Kittens switching personalities?

thisyearsgirl

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I adopted two siblings kittens last month (now 8-months old!), Leo and Loki. According to the shelter, Leo is a very friendly, playful, and cuddly while Loki is shy, but loves to play. During the first few days, this was definitely true--Leo was ALL up in my business, exploring every cranny of my apartment, dominating playtime, and always asking for lap sits and pets. Loki, on the other hand, was always running away and hiding, and was definitely the more withdrawn of the two. Since then, Loki has opened up to be the chatty baby he really is. Loki now dominates playtime and aggressively seeks attention. Leo, on the other hand, has withdrawn considerably; while he still enjoys a good lap cuddle, he's no longer enthusiastically seeking attention and spends most of the time watching me instead of playing and exploring. I wouldn't be so worried if I didn't see how he was during the first few days I had him! They still play together fine, although I think Loki might be more dominant now when Leo used to be.

I asked the shelter if they had any thoughts and they told me that Leo was the caregiver of his litter and maybe doesn't know how to react now that Loki has opened up. Vet says nothing wrong with Leo either. Has anyone else experienced kittens swapping personalities like this? I'm not sure how much of it is kitty teen angst (and its associated behavior changes), it still being an adjustment period, or if Leo is just sad/bored (because I swear he just sadly stares at me!).
 

Mr. Meow

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It's rare for kittens to have a personality that's set in stone. It's only when they grow out of their kitten phase that a cat's real personality starts to show, and very likely could be influenced by experiences they had as a kitten.
Think about yourself growing up. Are you EXACTLY the same from when you were a kid? Or did your life experiences mold who you became as an adult?
Kittens are learning about the world as they grow up. So it's not unheard of for a scared kitten to become a love bug, or for a kitten who used to love sitting in laps to all of a sudden not want any part of it.
I can tell you that the more kittens are handled, played with, petted etc, the more likely they are to want that human interaction when they get older. As long as there's nothing medically wrong with them, then they'll be ok.
 

danteshuman

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I agree with Mr Meow !

I would add that you try giving the now shy kitten one on one play time. You can also “be the furniture” as I tell my niece. Some cats just want to be near you but not petted; they get overstimulated. Kittens also go through an independent stage starting at 4-5 months old, it is normal. By a year or two, they swing around & get all snuggly again.
 

molly92

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My sister's kittens are very similar! Adelaide was shy and tentative at first, but now that she's warmed up, she's Miss Gregarious. Alice always seemed comfortable with anything, and she still is, she's just not the most outgoing one anymore.

Leo might be perfectly happy as is. Sometimes cat facial expressions are hard for us to interpret correctly. When nothing exciting is happening and he's looking at you, are his eyes kind of narrow, and his body position relaxed? That's a happy cat. While he's watching playtime, his eyes might get wider and his body more rigid if he's focusing on the action, which is also fine! Watch his tail, too. Happy cats often walk around with their tail sticking up in the air.

Sometimes cats get a little intimidated by other cats during playtime and prefer to step back and watch, so you can try separating them for a few minutes and see if Leo likes playing more by himself. That's also perfectly fine and normal.
 
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