{"topic_id":"companion_behavior_kitten","category":"companion-behavior","context":"---\ntopic_id: companion_behavior_kitten\ncategory: companion-behavior\ntitle: \"Cat — kitten behavior & socialization (litter socialization, human-contact window, play-bond-decrease-destructiveness)\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"Merck Veterinary Manual — pet owner version (merckvetmanual.com). First-hand consumer text saved to source_file; C1 substring-verified. Pulled/extracted 2026-08-01.\"\nsource_file: /home/cai/notes/knowledge/side-projects/petfood-data-station/pdf-raw/companion-care/cat_owner_combined.txt\ndate_parsed: 2026-08-01\ntokens_estimated: 560\nverification:\n  method: substring_match\n  claims: 11\n  passed: 11\n  date: 2026-08-01\nrecovered: false\npath: companion-behavior/companion_behavior_kitten/01_companion_behavior_kitten.md\nsource_document: \"Merck Veterinary Manual — pet owner version\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com), pet owner version\"\n  title: \"Cat — kitten behavior & socialization (litter socialization, human-contact window, play-bond-decrease-destructiveness)\"\n  url: \"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/cat-owners/kitten-care\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-08-01\"\n  ref: \"Kitten Care (Merck pet-owner version, Aug 2025)\"\n  doc_type: \"professional veterinary manual (consumer version)\"\n  needs_review: false\n---\n\n# Cat — kitten behavior & socialization (litter socialization, human-contact window, play-bond-decrease-destructiveness)\n\nSource: first-hand Merck Veterinary Manual pet-owner text, saved to `source_file`; every claim below is a C1 byte-substring of it.\n\n## Claims\n\n- `Cats learn how to socialize with other cats from their mother and littermates.`\n- `kittens usually need human contact before they're 10 to 12 weeks old.`\n- `Playing with your cat and providing interactive toys can help develop a close bond, as well as decrease destructive behaviors.`\n- `Kittens, like babies, require a lot of attention, including veterinary care, feeding, and socialization.`\n- `Does My Kitten Need Toys or People to Play With? Cats learn how to socialize with other cats from their mother and littermates.`\n- `Where Should I Put My Cat's Food? Cats like to eat alone, so meals should be served in a quiet area away from distractions.`\n- `If you have multiple pets, it’s a good idea to set up separate feeding stations to decrease stress and competition for food.`\n- `You might also consider using a water fountain to encourage your cat to drink more, because cats are often attracted to, and like to play with, moving streams of water.`\n- `In general, the more litter boxes there are available to a cat, the less likely they are to soil outside the box (unless they are sick or unusually stressed).`\n- `Caring for a pet can create a strong bond that benefits both the owner and the animal.`\n- `You know your cat best, so pay attention to any changes in its behavior, such as being less active or more active than usual.`\n\n---\n\n**Source:** `pdf-raw/companion-care/cat_kitten_care.txt` · https://www.merckvetmanual.com/cat-owners/kitten-care\n","sources":["companion-behavior — Cat — kitten behavior & socialization (litter socialization, human-contact window, play-bond-decrease-destructiveness) (retrieved 2026-08-01)"],"source":{"authority":"companion-behavior","title":"Cat — kitten behavior & socialization (litter socialization, human-contact window, play-bond-decrease-destructiveness)","url":"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/cat-owners/kitten-care","retrieved":"2026-08-01","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual — pet owner version","verification_file":"/home/cai/notes/knowledge/side-projects/petfood-data-station/pdf-raw/companion-care/cat_owner_combined.txt"},"source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual — pet owner version","source_file":"/home/cai/notes/knowledge/side-projects/petfood-data-station/pdf-raw/companion-care/cat_owner_combined.txt","tokens_estimated":499,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}