Advice on How to Socialize a Cat

Cats have a reputation for be ill-tempered animals. That's why a lot of people think it's difficult to socialize a cat. We'll give you some tips to help. 

Many people think that it’s hard to socialize a cat because they’re known for often being in a bad mood. The fact is that cats carry that behavior in their genes. However, despite this, it’s not impossible to socialize a cat.

We’ll show you how you can socialize your cat to be nice and friendly with everyone around him.

Socialize a cat

By following some simple guidelines, you can teach your cat to socialize with other cats, animals, and people. If you want a cat that everyone will fall in love with wherever he goes, keep reading and try some of our suggestions. 

Find the right place

Cats are curious animals. So, if you bring one home and let him roam freely around the house, it won’t help you reach your goal of socializing your cat. Instead, when you bring your new friend home, you should give him a small space to explore.

This could be the patio or terrace. Or, if you don’t have either of those, it could be the room that you use the most so he won’t feel isolated. Just make sure you don’t give him access to the rest of the house at first. As he grows, and you spend more time together, you can give him more and more space.

How to attract your cat

Although giving him food to make him come isn’t a bad idea, he may start associating your hand with food. If he starts to do that, you won’t be earning his love, you’ll actually be “buying” it. Also, he’ll only hang around for a few minutes.

Our cat has to see us as a friend who gives him love and care. Just remember, this won’t be easy at the start because his independent nature will hold him back from approaching you. 

To get to know your cat, it’s important to watch his behavior and body language. That way, you’ll know how he reacts to our gestures and you can tell what he does and doesn’t like.

Tips to get closer to your cat

You should never approach an animal directly, especially not a cat. They usually interpret direct approaches as aggressive, and they’ll respond in the same way. Therefore, the best thing to do before you approach him is to be around him a bit, so that he knows that you’re there.

Games to play with your cat

Games are an important part of a cat’s life and they’re very helpful when socializing him. You should have a set schedule that you keep to, because these games will help him stay relaxed and he’ll be in a much better mood when he’s around you.

However, if the cat feels like things aren’t under his control, he’ll be more antisocial.

So, every day you should be playing with him, talking to him, and nurturing him. When the cat gets used to this schedule, you’ll be able to start incorporating other people into your games. First, start with just one person, and then you can try adding more.

Then, you could try inviting another cat to play the game, or even a dog. That way, from a young age, the animal will be used to having others around him, whether that be animals or people. In turn, he’ll grow into a friendly and affectionate cat. 

How long will it take to socialize a cat?

We can’t give you a set amount of time that it’ll take to socialize your cat because each cat is different. But be aware that it’ll take a lot of time, patience and effort to achieve it.

There are cats that are naturally more shy or independent, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be socialized. If you put all of your love and effort into the task, you’ll achieve your goal before you know it.