The sensitive period for kitten socialisation is brief (2-7 weeks of age) and critically shapes adult behaviour and welfare. Poor early socialisation is a major cause of adult cat welfare problems.
Kitten socialisation is a welfare investment with lifelong returns. A kitten that receives appropriate multi-species socialisation during the sensitive period becomes an adult cat that navigates the human world with confidence rather than fear. Poor socialisation cannot be fully remedied later - while adult fearful cats can be improved with patient behaviour work, their baseline fear threshold remains higher than well-socialised cats. Breeding, rescue and boarding facilities that do not invest in kitten socialisation programmes are allowing preventable welfare deficits to develop in cats that will then struggle throughout their lives.