When Do Kittens Calm Down?
Kittens are known for being hyperactive. Bouncing off the walls, scratching at your toes and zoomies around the living room are all normal activities for young kittens – but when do kittens calm down? This article will go into the reasons for kitten hyperactivity, tips for calming crazy kittens, and answering the golden question of when do kittens calm down.
When Do Kittens Calm Down?
The good news is that most kittens calm down with age. Cats develop much quicker than their hooman families so you can expect your kitten to slow down at around 9-14 months as they advance into adulthood.
Here is a breakdown of the general milestones of your kitten’s growth:
- 2 weeks - 3 months: If you’re a parent yourself, picture this period as the “terrible twos”. This is the toddler years of your kitten and is when your kitten is usually most hyperactive. Get ready for zoomies as well as some scratching. This is perfectly normal for a kitten as it is an instinctual way for them to mark their territory as well as maintain their claws. Just be sure to get them a scratching pole so they don’t take it out on your favourite pair of shoes!
- 4 – 9 months: This is when your cat enters their angsty teenage years. You may find that they start to sleep more during the day but become more active in the evening and early morning due to this being their instinctual hunting period. Try playing with them when you get home from work around dusk to tire them out before bed.
- 9-14 months: Congratulations! Your kitten is now an adult. By this time they will have adjusted to their human family’s routine. You can expect more restful nights of sleep and a generally calmer more docile cat.
Why is My Kitten Hyperactive?
Now that you know the answer to “when do kittens calm down?” Let’s go into the reasons for kitten hyperactivity.
Kitten hyperactivity is a perfectly normal period of your cat’s development. Kittens develop a lot faster than hooman babies and need their sleep, often snoozing for around 20-22 hours per day. This explains why they can be so energetic in the limited hours that their eyes are even open!
Scratching is a way that your kitten maintains its claws and marks its territory, and pouncing and jumping during play is a way that they would hone their hunting skills in the wild. This can be a lot to deal with during the early days of owning a kitten, but fear not as there are some great ways you can manage your hyperactive kitty which we'll delve into below.
Tips for Calming a Hyperactive Cat
1. Stimulate and Enrich Your Kittens Life
The first step for calming a crazy kitten is to enrich its life with play and changes to its environment. In the wild kittens explore and learn through jumping, running, scratching and climbing.
Playing with your kitten with toys that mimic hunting such as a feather fishing rod, and providing objects to climb on like cat climbing frames, will allow your kitty-cat to play and learn, and redirect them from scratching your furniture or jumping onto the kitchen worktop whilst you’re cooking your evening dinner.
2. Consider a Second Cat or Kitten
I know what you’re thinking… “I’m struggling to handle one crazy kitty, let alone another one!”
Well, you may be surprised to know that having another kitten to play with can be a great way to manage their craziness. By wearing each other out with play during the day, they can be less destructive at night. It’s also a great way to keep your kittens preoccupied and stimulated during the day when you’re out at work.
Having an older cat to learn from is another pawesome way for your kitten to excel through kittenhood to becoming a fully-fledged well-adjusted adult cat.
3. Create a Good Routine
Daily routines are a great way for your kitten to adjust to their hooman’s schedule. Try keeping meal times similar and implement structured play times for your kitty-cat.
Cats are generally most active at at dusk and dawn, so these are usually the best times to play with your cat. Playing at dusk is also a great way to wear them out before your bedtime so they don’t stomp on you in the middle of the night.
4. Use Toys or Calming Cat Treats
In the wild, cats are little predators who hunt small rodents, birds and frogs. So using toys that mimic their wild prey are great ways to stimulate and enrich their lives. Feather fishing rods, ping pong balls and laser pointers are great options for play. Even basic objects lying around the house like cardboard boxes or paper bags can keep your kitten occupied for hours as they imagine scurrying into burrows to hunt for their meals.
Calming cat treats such as our Chillz Calming Cat Treats are also an easy way for your cat to take a chill pill. Loaded with natural relaxing ingredients such as valerian, they’re great for relaxing a crazy cat and can help them nod off to sleep quicker to dream about goldfish and hooman-cuddles.
Final Thought:
As tiring as kittens are when you first bring them home, and as often as you may be looking at your calendar wondering when do kittens calm down, we think they’re the best addition any family could ask for.
If you’ve recently adopted a kitten check out our library of Cat Information Articles and Cat Breed Guides to get up to speed on kitten-life. We recommend feeding your kitten a nutritious, natural kitten food with high levels of animal protein to best support a growing kitty.
If you’re in need of a cat food that does all this and more, click here to discover our range of healthy and delicious kitten food, your furry bestie will thank you!
