General principles for choosing a kitten

It is no secret that the ideal source for a kitten is a healthy litter raised by an attentive mother in a household where good nutrition and kind treatment prevail. If a kitten’s mother shows signs of not being adequately cared for, it is likely that the kitten is also not well cared for. For all the appeal that rescuing a kitten from neglected treatment may have, this does increase the risk that the kitten will grow up to have some behavioral problems.

Poor cats

Most litter runts turn out fine, but a runt does stand a greater chance of having future emotional problems than do other kittens from the same litter. The runt may have experienced harassment by its littermates, and this could have an enduring effect on behavior. There is also the possibility of under-nutrition, since a runt is less able to compete with its littermates for food.
Getting along with the dog
If you particularly want a cat that gets along well with your resident dog, you would be well advised to get your kitten from a litter that has had exposure to dogs from a very young age so that it is habituated to this sometimes strange and overwhelming canine stimulus. At least introduce your kitten to the dog as soon as possible. It is almost guaranteed that a cat will not be at ease living in a household with a dog if the cat is first introduced to dogs as an adult.

Orphaned kittens are another consideration. When a mother cat disappears, or the kittens are removed before they are weaned, they may be deprived of important maternal interaction. Regardless of the amount of cuddling we may try to give, there is no substitute for the constant interaction between a kitten and a natural mother. The task of bottle feeding orphaned kittens is laborious, and therefore sometimes litters are split up to reduce the feeding burden. When this happens the kittens’ interactions with littermates are also reduced. Orphaned animals raised without mothers, and without their littermates, have a tendency to be overly cautious, fearful, and aggressive as adults. Although this tendency is stronger in dogs than it is in cats, it is something to take into consideration. If you decide to go with an orphaned kitten, try to get one that was raised with one or more of its littermates and with as much human contact as possible.

Of course we all know that purebred kittens come with a predictable set of breed-specific genes leading to predictable body conformation and hair coat. In Chapters 6 and 7 we reveal that purebred kittens also come with the genetic basis for quite predictable behavioral traits.
Age of adoption of your kitten
At what age should you bring a new kitten into your home from a breeder or shelter? It is generally agreed that the best age is around eight weeks because by then a kitten is socialized with other cats and with people, and maybe even with a dog, in its birth home. And eight weeks leaves enough time in the cat’s early life for socialization in the new home with different adults, possibly children, and maybe a dog.