Anything you wish you had done differently with your cat when they were a kitten?

[Antonio65]

I wish I took more photos of them when they were growing up.
I mean, I have hundreds of photos in their first weeks/months, but I wish I had more.

I agree with all was said above, and I just did all of that.
My two cats are well trained, they allow me to be picked up, they stay in my arms, allow me to clip their nails, brush their teeth, brush their coat, lead them on a leash. They love their carriers, because I used to weigh them every Sunday morning, and the carrier was the easiest way to weigh them, so they think it's still a game and walk in when I present the carrier to them.
They had to go to the vets several times when they were very young, so they aren't afraid of the clinic now.
I fed them different foods, brands, textures, but this didn't work... after all this training, when they would eat just anything, they suddenly refused most of them and are now sticking to a single food, and I hope they don't stop liking this too

 

[misty8723]

None of mine were kittens when I got them.

 

[vansX2]

Probably should have given "Miles" more personal attention. Miles rarely comes up to me unless he wants something. I got Miles as a older 10 month kitten. Where as Jackpot was just 3 months. Jackpot received my undivided attention ever since arriving. Thus he loves too cuddle, wants to be on my lap frequently, loves to play and is very good in expressing himself. Unlike Miles whom rarely speaks

 

[Alldara]

I'm glad I knew to touch their feet and get them used to having their feet handled.

But with Nobel:
-I wish I knew to brush him daily
-i wish I knew to brush his teeth
Those two things make my whole life easier with the other two. I am so grateful that their foster families started with them so young.

I also like that Magnus and Nobel had many car rides, though I don't drive so that was circumstance.

I, too have COVID kittens who were not able to meet people and are now shy. I wish is wasn't that way as Nobel was socialized so well. He grew up with my many roommates, their friends, my friends over weekly for boardgames, twice yearly family visits, sleep overs with my neices....
But, I did help Lily go from shyer then they are to a confident cat so I have experience and hope. They've done well so far though visiting is still limited: based on who's had a negative test recently and who hasn't had too many encounters they generally see two people once a week. And loads of people through the door! The children call us the "cat house" here and enjoy saying hey to them on the way to school.

 

[ailish]

When I rescued Ailish she was a one year old mother with her four babies, actually teenagers. They were two tabbies, a tuxedo, and one that was all black like Ailish. I wish I had gotten the black baby as well as Ailish. That way she would have some cat companionship. Not that she seems to have any problem being an only diva cat.

I would also get a kitten used to water and do harness training. Ailish would probably have been easy to harness train, because I did start and it wasn't a big deal. However, she is very skittish and I decided that she would probably be very uncomfortable outside, which was the point of the harness, so I stopped. I have this fantasy of having one of those cats you see on YouTube that goes mountain climbing with its owner. Truth be told, most cats probably will never be up for that.

 

[iPappy]

When I rescued Ailish she was a one year old mother with her four babies, actually teenagers. They were two tabbies, a tuxedo, and one that was all black like Ailish. I wish I had gotten the black baby as well as Ailish. That way she would have some cat companionship. Not that she seems to have any problem being an only diva cat.

I would also get a kitten used to water and do harness training. Ailish would probably have been easy to harness train, because I did start and it wasn't a big deal. However, she is very skittish and I decided that she would probably be very uncomfortable outside, which was the point of the harness, so I stopped. I have this fantasy of having one of those cats you see on YouTube that goes mountain climbing with its owner. Truth be told, most cats probably will never be up for that.

YES I was thinking of the harness training thing, too. For a disaster situation, it would be great to have cats that calmly accepted harnesses/leashes if a carrier was nowhere to be found.
Another thing I would have done differently is not having so many so close in age. Having 7 cats (including the cats at work) and having 6 of them 10+ is a little rough on the nerves knowing what I may be facing.

 

[Smarl]

I got one of my cats when he was around year old, and picked some things I did differently whit next one(s). One major thing is to get them used to any kind of handling, like teeth/ear checks, nail clipping, brushing, taking medication etc. My first cat was a ragdoll and her breeder trained her well before she came to us, so I had any idea how difficult it would be clip a nail of cat who doesn't let you touch his feet or so. So now I've trained my kittens all kind of nessecery stuff, so they just get used to it, and also that they trust me not to hurt them - like it's uncomfortable if I need to check their theet, but it doesn't last long and I'll pay it after with treats.