What is single kitten syndrome? What are the symptoms? And how can you fix or prevent single kitten syndrome?

00:00 Not Single Kitten Syndrome!
00:23 What Is Single Kitten Syndrome?
00:43 What are the Symptoms of Single Kitten Syndrome?
01:36 4 Ways to Prevent Single Kitten Syndrome
03:03 How to Teach your Kitten Good Habits
03:59 Recap


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Single kitten syndrome, also called only kitten syndrome, single cat syndrome or Tarzan cat syndrome, occurs when a kitten up to 46 months of age doesn’t get social feedback from siblings. Just like kittens will ideally be socialized to humans during the critical early period, kittens benefit additionally from being around other cats during this time.

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Cats give birth to an average of four kittens per litter. In the wild, even solo kittens without siblings have their mother cat around as they develop through the first few months of life. As kittens grow, they learn appropriate feline manners from other cats. If that doesn’t happen, your kitten might start to display symptoms of single kitten syndrome. Here’s an overview of what single kitten syndrome is, how to fix single kitten syndrome if you’re already observing the symptoms in your kitten, and how to prevent it when raising a kitten.

Single kitten syndrome, also called only kitten syndrome, single cat syndrome or Tarzan cat syndrome, occurs when a kitten up to 46 months of age doesn’t get social feedback from siblings. Just like kittens will ideally be socialized to humans during the critical early period, kittens benefit additionally from being around other cats during this time.

A single kitten may therefore not learn what behaviors are appropriate or inappropriate. For example, hard biting is not appropriate for play. Wrestling and pouncing with claws retracted is appropriate, but deep scratching is not appropriate. Harassing others while they are eating, drinking, or sleeping is not appropriate.

This lack of feedback during a crucial period of development can have lasting effects throughout the cat’s adult life. Fortunately, there are things you can do to prevent and address the symptomatic behaviors.

A kitten with single kitten syndrome may display the following behaviors:

Frequent whiny meowing & other attentionseeking behaviors
Biting and clawing ankles, especially when you start to walk away
Suckling on clothing, blankets, and other pets
Excessive neediness toward human caregivers
Marking territory by missing the litter box
Chewing wires and curtains
Chewing doors and cabinets

These behaviors can continue into adulthood. The behaviors may decrease, increase, or stay constant as the cat gets older.

The best way to prevent single kitten syndrome is to provide a kitten with one or more siblings. Adopting two young cats allows them to learn appropriate manners from each other. As they play, they will communicate the type of biting and scratching that is appropriate and what is too rough. And when the kittens want to wrestle and play rough, they will focus on each other rather than your hands and ankles. This is a case where two truly is easier than one.

The only cons of getting two kittens are that there is extra food to buy and extra litter to scoop. But there really is no other downside to getting two young kittens at the same time. Even two kittens from different litters will get along and learn from each other when both are adopted young.

If you want to adopt a single cat, please consider adopting an adult cat rather than a single kitten. Adult cats make wonderful pets and don’t have the energy output and care requirements of a kitten.