by CJ Grant

Created on: July 19, 2008

Male vs. Female: What truly is the pick of the litter?

To say a female cat is friendlier than a male cat or vice versa is like saying women are friendlier than men or vice versa. People and all other animals, are products of their environment and learn to behave accordingly. Abused children usually turn out damaged in one form or the other, as do any abused animals. We are all products of our upbringing and training. The problem lies mostly in how people train their cats, and whether this training is conducive to good behavior. It is not a gender issue.

Cats, like children, require a lot of attention at early stages in order to bond properly. Child psychologist proved long ago that a child given a great deal of love by holding and playing with them while they are babies usually turn out to be well-adjusted adults. The same holds true for cats, whether they are male or female.
Love, attention, proper handling, and understanding are the keys to having a successful relationship with your kitten. If a cat is held and picked up a lot while it is a baby, under six weeks old, and this treatment is continued through the various stages of adolescence, the cat will more than likely turn out very loving.
It is important then to choose a kitten from the litter that is gentle and well loved. If the person that raised the kittens from birth held and loved on the babies, then they will be friendly even at a very young age. After that first initial step, proper handling and training becomes the key to good behavior.
Many people love kittens because of their prowess and playful behavior, but a kitten's playful behavior, like a child's behavior, needs guidelines. One of the biggest mistakes cat owners make is playing with a kitten with bare hands or with feet.
This all seems fun at first until the kitten begins attacking at will. Anyone that lived in a household with a kitten raised like this will tell you that you never know what to expect next. In order to avoid walking down the hall in the middle of the night and being attacked, it is necessary to let the kitten know human hands and feet are not toys.
This may seem hard, but it is actually a very simple lesson to teach a kitten. First, never use your hands or feet to play. Always use a cat toy of some kind. If the kitten attacks your hands or feet, immediately correct it by giving it a toy. Because kittens are like children, toys are a necessary part of developing motor skills, but if you do not designate a toy, a kitten

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