IMPRINTING AND FELINE FRIENDSHIP
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L’Imprinting* it is fundamental for all living beings. Including cat. If the kittens and their mothers have had a good imprinting with humans, they will surely be well disposed and sociable with people. However, we must not run the risk of being too present and touching the little ones excessively so as not to push the mother cat to move and hide them.
Remember that before approaching small cats you must have clean shoes and well washed hands because cat babies have not yet developed the immune system well and are easily at risk of contracting external viruses and bacteria introduced by us which can be fatal for them.
In addition, there is a period in a cat's life when it is very easy for him to establish bonds with other animals, including humans. In this short phase, bonds are created easily and naturally. The period is three to eight weeks of life.
It is essential to establish positive contact with our four-legged friend in such a way as to make him a sociable animal as an adult.
Cats that have not had a positive imprinting and good contact with humans in this period of time are likely to remain wild, grumpy and fearful and establishing a relationship of trust with them can be very difficult and sometimes impossible. In some cases the only possibility is to establish a "relationship" at a distance.
This is the difference between a domesticated cat and a feral cat. It is not just a matter of genetics but imprinting and first experiences are essential.
It seems that the influences absorbed by the puppy in this age group cause nerve connections to develop in areas of the brain that control the cat's sociability and the emergence of relationships.
If during the first 45 days of the little feline's life, man has regular, constant and positive contacts with him, up to a maximum of one hour a day, the cat will prove to be safe, confident and well disposed towards people.
Parents genetically contribute to the character of the kitten, but only the mother cat influences the kittens through their attitude because the "fathers" are totally absent in the breeding of kittens.
Kittens learn a lot from observing the mother cat. If the mother cat is well disposed, sociable, confident and not afraid of humans, so will the kittens. If, on the other hand, she is wild, not socialized, afraid and distrustful, she will transmit these attitudes towards humans to the puppies.
* iImprinting ‹ëmprìntiṅ› s. ingl. [owner «Impression, print», der. di (to) imprint «print, imprint»], used in ital. to masc. - In ethology, a particular form of early, irreversible or in any case lasting learning of some animal species, for which, for example, the individual, in the very first hours of life, recognizes and follows his parents, or their surrogate, which can be represented by individuals of another species or even by inanimate objects, as long as they are in motion, which fall first in its field of observation. The term is sometimes translated into ital. with impression or, more rarely, with coinage.