When Do Kittens Start Playing With Toys? Know More With Our In-depth Article

Raising a kitten from the moment of birth can be a tough job to pull off. Generally, when you are adopting a cat from a breeder, they have already gone through the different kittenhood phases.

One of those phases was their active peak phase. Not only is time incredibly crucial for average growth in terms of muscle and nerve, but it also has a significant effect on the early socialization of kittens.

Many cat owners who have found themselves raising a kitten from birth come across several questions at the beginning.

One of the main questions is about their playing habits. In this article, we will answer that very question and explore more aspects starting from this.

When Do Kittens Start Playing With Toys?

 

 

Kittens do not start playing with toys from the very beginning. When they come out into this world, they do not have the vision, and it is challenging for them to keep their balance.

They waddle their ways around once they have the vision as they don’t have the best balance. However, they try to copy their mother as much as possible.

When they are five weeks old, they start to walk a little.

They can’t play with toys right then. However, they can jump around other kittens and their mother. They become troublesome for the mother as they gather some mobility.

As soon as they become seven weeks old, they are out of control. 7 to 14 weeks are the peak of their playful nature.

During this time, kittens do not spend a single moment of their awake state at a single location. They play with the tails of other kittens, pounce around, and gather their skills.

Hunting games are the best games that help them in this regard. They start to follow anything that moves in front of them.

Their congenital hunting skills start kicking in during this time. You have to understand that the kitten is just starting to become agile enough to start moving freely during this time.

When they are fifteen weeks or older, they start to play with toys. You can buy safe, bright toys for them. Predatory skill is crucial for their survival.

It helps them hunt other small animals, but it is also essential as they start to show their communication skills with other kittens around them.

Their intensive and aggressive hunting plays are the best ways to train them in human interaction as well.

You can tie a bright object at one end of a string and tie the other end at the end of a stick. You can swirl the object in their vision to grab their attention.

Kittens will follow the object around, and it is one of the best training exercises that you can perform with a cat. 

How Much Time Do Kittens Need Playing With?

There is no universal answer to this question. The playtime severely depends on the type of kitten you are dealing with.

Although the kitten’s behavior depends on the kitten itself, the breed of the kitten plays a vital role in this as well.

There are active cat breeds like Siamese, Oriental, Turkish, and Abyssinian who like to play for an extended time.

Some cats like Persian, Himalayan, British Shorthair, and Ragdoll are more laid-back type cats. Hence, deciding the correct playtime for the kitten depends on the personality, breed, nature, and occupation.

However, if you aim for an excellent physical attribute for the kitten and good relation with it, we recommend you spend at least two sessions of twenty minutes playing with the kitten.

A good hunting game is going to be the best for the kitten. However, you have to make sure that there is a variation of the daily play routine.

The appropriate time for these play sessions can be in the morning and just before you sleep. In this way, you can have the kitten tired and ready to sleep when you are going to sleep.

When you are not around to play with the kitten, keep some interactive toys with it. It will keep the kitten interested, and they can have time of their own.

When you are playing with the kitten, make sure that you are playing some hunting game.

A bag of catnip will be beneficial for the kitten. They love the feeling of catnip, and they will keep playing with the toys as long as you want.


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