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There are puppy play dates and classes everywhere, but I can’t seem to find any for my kittens. Is there such a thing? Why doesn’t NOVA Cat Clinic host any?”
Good question and there could be several reasons why you are not finding kitten play dates in your area. So let’s take a look at why kitten play dates are not as successful as puppy play dates. They exist, but there are many pros and cons to them.
Market demand- you have to have a high demand for a public class to occur and be successful. Simply stating you are interested and then not showing up does not bode well for the success of the class. This is one reason why so many puppy classes have a small fee. People are more likely to show up to a class that they pay for.
Not everyone is current on their vaccinations or can show proof of a NEGATIVE felv/fiv test and proof of flea preventative.
Kittens are highly susceptible to a variety of illnesses. The last thing you want is a kitten that is just getting over an illness infecting everyone else in the group.
Cats do not like to be forced into social activities. While they are social creatures, they will be willing join a group to play if they want. If they don’t, you are simply stressing them out.
You cannot control the environment. What do they use to clean the room with? Have any cats had ringworm (highly contagious) in the past? Has anyone that comes to the classes been exposed to upper respiratory infection recently? Any aggression problems with the kittens? Do they share a communal litter box during play? And the list goes on! This is also a reason why a hospital is not the ideal place for play dates to occur.
The perfect play window for kittens start around 5 weeks of age (still too young for vaccines!) and goes all the way up to 12 weeks of age (they are not done with their vaccine series yet!) During that time they train easier, become more socially acceptable and learn how to be a cat! This is one of the reasons we recommend anyone adopting a new kitten is to make sure they have another cat in the house that is accepting of a cat that age. If not, always adopt a buddy for your kitten so they can have their own play time with each other.
If you do find kitten play dates in your area, be sure to ask about their rules and guidelines and don’t be afraid to ask questions about the current class and kittens that are attending to ensure your cat is safe and happy while socializing.
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