When going to view kittens what should you be looking for ?

[Kittencuddler]

Particularly in regard to the kittens nature ?

can you realisticy tell that much at 8 weeks of age

say a kitten was a bit more in the shy side

I'm not sure you can tell much, but that may just be me. We had 2 kittens, one nervous and one bold. Within 4 weeks they'd swapped personalities! They remained swapped around all their lives then. But, we've also had shy 10 week old kittens that never got more confident including one who is now 12 and still scared of everything.

Virtually impossible to tell with kittens I'm afraid. That's one of the reasons when people say they're going to a rescue for their first cats, they are often recommended here to go for at least 6-12 months old as the personality tends to be formed a bit by then.

IF you are looking at buying a particular breed, that can have some indication of how they are likely to grow up as some breeds have tendencies to be bolder, quieter, bouncier etc. But if you're going to some local back yard breeder to buy a kitten, you'd be much better off going to a rescue.

Thanks for your advice

I sit down and play with the kittens. I take a paper ball on a string, pull it along and see which seems the brightest? I also try to strike up a rapport with a cat. Kittens can choose their people.

OTOH, we kept the runt from the litter, because we felt sorry for it and had supplemented its feeding.

If you want to know personality you’re far better off rescuing an adult cat.
You’ve already posted about this litter and how the mother has rejected them. You are clearly worried and I doubt this litter is from a decent breeder.

The only two things I'd be wary of:

A kitten at the back that doesn't hiss, but goes 'fffff.... fffff.... fffff.... fffff....' at any approach, and gives the impression that they are behaving as a creature would if they were cornered in the wild.

Your own gut instinct that something's not quite right.

I ignored both and took the kitten anyway. Bad decision. Long story.

Don’t think you can tell much really, but them being happy to be picked up and not scratch or bite is a good start

It's playful, but it alps omes across as she and tries to run away a bit

We adopted 2 kittens. The foster carer told us that kitten 1 (the runt of the litter) was the boldest and most confident and kitten 2 (her sister) was more standoffish and didn’t much like to play.

As soon as we got them home they changed - kitten 1 found the transition hard and spent most of the early weeks hiding behind our piano. Kitten 2 bonded right away and discovered a new love for dangly toys and fluffy mice.

Now they are adults, cat 1 is sweet natured, affectionate and curious, but very skittish and slightly bonkers. Cat 2 is cuddly to the point of being an animated cuddly toy.

They are both brilliant cats and I love them to pieces but they aren’t how the lady who brought them up from a week old would have predicted.

I do think you can tell, though, if a kitten is poorly socialised, and if it hisses or seems terrified of human contact then I would worry about that by 8 weeks.

I would want the kittens to be very playful, active, have a nice environment with plenty of toys and outdoor space.

Clear eyes, no mucus around mouth or nose, definitely no sneezes, coughs or sniffles. Soft clean looking coat.

And the mum should be there.

One of mine scratched me as soon as I touched him but that didn't put me off!