We all have to admit that kittens are so adorable. Their sweet, friendly personality and their tendency to always curl up beside their owners make them one of the most lovable pets around. Except, this doesn’t happen all the time.
While cats can be so laid back and friendly, they can cause chaos. If you are a cat owner, you may have noticed your feline companion having bursts of energy every once in a while. From climbing up and jumping off of couches and tables to chasing other animals, scratching anything it can lay its cute little paws on, to name a few.
While hyperactivity in kittens may not be a cause for concern, it is important to know why your furry little friend is so hyper and ways you can calm it down.
Well, we will be giving you an in-depth look at all that, plus the signs of a hyperactive kitten.
How To Tell If Your Kitten Is Too Hyper
Before knowing why your kitten is so hyper, it’s good to know the kind of behavior they will portray. So, let’s take a look at a couple of them, shall we?
Among the signs of a hyperactive kitten include:
- Excessive meowing, especially at night
- Jumping off of tables, couches, kitchen countertops, to mention a few
- Excessively chasing after other pets and things
- Excessively scratching and biting
- Playfully attacking other pets and people around it.
Reasons Why Your Kitten Is So Hyper
1. It’s Just Part of Growing Up
Like most other pets, kittens have different energy levels while growing up, with the levels being at their peak when they are still at a young age, between 2 to 6 months.
• At 2 months
Kittens at this age are very active because they are learning and exploring their new environment but do not yet have enough muscular strength.
So, if you have a two-month-old kitten, you’ll notice it jumping and leaping off of your tables, couches, running around the house but in an awkward way. It will often lose its balance and stumble while doing all that because it has not yet fully developed in its muscles.
• Between 3 to 6 months
At this age, the energy levels are even higher because they are more curious and more developed in terms of their muscular development and motor skills. This is also the age where they develop their hunting instinct.
If you have a kitten between this age bracket, you’ll notice it chasing after, scratching, and biting anything that looks like prey. From your slippers, curtains, you name it.
According to veterinarians, this is the ideal age bracket to educate your kitten to learn the appropriate social behaviors and daily routine.
2. Kittens Are Naturally Nocturnal Animals
You’ve probably come across this term a couple of times. Well, nocturnal simply means being active during the night.
Cats, in general, are naturally nocturnal. This is because they hail from a family of other wild cats like cheetahs and lions, who hunt for food at night when all other animals are asleep. Although your kitten doesn’t have to hunt for food, it naturally has that “nighttime hunting instinct.”
Kittens like infants sleep up to 20 hours a day, especially during the day. This automatically means that they will be full of energy and very active at night.
While this is a natural behavior, you can train your little feline companion to sleep at night by engaging them in lots of activities in the evening, completely ignoring them at night, closing your bedroom door at night, to name a few.
3. Cat Zoomies
Also known as the Feline Random Activity, cat zoomies are characterized by periods of hyperactivity where the kitten suddenly moves around or runs up and down rapidly, scratching and biting anything it can find and then comes to a sudden stop.
Zoomies are normal, especially in kittens who have a lot of energy, and it is considered an effective way to burn off that built-up energy. Kittens often have the zoomies right after they wake up, so one of the ideal ways to keep your kitten from hyperactive is to engage it in lots of activities during the day.
4. Anxiety and Fear
Hyperactivity is one of the ways that kittens indicate that they are anxious about something. At their young age, kittens are still exploring their new environment, so you may notice your feline friend rapidly running around frequently. It may be because it saw someone new or another pet or heard a strange noise.
Try as much as you can to help your kitten get used to and feel secure in its new environment.
5. Your Kitten Needs Some Attention
If your little feline friend is often jumping onto your lap, your couch, kitchen countertops, getting in your way while you’re moving around the house, then it is definitely craving for your attention.
Although they are independent pets, cats also need some minutes of one-on-one attention with their owners. So, it is important to spend some time with your kitten every day. Simple activities like playing together with it, petting or brushing it, cuddliest together with your cat can really make it feel loved. Plus, it’s also very therapeutic to you.
How to Calm Down a Hyperactive Kitten
There are a lot of simple ways to calm down your hyperactive kitten. All you have to do is find ways to help it reduce its anxiety, make it feel secure, and allow it to release its excess energy so that your feline companion will be able to rest and recharge at the right time.
Here are ways you can calm down your hyperactive kitten.
• Engage Your Kitten in a Lot of Playful Activities
Like infants, play is a vital activity in the overall development of a kitten. Playing helps your little feline pet strengthen and develop its muscles, improve its motor skills like jumping, running, climbing. Playing also helps your kitten improve its hunting skills and, of course, burn off the excess energy.
You can engage your kitten in playful activities like playing “fetch” with toys that look like prey, such as stuffed mice, running around with it, among others.
• Provide Your Kitten with Its Own Space
Like any other pet, kittens love to have a space that they can call their own. Providing your kitten with a pet house designed to make it feel comfortable and secure can significantly reduce its feelings of fear and anxiety. What’s more, it can also allow your kitten to play without getting hurt or destroying anything freely.
• Play Some Soothing Music
Recent research has it that playing music made for kittens can soothe their nerves when in stressful situations.
Kittens often get anxious mainly because they are in a new environment. So, one of the ways to help your kitten feel comfortable and secure in its new environment is by playing some soothing music made especially for cats.
• Provide Your Kitten with a Scratching Post
Scratching is a natural and important activity in the overall development of a cat. Scratching helps kittens remove the old material from their claws, keeping them in good condition; it also helps them exercise and release excess energy and mark their territory.
Providing your feline pet with a scratching post like a sisal rope, cardboard, or firewood not only helps your kitten but also saves your furniture and other things around the house from being destroyed.
Final Thoughts
Hyperactivity in kittens is nothing to be worried about as they will eventually calm down as they grow up. However, it is still important to pay attention to your kitten’s behavior and consult a veterinarian if you feel that there’s something wrong.
Tickled Tails 