how they play, and how you can keep them entertained and active while they mature.
