When Do Kittens Calm Down

Do Cats Calm Down In Old Age

When a cat becomes elderly, they will go through various changes. We have already mentioned they will lose their sexual drive, but this isn’t the only adjustment.

Cats are considered elderly from the age of 7 onwards, although this doesn’t mean they will necessarily act older at this point. It is common for active cats to remain active into their old age. However, their body will start to deteriorate. Their muscles, joints and bones will not be as strong as they once were. They may become tired easier and are more susceptible to health problems.

For these reasons, a cat may become calmer when they become senior. They will need to sleep more due to increased tiredness and their bodies will not be able to carry them as before. It is possible a hyperactive cat will also wear their body out sooner, although this can be counterbalanced by increased exercise.

Eventually, IF a cat becomes elderly enough, they will slow to the point they remain inactive for most of the day. Even a healthy younger cat will sleep 15-16 hours out of the day, but senior cats will do it even more so.

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Rollers And Soft Toys

You cant go wrong with a soft cotton stuffed toy also filled with catnip. When it comes to finding little toys for them to kick and bat around the house, finding something like the DoraKitten Plus Chew Toys will certainly be a favorite with your fur ball.

Attract your kittens eye with sparkling toys like the PetFavorites Glitter Pom Pom. You will surely enjoy watching them play until they pass out with these fun and fuzzy toy balls.

A roller toy is always a favorite with kittens as they can spin the balls around forever, chasing them or lazily pushing them after hours of playing. The PetStages Cat Track Toy was one that my foster kittens would play with for hours on end, appeasing their desire for hunting and chasing as they never seemed to get enough of it.

When Do Kittens Calm Down And Begin To Mature

Kittens can be downright crazy, and any cat lover knows its trueregardless of how cute their little faces are. It seems like every time you turn around, they are hanging from your drapes or scratching on your furniture. And their pupils? Totally black from being overly charged.

So, when exactly do they slow down? The answer can vary from cat to cat, but there are generalizations you can count on. Lets take a deeper look at when your hyper little whippersnapper will stop shredding your forearms with raging fury.

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At What Age Do Male Kittens Calm Down

When it comes to when most male kittens calm down, that usually depends on whether the cat has been neutered. This is because neutered male cats tend to calm down just after being neutered. As a result, your male kitten will usually calm down at around the age that you are planning to neuter them.

However, if you plan on keeping your male kitten intact, then there is some variability as to when they will calm down. Most male cats will calm down between two and three years of age if they havent been neutered.

Guide On How To Calm A Hyper Kitten Down

Theres nothing better than the joy of a new kitten, but sometimes those little balls of fluff can get crazy! If your new kitten is bouncing off the walls , our experts at PrettyLitter are here to provide some helpful tips on how to calm a kitten down.

First, well understand why kittens are so hyper in the first place, then we will provide some tips on creating the healthiest environment for them. Finally, well share some of our favorite tips to get the most out of playtime together.

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Why Is My Kitten Playing Aggressively

If your cat is less than 2 years of age, you may notice that it plays rough. All you want to do is cuddle your fluffy kitten, but the cute fluffball just wants to scratch and attack you. As kittens age, their instincts kick in and they want to investigate, explore, and engage in predatory behaviors to practice skills that they would need to survive in the wild. At this stage, it will be very important to teach your kitten that they should only play, pounce, and bite their toys and that humans are off-limits for aggressive play.

The Secret To Calming Down A Kitten May Be To Let Them Act Out

You may not even need to calm your kitten down! As a new kitty parent, you may think that sudden bursts of energy are odd behaviour, but its normal for growing cats.

If a zoomie lasts up to five minutes and your kitty isnt doing anything dangerous, like jumping off a fridge, you shouldnt stop them. If you notice that theyre doing something that might hurt them, try to redirect their attention. It can be as simple as putting them in an empty boxthat should keep them focused and entertained.

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Dont Use Your Hands And Feet

The first tip when playing with a hyperactive kitten is to not play with them with your fingers or toes. They are going to be tempted to bat at your feet as you walk or your fingers as you type. While it may be cute when theyre a little kitten, this behavior can get dangerous as they get older.

Instead of playing using your fingers, make sure you always have a fun cat toy handy to redirect their attention. Wand toys that have attachments at the end are always a hit. Or, you could go with the tried-and-true crumpled up receipt, cotton swab, or hair tie!

Taking Your Cat To A Specialist

Animal behaviorists specialists might be able to help you deal with a cat that wont let go of its hyper tendencies. Whether its administering medicines or helping you develop a plan for success, they can help you get things under control if your cat is causing noticeable problems at home due to its behavior.

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What Not To Do

Attempts to tap, flick or hit your kitten for rough play are almost guaranteed to backfire. Your kitten could become afraid of your hands, or she could interpret those flicks as playful moves by you and play even more roughly as a result.

Picking up your kitten to put her into a timeout could reinforce her behavior because she probably enjoys the physical contact of being picked up. By the time you get her to the timeout room and close the door, she has probably already forgotten what she did to be put in that situation.

Warming Up And Cooling Down Session:

When you are conducting the play session in the house, you should have the warming up and cooling down session. Let your cat relax after every few hours of play.

Make them sleep in the little box. The cooling down session will teach your cat that they have to take a break after few hours of the session.

She will remember the practice, and when you are not around, she will follow the rules and stay calm in the house.

Use the toys to train the kitten. Slow down the speed of the toys, move toys slowly around them, let her catch it quickly, and make it a little boring, so your cat will slow down.

When she stops playing and looks tired, offer her food. After she eats the food, she will calm down and clean herself before going for a nap.

Use this technique before going to bed, so the kitten will not bother you in the middle of the night.

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Give Some Kitten Massage

Lastly, consider giving your kitten a calming massage. This works a lot if your kitten loves petting or being stroked around the face. The same with humans, massage boosts lymphatic and blood flow among kittens, which can have a soothing effect. However, some cats may not react well to massage due to overstimulation.

Again, its about knowing what your cat likes. Please read here why does my cat lick me and then bite me

The key here is finding your kittens safe zones. These are spots that they love being scratched, stroked, or pet. Most of the time, cats love getting massaged on the shoulders, head, tailbone, neck, and tummy. You can also diffuse some lavender oil to boost the calming effect of the massage.

Is Hyperactive Kitten Syndrome Real

Hyperactive kitten syndrome is a real condition that can affect young cats. The symptoms include excessive energy, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness.

While there isnt a cure for the condition, its important to provide affected kittens with plenty of mental and physical stimulation.

This will help them burn off excess energy and avoid destructive behaviors.

If you think your kitten might have hyperactive kitten syndrome, its best to consult with your veterinarian for a diagnosis.

Further reading of interest.

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Why Is My Cat Still Hyper

In some cases, cats can manifest hyperactive traits directly from their enthusiastic parents. Or they might just be naturally perky because of some environmental determinants. Felines are at their most active state during the night, typically around the midnight hours.

As previously stated, each kitten is born with a unique personality. Some cats may outgrow their hyper-activeness while others start to calm down.

Spaying Or Neutering Your Kitten

Before your kitten is fully mature, there are other ways to be proactive and tame the beast. If you get your kitten spayed or neutered by roughly 6 months of age, they can calm down pretty quickly.

When your cat is fixed, it eliminates the need to seek out a mate. Since cats sexually mature before they are mentally mature, this is a perfect measure to put in place. Getting animals fixed reduces the risks of spraying, catcalling, and aggression, too.

That isnt the case in every scenario, of course. Some cats take longer to mature than others, regardless of whether or not they are spayed or neutered. However, once their hormones level out, they tend to relax a little bit at home. The sooner you can get them fixed, the more likely they are to take a chill pill.

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How Do You Calm Down A Hyper Kitten

Luckily, there are several different ways that cat parents can calm down their hyper kitten. The first way is to play with them. This will get out all their excess energy and provide them with the exercise your kitten is craving. It is recommended that you provide your kitten with a warm up and a cool down when playing with them.

This will prevent them from attacking you once you are done playing and get them in a calmer mindset. In addition to this, playing with cat toys will teach your cat that hands and other body parts are not toys for your cat to bite or claw at.

In addition to interactive play, other forms of mental stimulation and exercise are also great for getting your cat to calm down. Interactive cat toys, scratching posts, and things to climb on, such as cat towers, are essential items for new kitten owners.

If your cat is becoming too hyper, then redirecting them to these things can allow them to redirect their energy. It also helps to have a routine for nighttime. This will help to get your new kitten into the mindset that it is time to relax and go to sleep after you turn in for the night.

Create Harmony In The Household

Because the predecessors to the domestic house cat were solitary hunters, having a household with multiple cats or other pets can stress cats out. Urine marking or inappropriate urination or defecation outside the litterbox are clear signs of stress. According to Lane, as you approach having 10 cats in the home, the chance of urine marking goes up 100 percent.

Personalities can change dramatically within a household whenever the number of cats in the home increases. Although its possible to have a multi-cat household, theres more work to be done to ensure harmony within the group. In this instance, Lane recommends consulting with an experienced animal behaviorist to help sort out issues and ask your veterinarian for recommendations. Your veterinarian will look at factors like an individual cats history, specific triggers to problems, and a cats early life. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but Lane says increased exercise and mental stimulation tend to help.

There are some cases where adding a cat will remedy discord within a household. According to Dodman, if an excess of play behavior is directed toward you, owners should consider adding a cat so they are interacting with each other.

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Kittens Calm Down After Their First Year

A kitten that is 8-12 months old is about equivalent to a 16 year old human. Keep in mind that they dont fully mellow out around this age, 8-12 months is just when they start to calm down. During this time you will see less and less hyperactive behavior.

When kittens are around 8-10 weeks old they will start getting their first few bursts of energy. At around 12-14 weeks old you will notice that your kitten is running around a lot, playing really hard, and eating a lot of food. This behavior continues until the kitten is about 1 year old.

Its important to note that, like humans, kittens maturity levels vary a bit. Some kittens may mellow out around the 9-month mark while others may still be hyper by their first birthday.

Adopting a new kitten? Read our guide on Craigslist Kittens and our New Kitten Checklist!

Want To Adopt A Calm Cat? Consider adopting a cat thats at least 2 years old as they wont be as rambunctious. Also, adult cats are less likely to get adopted so it would be a very kind gesture for you to consider one that isnt a kitten anymore!

Feathers And Toys On A String

My husbands cat, Gilly, adores any toy that has a feather on it. She just loves them and will chase and play with them until she is exhausted. Sometimes she will carry around her toys in her mouth, meowing and begging someone to play with her. One of her favorites is the Cat Wand, with the feathers obviously, or anything like it. As long as it moves shes going to chase it!

Foster kittens always enjoy playing with the Rainbow Cat Wand, its colorful and fun and they will chase, jump and attack it until they have no more energy.

My daughter has a blast spending time with the kittens and playing with the cat wands. They are honestly one of the best toys to use and actually play WITH the kittens, it helps build a bond, plus you know they are getting some energy out.

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Kitten’s Development Milestones: First Weeks & Months

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A lot happens during a kitten’s first year. It’s hard to believe that a tiny, mewing baby that fits in the palm of your hand can grow into a full-fledged adult cat in the length of only twelve months. A typical kitten growth chart shows that the most changes and the most amazing ones happen during the first eight weeks. Check out this kitten timeline to learn when to expect certain milestones on your kitten’s journey to becoming a cat.

Do Cats Mellow With Age

Yes, cats mellow with age. With age comes experience, so the things that once sparked your cats interest may not have that sort of impact anymore. This is why cats always need a new toy, more exciting treats, and sometimes a change in scenery to keep their energy and spirits high.

Older cats are also more likely to experience different health issues too. Things that come with old age in cats include:

• Lack of enthusiasm for the same entertainment

All of those factors can impact how calm your cat is. In most cases, people see their cat have a significant change in their behavior around the 4 to 5-year mark. Cats are at a point where theyre in their prime but are well on their way to the senior years. In a cats senior years, theres less energy to go around, so they spend a good deal of time conserving what they do have.

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When Do Kittens Start To Calm Down What You Need To Know

Anyone who has ever owned a kitten knows that theyre adorable, fuzzy furballs. They also know that many kittens go through a wild phase. They scratch up your furniture, climb your curtains, attack your limbs, and the list goes on. This stage in your kittens life seems to drag on forever and you just want to know: when will it end?! The truth is that each cat matures at a different rate and some kittens will calm down sooner as they age than other kittens. Read on to learn more about the growth periods of your kitten and some tips to help redirect aggressive play behavior to help save your sanity.