Crazy kitten, young parent.

[Megpiethebirdie]

Hey there , I’m new . Not just new here I’m also a new kitty parent . I’ve had kittens when I was a child .. like 20 years ago. My grandmother had a house and we had bunch of cats living there . They often got kittens and few of them we kept . My memories of those kittens are wonderful! They were such a cuddly little fur balls ! I used to literary put them in baby strollers and ride around . I was such a kitty child ! Cats were so patient with me . My favourite has to be our female cat Gloria !! CUDDLE BEAN! She used to climb into my lap and cuddle me . Purr and make biscuits on my chest . I loved her so much . She was so affectionate ! She helped me go through so much anxiety during school days . She was my friend .

Anyways back to today .

Im now into my mid twenties . I’m a depressed student who lives with my boyfriend. His parents have a black Labrador female . She is SO HYPER yet so sweet . All those years as adult only animal-interaction was that dog . I noticed how her kindness and cuddles helped my depression and anxiety. Especially now since war started I had a panic attack after panic attack . And I realised that I need a fur friend to keep me stable! I had neighbours cat walking around and I always rushed to cuddle him when I felt bad . That’s how I realised that I want a cat . Adopting a dog was also a option for me , I love dogs and in recent years have more experience with them rather than cats . But due to my budget and student schedule cat seemed like more doable option . I don’t mind I love all animals ! So last week we went out and picked up a 7 -8 week old kitten . Seller was a little weird , in the listing she stated that kitten is half maincoon but when we asked for a photo of mom she didn’t reply on any messages. We got the kitten for 180€ and he didn’t come with any papers or anything at all . Not sure if that’s right or not . Anyways now we finally get to the point

.We got a male kitten and named him Nismo. He looks beautiful! Like a little tiger . He is absolutely tiny!
I really have forgotten how little kittens behave like ,so I had no idea they are this hyperactive .He runs and jumps and goes crazy 24/7 . He climbs on furniture , runs on stairs and jumps onto our legs as we walk . We play with him to get his energy out . But as we both still have stuff to do we cannot play with him every single minute of the day . Whenever we are busy ( he with job me with studies ) kitten is alone and seems frustrated. He has so much energy inside him! He runs around and does naughty stuff while we’re busy . I feel bad that he’s so lonely but I have responsibilities to do . Whenever he is with us on the couch he only thinks about playing . We cannot really cuddle or pet him . Only when he just woke up , then for like a minute he allows us to pet him but then he goes back to trying attacking our hands and arms . We watched lots of videos about not playing with hands . We don’t , but he still wanna bite us and scratch us . He is playful we can tell but still . I somehow remember kittens being a little more … cute? I remember having kittens on my lap cuddling … purring ... but our new baby just wants to play and hunt .Even in the mornings when we been separated for 8 hours he right away wants to play instead of saying a hello or letting me pet him . I was considering making him inside \ outside cat? Because I will not be able to provide him with 24/7 play ! I love him to bits but I am little worried about the future . Will one day Nismo become more calm and actually get in my lap with some cute purring , let me pet him and seek comfort from him ? I was kinda hopeful he will help my depression and anixity but right now I’m just little worried .. Will his hyperactive mode tone down as he age ? Will he come to me and simply lay with me ? Im new at this whole cat parent thing . I’m doing my best, I watch a lot of tutorials and try to be best parent for my little boy ..But I worry . I play with him as much as I can , but When I simply wanna sit down on sofa and do some work on my iPad , he runs to me and starts biting my arm even if moment ago we had 20 minute long play session with toys. I try petting him but he doesn’t care much about it . So I have to go work in another room leaving him alone . My heart hurts that I have to do that but otherwise I will simply drop out of school if I will not be able to get any work done . I hope that when he gets older he will be more calm and affectionate . That I can lay on sofa and work in my iPad and have him lay on my legs and purr ..
please don’t be mean in comments , I am truly doing my best and I want nothing but all the best for my kitty ! I’m just new at this . Maybe somebody had similar experience?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
Would you consider a second kitten, approximately the same size, gender and age? This doesn't always work, mind you, but if you can find one with similar exuberance it could help.

Try giving him a clean, (well rinsed if you use scented dryer sheets) wash cloth, dampened and put in the freezer for a few minutes. If he's teething, and even if not, he may find the cool cloth good to chew on. Additionally, see if he likes cat nip and give him chew toys with that.

You're right, he needs to stop biting. You may have to start a big loud hiss which is what his mama would do, yell OW and NO, clap your hands, and even fill a metal can with some coins and shake that loudly when he starts to bite.

Also, hang in there. This stage shouldn't last too long since they do grow fast

 

[ArtNJ]

Kittens definitely come on an activity/cuddlyness spectrum. Its possible that you were lucky as a child, or maybe mom handled the hyper phase and you've forgotten. Anyway, this is pretty typical -- probably most kittens go through a phase where they are too excited and busy for affection except when they are sleepy. It passes. Just dont try to force the affection, as that may actually make it less likely you'll eventually get a cuddle bug. Patience.

Good advice above on training away negative behaviors. I know its tough, but at least he isn't climbing your curtains yet. (Sorry, dont want to be a jinx!).

Indoor/outdoor is riskier than people think. A lot of folks on here have stories of lost kitties, or worse. For example, that nice kitty of your neighbor's? Decent chance he would fight with your cat despite being nice to you.

If you paid extra thinking you were getting a pure bred cat, you probably got ripped off. No true cat person would adopt out a kitten at 7-8 weeks. But I'm sure you and your kitty will be best buds as time passes, so who cares if he is a "real" Maine Coon or not?

 

[Neko-chan's mama]

This will pass! But he might always be playful. Neko-chan is 3 and still demands interactive play time 3 times a day, and plays with her solo toys too. Is it possible to let him in your bedroom at night? Some cats seem to prefer cuddling when their humans are sleeping. For the biting of hands, get or make a toy about half the length of his body and toss it away from you when he starts biting. He'll most likely run after it, then embrace it and start biting at it. I know a lot of people will recommend a second kitten, but you should only get one of YOU want a second kitten. I know everyone speaks doom and gloom about single kittens, but they can grow up well adjusted, it just takes a little extra effort.

 

[ArtNJ]

I know a lot of people will recommend a second kitten, but you should only get one of YOU want a second kitten. I know everyone speaks doom and gloom about single kittens, but they can grow up well adjusted, it just takes a little extra effort.

 

[danteshuman]

Kittens at that age just want to play! They are adorable trouble magnets with ninja skills & zero sense of self preservation!!! So a lot of it is the age.... when the kitten is 5-6 months old they will be a calmer teenager instead of a crazy toddler on sugar that you have now!

Yes a second kitten is ideal but not always possible. If you get one get the same sex and try to match the energy level.

Interactive toys help. I would set up a bird watching window with a cat tree or window bed (& way for them to get up there) & bird feeder or two by the window. That way your kitten can get it’s hunt on while you are away (thus helps more with older cats but it helps a ton.) You could try a secure critter cage with some egg carton bits in it and some crickets to give your kitten something to look at/hint with their eyes, while you are gone. A cheap easy interactive toy is to get a box, lightly crumple in some newspaper or tissue paper with some variety of toys and maybe catnip when the kitten is older (I use some jingle balls, a toy that chirps when moved & a couple of soft toys.) Your kitten can jump in and tunnel and destroy paper etc while you are gone. If you can ask everyone to give the kitten 5-10 minute of quick play or cuddles while you are gone. It might help if the kitten gets a couple of mini breaks throughout the day. If the dog is cat friendly, they may become a kitten playmate when the kitten gets older.

When your kitten gets on your lap, be the furniture. Let your cat just be there without you petting them unless they want pets. Try to give your cat at least a half hour every time they get on your lap. My cats know if I put a blanket over my lap, they get at least an hour. I gave the kittens a 15 minute rule, where if they got on my lap they got at least 15 minutes, every time. It created 3 lap cats. 1 cat gets overstimulated but she still wants to be on or next to her people all the time. My cat? He is glued to my lap & uses me as furniture.

My wee terrorist of doom Dante was the hyperest cat I have ever known! (& yes I called him that as a kitten! ) I would lure him onto my lap with a wand toy, play a bit, sneak in a quick head scratch for a few seconds, then play with him somemore. BTW Dante was my shadow. He got me through 13 months of hellish pain while I was also devastated by a divorce. That hyper terror saved my life, turned out to be a kitty from heaven & turned into a total snuggle bug lap cat!

Take tons of pictures and videos; they grow up so fast!

 

[lollie]

If you do decide to get another kitten, don’t think that you must pay what you did before. A shelter will not be cagey with you, and will know the personality of their kitties, and which may be a good fit for your boy.