{"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; paraphrased derived fact summary per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3. Pulled/extracted 2026-08-01.\"\nsource_file: pdf-raw/companion-care/cat_owner_combined.txt\ndate_parsed: 2026-08-01\ntokens_estimated: 560\nverification:\n  method: paraphrase\n  claims: 10\n  passed: 10\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\nlicense: paraphrase\ncopyright_note: \"Source Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com) is a copyrighted veterinary reference and not openly licensed; per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3 all claims are paraphrased derived fact summaries (numbers and proper nouns preserved, sentences rewritten), not verbatim quotations.\"\nauthority_tier: T3\nauthority_tier_basis: \"T3:vet-ref\"\nauthority_tier_date: 2026-08-04\n---\n\n# Cat — kitten behavior & socialization (litter socialization, human-contact window, play-bond-decrease-destructiveness)\nSource: Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com), a copyrighted veterinary reference. Per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3, the points below are paraphrased derived fact summaries: numerical values and proper nouns are preserved from the source, but sentences are rewritten and not quoted verbatim.\n\n## Claims\n\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Cats pick up social behavior with other cats from their mother and siblings.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Kittens generally need regular human handling before they reach 10–12 weeks of age.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Playing with a cat and offering interactive toys strengthens the human–animal bond and curbs destructive behavior.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Like human infants, kittens demand considerable attention — veterinary care, feeding, and socialization included.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Cats prefer to eat undisturbed, so serve meals in a quiet spot away from activity.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* With several pets, give each its own feeding station to cut stress and food competition.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* A recirculating water fountain can prompt cats to drink more, since many are drawn to moving water.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* As a rule, more litter boxes means a lower chance of accidents outside the box (apart from sickness or acute stress).\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Looking after a pet builds a strong mutual bond that helps both owner and animal.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Because owners know their cat best, they should watch for behavior shifts such as unusual lethargy or hyperactivity.\n---\n## License & attribution\n\nSource: Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com) is a copyrighted veterinary reference and is not openly licensed. Per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3, every claim above is a paraphrased derived fact summary (numbers and proper nouns preserved, sentences rewritten), not a verbatim quotation.\n\n- https://www.merckvetmanual.com/cat-owners/kitten-care","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":"pdf-raw/companion-care/cat_owner_combined.txt"},"source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual — pet owner version","source_file":"pdf-raw/companion-care/cat_owner_combined.txt","trust":{"authority_tier":"T3","fidelity":"paraphrase","license":"paraphrase","display_grade":"B"},"tokens_estimated":622,"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."}