My New Kitten Goes Mad Every Night

My New Kitten Goes Mad Every Night

by Susan
(Newcastle Australia)

LADY

LADY

My kitten is 3-4months old. At about 7-8pm she starts running, jumping on everything, playing, she flies up the hallway, I'm so scared she'll knock herself out and hit her little head on the brick wall or a corner wall.

Her eyes dilate & go big & black. When I call her to stop she does it more. This goes on for about 1 hour to a hour & half.

My poor other cat who is 9 years old doesn't like it & wants to go outside.

It looks like she is showing off to him. He is desexed she isn't. She'll be desexed in 3 weeks time.

Help???? "how do I stop her or just calm her down a touch".

Thank-you

Susan & Lady the mad cat


Hi Susan.... I think this is just a boisterous, healthy kitten expressing her desire to be active at a time that she would otherwise be going out to hunt (sunset and at night - it is sunset at about 5 pm where you are currently).

The drives of domestic cats are the same as for wildcats at a fundamental level.

I agree it can be a bit disturbing but you would have a greater reason to worry if she was inactive and lethargic.

There would seem to be two ways to make her more sleepy or less crazily active.

One is to get her tired through playing with her or purchasing a toy(s) with which you would hope that she would play in a more controlled way and with less chance of injury.

The other is drugs. Drugs are inappropriate in this instance as she seems very healthy and happy. Drugs can do good but they are essentially a form of poison and there are always side effects.

I'd figure out how you can manage play better. She is playing at hunting, I guess. Try and find an alternative way of satisfying that innate drive - to hunt.

Lady is a very pretty cat by the way.

Some other visitors who may make comments may have better ideas!

Michael

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My New Kitten Goes Mad Every Night

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Jul 11, 2011 Kittens have hard heads
by: Ruth (Monty's Mom)

I used to worry Monty would give himself a concussion, because I've never seen a cat who would run into so many things like him. But he's always been fine. Once the basement door was open a bit and Monty ran head on into the end of the door, making a whack so loud I was sure he'd killed himself, but he was fine. He's also run full tilt into our glass patio door, and again he was fine. Monty wasn't even as active a kitten as he could have been because he still had parasites when I first got him and I didn't realize it right away. It started to dawn on me because he wasn't rambunctious enough. My sister's cat used to have "active time" at about the hours you describe every evening. He's calmed down a lot in his old age. I still enjoy Monty being active as a young cat can be. He jumped higher than I've ever seen a cat jump going for a butterfly outside the other day. He missed the butterfly, but the aerobatics were something to behold. Enjoy your kitty's "active time"-- youth is fleeting for cats and humans. We should cherish it while it lasts.


Jul 11, 2011 Kitties go crazy... its just what they do
by: Brandy

Hey,

Don't worry about how active your kitty gets. it will run face first into walls, clip its shoulders on table legs and you will be sure its hurt, but yet it just jumps right back and keeps running. Their bones aren't really hard yet like all babies so it really takes a lot to hurt them.

As for it driving you crazy at night there is an easy solution. limit its sleep all evening. play with it, give it treats entice it to stay awake. it will be more likely to sleep at night, but it will eventually wake up and be hyper. Giving it a stern "NO" or a deep growl when it makes loud noises in your bedroom will bring it to the realization you aren't a happy camper when it stirs you. it will learn to play more quietly at night and it doesn't take long. I have a 8 month old kitten so we just recently went through all this. I always say he makes me sound like a crazy person, especially the growling part but i must say its the most effective way to communicate you are unhappy as it clearly understands that language.


Jul 10, 2011 Just being normal
by: Ruth

Lady is just being a normal kitten !
How well I remember all of ours when they were kittens having their 'mad half hour' running up the curtains and up and down the stairs.
Michael is right, you need to amuse her to use up her energy, play with her dragging a tape measure or similar, roll a ball for her to chase, play with a toy under a rug for her to pounce on, you can devise all sorts of fun games.
Our Walter was extra active when he first came to us and like your older cat, our Ebony couldn't be bothered to play. Our solution was to take in another kitten, Jozef, so they amused each other and left Ebony in peace.
They grew up together and are almost 10 years old now but still have their moments chasing around the house.
Lady will calm down as she grows up, especially after she is spayed, so my advice is to enjoy her kittenhood with her as it goes over too quickly.

Kattaddorra signature Ruth


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