How many kittens are in a class?
The maximum number of cats in Kitten Kindergarten class is six. For a more specific number, just ask us when you register!
My kitten will be 4 months by the time they graduate. Are they still eligible?
Yes! Your kitten only needs to be younger than three months when they start Kitten Kindergarten; their age at graduation doesn’t matter.
My kitten is feral or very fearful of humans. Can she take Kitten Kindergarten?
No, unfortunately Kitten Kindergarten is only for kitties who are already comfortable around humans and being touched. Taking her to Kitten Kindergarten – all those people, other kitties, a new place – would be too much for her, and would make her fear worse, not better. If you’d like some help with teaching your kitten that the world is safe, we’d love to help you through private training, which would be tailored to your specific needs.
What’s the difference between socializing and training?
Socialization is the process by which a baby animal learns about its environment – what’s safe, what’s dangerous, what looks dangerous but is actually safe – generally, how to function appropriately and stay calm in different situations. Contrary to popular belief, “socialization” isn’t about other animals – it’s about all the things in the world that you want your adult cat to handle gracefully. Cats aren’t born understanding how to handle the various sounds, animals, people, places, objects, and obstacles that they will encounter in a human society for the rest of their lives, and they have a very short window in which to learn those things (by the time they’re 3 or 4 months old, it’s over), so we need to make the most of that time!
Training is usually the term that people use when they want to teach certain behaviors, like sit and come. While we do address those things in Kitten Kindergarten class, and your kitten will come away with some nice trained skills, our first priority during kittenhood is always confidence and socialization, because if your cat is afraid of the world due to lack of socialization, she could have the finest training in the West … and no one will ever see it because he’s too overwhelmed to behave himself. Cats who have less fear as adults also get better and more frequent veterinary care, more enrichment, bond more intensely with their owners, accept new animals to the home more easily, and generally have higher quality lives. So, when your kitten is under 3 to 4 months old, socialization should be your first priority. The cat training and tricks can come later.
I have another dog/cat/human at home. Isn’t that enough?
No. Did you have siblings growing up? What if you had never played with any other kids, as a child? Never left the house? Wouldn’t only interacting with your siblings in the house be enough to develop good social skills as an adult?
Can my kids/spouse/parents/dogsitter attend class?
Yes, absolutely! The more the merrier. School-aged kids do best in Kitten Kindergarten class; toddlers and pre-schoolers find it boring and get restless and irritated. Even school-aged kids might want to bring something to do if they get bored. Older kids make GREAT trainers. Bring the whole family, because if everyone is on the same page, your cat training will go much faster and smoother!
