Adolescent kitten behavior
Written by AniMed.org
Congratulations, you're going to be the new cat owner on the block! Your feline's first few days in the house can be very stressful, but with some careful planning, you can ease the transition.
You thought it was cute when your kitten attacked your ankles and then proceeded to shimmy up your leg, but now he's getting heavier – and those nails hurt! And although he has always been fastidious when using his litterbox, lately he's been missing his target. What gives? Your companion feline has entered his teenage stage. From the age of 6 to 18 months, cats undergo adolescence. With patience and humor, you can ease his transition from kitten to adulthood – and survive with nary a scratch!
Kitten behavior changes during adolescence
Hormones are a major contributor to your kitty's temperament. When your female cat has her first heat at about six months, she may be unusually affectionate, roll around on the floor and seem restless. She may yowl and call in an attempt to attract potential suitors. Hormones may also be the reason why your male cat has been having accidents indoors. As they mature sexually, intact tomcats may mark their territory by spraying. Drapes and walls are likely targets. To prevent your feline teen from hitting the spot over and over, you'll need to thoroughly clean the area. There are products available in pet supply stores that will neutralize the urine and remove stains.
Fortunately, nine times out of ten a male cat will never spray again if he's neutered under 1 to 2 years of age. Keep in mind that spraying and other hormone-related behaviors can easily be prevented-simply by having your cat spayed or neutered before the age of 7 months. If your cat was taken away from his littermates prior to 10 weeks of age, and was not taught to inhibit his bite, you may find yourself his next victim. If your pet does nip, never hit him. Instead, hiss loudly or blow air in his face.
Improve kitten behavior from 10 weeks with exercise
You can create an outlet for his predatory behavior by providing interactive play with a variety of toys. Toys that can be wiggled, dangled or otherwise made to look alive are fascinating to felines. We recommend that you keep your sessions short, upbeat and frequent. Exercise has an important side benefit, too. Insufficient activity, coupled with the excess energy that adolescence brings, can result in bad behavior, such as scratching in inappropriate places. To minimize damage by super-sharp kitten nails, trim your pet's nails regularly, and provide him with a sturdy scratching post. Ideally it should be at least 3 feet tall.
For super-frisky felines who think that 4 in the morning is the perfect time to zoom around the house, a high-energy ten-minute play session followed by a late-night dinner may work wonders. Could you be inadvertently teaching your cat bad habits? If you get up to feed, play and cuddle with him when he tries to wake you in the middle of the night, you are, in effect, rewarding his bad behavior. Do not give into him! If you must, confine him to his own room at night; be sure to equip it with a litterbox, comfy bed and his favorite toys.
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Comments
I have a 5 month old male kitten and I exercise him regularly especially at night, give him a late dinner, and cuddle with him before bed. But for some reason he still wakes up at 3,4,5,and 6 am and starts to pounce around my bed claw under my pillow, and I can tell he is in a playful mood cause his pupils get really big and he doesn't stop playing but I never give in. But I sometimes put him in my bathroom where he has his own toys, water, litterbox, and sleeping area. But he meows SO LOUD that I still can't sleep. Even if I leave him in their for an hour he still meows and drives me insane. I have 3 roomates and they say they can all hear him from my bathroom. I am on my last string and I have no idea what to do....I feel like I have tried everything. I am a full time working college student and those late night unwanted playtimes with the kitty are making it really hard to focus during the day. Is there anything else I can do.....I am so desperate!?!?
Cats as a rule love to be up at night, making it very hard on the owners. They are naturally nocturnal (active at night) and crepuscular (more active at dawn and dusk). Kittens and young cats are normally more active than adult cats which makes the night waking even worse. Although my 6 year old male cat still comes scratching at my door at dawn.
It is very hard to reprogram kittens as this instinct to be up at night is hard wired. The best way to try to curb this behavior is by increasing his activity level during the day. It sounds like you have been doing a great job giving him attention right before bed, it's just that he is still so young and kittens require so much playtime. If there is anyone home during the day that could spend a little time playing with him, it may help.
Some special toys that only come out at bed time may help keep him entertained for a peroid of time. I use to put a cat video in for my night owl when he was a kitten. It was about 40 minutes of birds and squirrels and he actually watched it. Ignoring the ploy for attention may eventually condition your cat not to bother you at night as there is no reward, but again, he is still so young.
I wish there was a magic solution to this behavior as you are not alone. It's a good thing we love our kitties! Good luck!
PetDoc.com
Play, play, play - right before bed. A good 30 minutes of hard play usually does the trick. When they wake early and start scratching your face/pillow/feet/hands/hair/laundry basket/air... try to ignore. Don't get up and move the kitty to the bathroom because then, kitty thinks you are awake and ignoring her/him (increase in meowing). 2 weeks of ignoring the behavior all together and your kitty will understand that 4am is sleep time, not play time. Good Luck!!!