I have a 6 month old male, i had him since 5 weeks as a foster, then adopted him. I since fostered an adult who didnt quite get along with other cats. My kitty kept getting in her face wanting to play even though the cat would hiss and growl. He just didnt care, he has no boundaries. I then thought getting a 2nd kitten would be a good idea. I got a 5 month old male, i was told he loves to wrestle with kitty friends. its been 2 days and new kitty is just overwhelmed by my other kitty hyperness. He hisses and growls. They do play with they're in separate room from under the door. But when face to face, my hyper kitty wont leave him alone, hes just all over him wanting to wrestle and its freaking the new kitten out. now im just wondering if this is normal kitten behavior since hes freaked out 2 cats now from his hyperness. and likes to bug a family dog who keeps getting mad it him. he cant take no for an answer. im worried new kitten wont adjust or any other kitten will since no other pet has. any advice?
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Is my kitten overly hyper?
- Thread starter shebaa
- Start Date
Yes, it is normal behavior. He is still a kitten and full of kitten energy and you are hiding a potential playmate that he really really wants to meet and play with. Given their closeness in age, I would let the two be together so that they can get on with being friends. Usually among such young cats, it is usually amatter of a few hours between hissing and playing. It may take longer to introduce the newcomer to the older cat but isolating the two boys together might work and slowing introducing them to your older.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
Let them work it out? Even though new kitten is hissing and growling woth ears flat?
I had adopted 2 kittens last year different litters around same age 4 and 5 months old (Rehomed cause I was grieving big time after my 1st cat passing) anyways, 1 hissed at other. But the other kitten left her alone and gave her time and space. They are now completely bounded and was able to rehome together. Difference is my kitten now isn't giving new kitten space.
I'm about to drug up my kitty if he doesn't calm down! Just kidding!!
I had adopted 2 kittens last year different litters around same age 4 and 5 months old (Rehomed cause I was grieving big time after my 1st cat passing) anyways, 1 hissed at other. But the other kitten left her alone and gave her time and space. They are now completely bounded and was able to rehome together. Difference is my kitten now isn't giving new kitten space.
I'm about to drug up my kitty if he doesn't calm down! Just kidding!!
Yep it's normal for one kitten to be more playful. You have to remember the new kitten is still settling in so might not be as willing to wrestle with a strange cat. New kitten is still wanting to check out their new home. But I'm sure once the new cat has settled they'll be chasing and playing together in no time. As long as no one is getting hurt they will be fine. The last kitten I got hounded my older cat no amount of hissing or growling stopped him jumping on him. They are now best buddies it's just kitten's they are hyper, and it doesn't matter if its a dog, older cat, or another kitten they want to play.
shebaa, I think you are in a tough position with the age of the hyper kitten. Most people are probably going to tell you that he will grow out of it. He may, but from what you have shared, he may not. I have written in another thread (New high energy cat is exhausting me) about the issues I am having with a female I adopted October 1. She is hyper and overbearing and also does not respect boundaries. She was estimated to be two years old when the shelter brought her in as a stray in July. My vet confirmed that estimate so I'm at two and a half and if anything, she is growing into it, not out of it.
If new kitten is growling and hissing with ears flat, that is not just play. That cat is stressed and is telling the other one that he is done - leave me alone!!! If your hyper kitten is not learning to respect those boundaries at six months old, when will that begin to develop? I have a two year old, Josie, who up until Bailey arrived lived in peace and security. She has had the most sweet and innocent demeanor. She lived with two seniors who were here when she arrived at 10 weeks old. Life was good. Then my daughter understandably wanted to take the seniors to live with her (it didn't work out with her schedule and other rescue cat after three months, so they are back with me now). I got Bailey at the same time they left so Josie wouldn't be alone. It has been a nightmare. She will not leave Josie alone. The first 6-8 weeks were heartbreaking as Josie tried so hard to play with her and would gently tap Bailey on the head to teach her boundaries. She genuinely seemed to want to be friends with Bailey. Nope. Josie had to run and hide under the couch or the bed and come to me to stop the wrestling and body-slamming and sneak attacks. She genuinely seemed shocked that another cat could act this way. She was losing hair on her head and developed a bad ear infection with no real discernible trigger but the relentless stress. After 6-8 weeks, I saw Josie change. Life had taught her a hard lesson. People will tell you it's a good thing when the victim of the bully learns to stand up and fight back. Well, from my perspective, it is awful. Josie gets worse all the time as far as being on guard now and pushing back. Now whenever she passes Bailey - she sniffs her, hisses, and lets her know to leave her alone. And Bailey doesn't. I break up interactions all the time. I am at the point this very week of having to reset and separate them pending re-introduction. There is no point, though, in re-introduction if I don't have some reason to think it will go better the second time around. (I took the time at the beginning to do it right the first time).
I have communicated with another post-er here who has dealt with hyper cats that bully the cats they live with. He has a real heart for hyper cats. He encouraged me to talk to the vet about Prozac. His cat that has passed away never was on it, but he says he would have put him on it if it would have been a possibility then. (By the way, he said his cat's hyper-ness didn't decrease until he was 7-1/2 years old!). So far my vet has just pushed Feliway. I will not use it. I have read plenty of bad consequences with Feliway and I won't take the risks with three other cats in the home who are NOT the problem. They all have shown plenty of evidence that they wanted to accept her and she just kept being a jerk to them until they don't want anything to do with her. I am on the verge of rehoming if this doesn't happen and/or work, but I have no idea how I will find a home for her.
When you said that he has "no boundaries", the light went on with me. It's the same way. She also seems impossible to bond with. She is laser focused on getting some need met in her brain. She will accept affection and she is super adorable and wants human attention and affirmation. She can seem so vulnerable and like it's hard to be her. But it's not like my other cats, where you can get to know them in a way that there is a relationship. After four months, I'm not making any progress and it's going the wrong direction. I care so much what happens to her, but her presence fills the house with tension and I am exhausted, too (not just Josie).
Be aware that most people - not all - but most seem to approach people with problems with their cats with a great deal of optimism and encouragement to persevere. I believe in hope and perseverance, but I'm also a realist. Take advice, but trust your gut. You are the only one observing their behavior and seeing what it is doing to those involved. My last thought is that no matter what I would doubt any vet would want to medicate a cat as young as yours. They will likely want to wait and hope it gets better, and they would probably be right to do so from a medical perspective.
If new kitten is growling and hissing with ears flat, that is not just play. That cat is stressed and is telling the other one that he is done - leave me alone!!! If your hyper kitten is not learning to respect those boundaries at six months old, when will that begin to develop? I have a two year old, Josie, who up until Bailey arrived lived in peace and security. She has had the most sweet and innocent demeanor. She lived with two seniors who were here when she arrived at 10 weeks old. Life was good. Then my daughter understandably wanted to take the seniors to live with her (it didn't work out with her schedule and other rescue cat after three months, so they are back with me now). I got Bailey at the same time they left so Josie wouldn't be alone. It has been a nightmare. She will not leave Josie alone. The first 6-8 weeks were heartbreaking as Josie tried so hard to play with her and would gently tap Bailey on the head to teach her boundaries. She genuinely seemed to want to be friends with Bailey. Nope. Josie had to run and hide under the couch or the bed and come to me to stop the wrestling and body-slamming and sneak attacks. She genuinely seemed shocked that another cat could act this way. She was losing hair on her head and developed a bad ear infection with no real discernible trigger but the relentless stress. After 6-8 weeks, I saw Josie change. Life had taught her a hard lesson. People will tell you it's a good thing when the victim of the bully learns to stand up and fight back. Well, from my perspective, it is awful. Josie gets worse all the time as far as being on guard now and pushing back. Now whenever she passes Bailey - she sniffs her, hisses, and lets her know to leave her alone. And Bailey doesn't. I break up interactions all the time. I am at the point this very week of having to reset and separate them pending re-introduction. There is no point, though, in re-introduction if I don't have some reason to think it will go better the second time around. (I took the time at the beginning to do it right the first time).
I have communicated with another post-er here who has dealt with hyper cats that bully the cats they live with. He has a real heart for hyper cats. He encouraged me to talk to the vet about Prozac. His cat that has passed away never was on it, but he says he would have put him on it if it would have been a possibility then. (By the way, he said his cat's hyper-ness didn't decrease until he was 7-1/2 years old!). So far my vet has just pushed Feliway. I will not use it. I have read plenty of bad consequences with Feliway and I won't take the risks with three other cats in the home who are NOT the problem. They all have shown plenty of evidence that they wanted to accept her and she just kept being a jerk to them until they don't want anything to do with her. I am on the verge of rehoming if this doesn't happen and/or work, but I have no idea how I will find a home for her.
When you said that he has "no boundaries", the light went on with me. It's the same way. She also seems impossible to bond with. She is laser focused on getting some need met in her brain. She will accept affection and she is super adorable and wants human attention and affirmation. She can seem so vulnerable and like it's hard to be her. But it's not like my other cats, where you can get to know them in a way that there is a relationship. After four months, I'm not making any progress and it's going the wrong direction. I care so much what happens to her, but her presence fills the house with tension and I am exhausted, too (not just Josie).
Be aware that most people - not all - but most seem to approach people with problems with their cats with a great deal of optimism and encouragement to persevere. I believe in hope and perseverance, but I'm also a realist. Take advice, but trust your gut. You are the only one observing their behavior and seeing what it is doing to those involved. My last thought is that no matter what I would doubt any vet would want to medicate a cat as young as yours. They will likely want to wait and hope it gets better, and they would probably be right to do so from a medical perspective.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
So mew kitten has his own room. He stays there, except today I let him out for the first time. Should I let him out for while everyday? If so, with older kitten out too or locked up? How much time should I let them be together at a time? I let older kitty in his room for a bit, supervised, for play time. Just never goes as planned, older crazy kitty acts like he's on drugs
Also new kitten was biting me a bit ago to play so I'm hoping his energy is starting to come out
Also new kitten was biting me a bit ago to play so I'm hoping his energy is starting to come out
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #7
Was Baileys behavior aggressive or aggressive playing? I'm sorry you're young through this.
with all the energy mine has, i figured he'll do great with another kitten.
What i would do is try and I know it's near impossible to tire hyper kitten out. Before you let new kitten explore with any luck hyper kitten will be calmer after a good play session. Start with short sessions and build them up depending on how kitten's are behaveing. If that doesn't work you may have to put the hyper kitten in the safe room while new kitten is out until the new kitten settles into his new home, builds confidence. And go with introductions slowly I'm hoping
A
ArtNJ
will see this and give some advice.
Thank you for your kindness. Bailey is not aggressive in terms of scratching or biting or anything like that. I have described it as wrestling and body-slamming. It's kind of like a large breed puppy sometimes and other times very cat-like with the sneaking and surprising and then just jumping on her. Bailey is 1.0-1.5 ls larger than Josie and I don't doubt that, in addition to it being startling and annoying, it sometimes hurts, just like if someone who is your size to maybe 10% bigger than you jumps on you out of nowhere, it would hurt. One time on a particularly bad day, she took Josie by surprise on a high level of the cat tower and literally pushed her off. I saw Josie get the wind knocked out of her. I truly don't think Bailey gets it. Something just isn't clicking or something else is firing so desperately inside her that it blocks out her ability to "get it". So, no, she's not aggressive like she's out to kill anybody. If she were, I think the decisions would actually be easier. Yet, this is no way to live.
I can see why you thought he would do great with another kitten. At first I thought Bailey needed a rambunctious household with cats and maybe a dog and a lot of people. As time goes by, I'm not so sure. I think she will always see other animals as toys - at least other cats anyway. I have been more inclined to think she needs to be the only cat in a household and possibly the only pet, ideally with someone who works at home, loves hyper cats, and wants the life and energy and chaos she brings into the house. (That should be easy to find, right?)
I can see why you thought he would do great with another kitten. At first I thought Bailey needed a rambunctious household with cats and maybe a dog and a lot of people. As time goes by, I'm not so sure. I think she will always see other animals as toys - at least other cats anyway. I have been more inclined to think she needs to be the only cat in a household and possibly the only pet, ideally with someone who works at home, loves hyper cats, and wants the life and energy and chaos she brings into the house. (That should be easy to find, right?)
I answered up above but I mistakenly didn't do it as a reply to this comment. Sorry about that.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #12
i read your thread. it does not sound my older kitty is as hyper as yours. he gets zoomies just like any other kitten. but he does calm down and can sleep for HOURS! he sleeps in my room, door shut and sleeps throughout the night most nights. and theres days where hes just lazy. and some days where hes crazy. im thinking he forgot how to play with cats the right way. other siblings were adopted on September 27th. since then hes only been around calmer pets. i read a reply on your thread about a fish. maybe that wouldnt be a bad idea. something they can watch together.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #13
update
i did a breakfast/play session and it went well. older kitty is calm today so he didnt completely freak out new kitty, there was also times when new kitty charged at older kitty wanting to play! i will continue to do this 2x a day when its feeding time and 1x a day for new kitty to explore the house with older kitty locked up
i did a breakfast/play session and it went well. older kitty is calm today so he didnt completely freak out new kitty, there was also times when new kitty charged at older kitty wanting to play! i will continue to do this 2x a day when its feeding time and 1x a day for new kitty to explore the house with older kitty locked up
It's only been two days. In all likelihood, they will work it out. Growling and hissing is not an emergency -- it only becomes problematic if there's fur flying, blood, or other bodily fluids. If you feel more comfortable introducing them more slowly, you can act as if they are older cats and follow the rules outlined elsewhere on this site.
I'm glad to hear that your kitty doesn't sound as bad as Bailey. Bailey can sleep a good amount, though. She can sleep a long time if she has settled down in the room that I'm in. The problem is that she can tell as soon as I leave the room and then she is wide awake and following to make sure that nothing interesting goes on without her. So sometimes if she is sleeping, even across the room, I feel trapped because I know if I try to go do something, everything will start again.
I can attest that Bailey and Josie both like to watch my fish, especially Josie. I have a fish in a 10 gallon aquarium. It is the last surviving fish of three fish that were bought together over five years ago. If the cats get too close to the aquarium to watch, it does stress the fish out and it darts around in the tank. Then I feel so bad for the poor fish. This particular breed of fish also sometimes looks a little paler when it is very stressed. I've seen that a time or two so I try to limit the amount of time that I let them close to the tank.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #16
update- day 5
they are getting along a little better but my older kitty is still making new kitty hissing and growling. sometimes though new kitty will go after older kitty to play. i feel that new kitty is more interested in playing with toys than with him for the most part. and older kitty isnt taking no for answer. im just not seeing the type of kitty the foster mom described to me, not when it comes to wrestling with other kitties
they are getting along a little better but my older kitty is still making new kitty hissing and growling. sometimes though new kitty will go after older kitty to play. i feel that new kitty is more interested in playing with toys than with him for the most part. and older kitty isnt taking no for answer. im just not seeing the type of kitty the foster mom described to me, not when it comes to wrestling with other kitties
I thought I would give you an update. I spoke with the vet on the phone today and described Bailey and all the issues we're having. She wants to try gabapentin first because Prozac has more side effects. I have not heard of gabapentin for hyperactivity and the issues with her forcibly wrestling Josie so I guess we'll see and I'll do some research online later.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #18
medicating cause of hyperness just sounds weird to me. but i guess it wouldnt hurt to try. ive use gabapentin on my last cat cause she had vet aggression. she was on 100mg. it made her slow, wobbly and sleepy. hopefully its not the 100mg the vet gave you
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #19
I am picking it up tomorrow so I will check the dosage. I get what you mean about medicating because of hyper-ness. But picture your first kitty and new kitty two years from now. Imagine new kitty has matured and is still playful, but definitely not acting like a kitten. Picture that first kitty is still acting like a kitten and but now actually acts more like a cross between a large-breed puppy and a kitten and barrels all around the house tripping people on the stairs and looking like a maniac when you pull out a toy and still wants to jump on your other cat whenever he sees it. The only other option I can see is that she lives in a single cat household with a dedicated owner who wants to provide a lot of play and companionship. The person would have to work from home and not be gone forty hours a week. Bailey would not be okay alone that much, but she couldn't be trusted to be alone with another cat without bullying it. The other option is if she could live with a Labrador Retriever or a Golden Retriever - some dog without an ounce of aggression who would be much larger than her and find her funny. That is, if she doesn't hate dogs. And good luck finding the perfect home in the first place if I could even figure out what that is. I'm so scared to re-home her to a worse situation for her. I figure drugged is better than abandoned or abused(?) It's a mess.
