Personality Changes At 6 Months+

earthwormgym

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Hey guys,

New to this site here! Hoping I've come to the right place.

My wife and I adopted our male kitty Arlo at 7 weeks old. He was the sweetest thing. He would always look for cuddles, loved to be held, always followed us around the apartment. Always showed curiosity at the slightest things.

He's now just reached the 6-month mark and boy has his attitude changed. In the first instance, he seems to seek refuge underneath our couch and bed nearly all the time. When we go to pet him, he runs away! Picking him up is almost like a game to him now- and when he do have him, he squirms and meows for freedom. It's almost heartbreaking.

I read a great deal about how cats become more independent as they get older, but this polar opposite personality is quite extraordinary! We've tried tempting him with treats, but the treats we have don't entice him (any treats designed for kittens specifically out there?). What's becoming more frustrating is trying to trim his claws. I used to be able to tackle it when he slept on the bed/couch. Since he almost always sleeps underneath now, it's pretty much impossible- and doing it awake is just laughable.

ANY advice on ways to train him to be more lovable would be great. And also tips for an easier claw-trimming too. But just general thoughts would be awesome!

Thanks!
 

maggiedemi

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Does he hide all the time, all day long? My cats do this when they are not feeling good, they hide and won't play. What is his diet like? Is he urinating okay? Is he constipated at all? My cat hid all this week and I realized she was constipated. Just some ideas, but it could be that he is just becoming more independent.
 
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earthwormgym

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Hey maggiedemi,
I would say he hides 90% of the time. The other 10% he comes out for food/drive or to use litterbox. He's still eating Purina One Kitten Chow and he seems to be eliminating just fine. (Although we recently dumped his old litter and filled with new one- same brand!). He doesn't look like he's ill. He occasionally will run back and forth from hiding spots!

Perhaps just becoming a more mature cat!
 

maggiedemi

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Cat's are really good at hiding pain. Is he getting any canned food at all? My cats don't feel good if they don't get enough wet canned food, it has a lot of moisture in it which helps keep their urine and bowels working without pain.
 
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earthwormgym

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Interesting. Well since he's still a kitten, we're under the assumption that he just be eating the kitten chow exclusively. He does like to drink LOTS of water though- to wash it all down. Should we start considering new "wet" food? and how should we integrate it into his diet?
 

maggiedemi

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I looked on my cans of Fancy Feast and Friskies and a lot of them say they are okay for kittens. You probably will want to start off with the Pate (Fancy Feast calls it Classic) which is ground up. I can't remember what age my cat started eating the chunkier kind with gravy, but you could try it. What I do is give them 1/2 can of Fancy Feast each or 1/4 can of Friskies with 1/8 cup of dry food on a separate plate three times a day.
 

maggiedemi

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But if you have to work, you can just give the wet food in the morning and at night.
 
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earthwormgym

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OK I'll look into it. We've been just setting out food for him to get to when he chooses. So perhaps a small amount morning and evening?
 

maggiedemi

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Yeah, you could start off by trying half a can of Fancy Feast Classics in the morning and the other half of the can at night. Or if you are using a bigger can like Friskies, just kind of eyeball it and give some in the morning and some at night. Then you could just leave like 1/3 to 1/2 cup of dry food out all the time. My cats love Friskies Shreds the best, but when they were really little they could only eat the pate.
 

maggiedemi

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I forgot to mention, I try to only give my cats fish flavored canned food like two days a week, because of the mercury and low Thiamine in fish.
 

elliesvictim

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Flip the script. Give him the cold shoulder, my 18 month old used to do the same to me but hated it if I did it to her. She'd meow desperately for attention and bash into my legs.
Is he desexed? If not, it will help.
Teenage phase can start from 6 months so, you may just have a moody EMO for a while. They grow out of it.
 

Sallysoo

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As he is still a kitten, he shld be active and playful. Does he responds when you play with him, using any cat toys?If he is not as you said he hides mostly, guess u need to monitor him that there is nthg wrong, etc. Get some nice treats for him like the Orijen lamb treats, to brighten up his moody days. They smell and taste great. Kittens are supposed to be playful, curious n run abt.
Maybe you also want to give him some high quailty canned food like NV Instinct or Feline Natural. They are more meaty and may energize him too. :)
 

haleyds

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All the advice above is great. But I will add that when I was younger we had two male cats, one stayed the same his whole life. His brother on the other hand turned from a sweet cuddly love bug into a literal little demon. So, I don't know what cats go through during puberty sometimes lol. At least your little man isn't showing aggression.
 

orange&white

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Nutrition. Genetics. Environment.

Good discussion already about nutrition. Healthy cat; happy cat.

Genetics you have no control over, and will play a big role in your cat's personality.

Environment has not been discussed yet. Most cats are relaxed and do well in a calm household, and retreat under furniture when there is too much noise or activity. Some cats can be the life of the party and are not phased with lots of noisy people around. All cats will sense the level of happiness or stress in their humans.

Also consider how the cat is trained...some people believe in spanking or swatting their cat for climbing on things or scratching the furniture, or shooting the cat with water, or yelling at the cat a lot. Too harsh of training methods can drive just about any kitty "underground".
 
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earthwormgym

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Yeah, you could start off by trying half a can of Fancy Feast Classics in the morning and the other half of the can at night. Or if you are using a bigger can like Friskies, just kind of eyeball it and give some in the morning and some at night. Then you could just leave like 1/3 to 1/2 cup of dry food out all the time. My cats love Friskies Shreds the best, but when they were really little they could only eat the pate.
So we gave him Fancy Feast classics...he was sick an hour later...
 
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earthwormgym

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As he is still a kitten, he shld be active and playful. Does he responds when you play with him, using any cat toys?If he is not as you said he hides mostly, guess u need to monitor him that there is nthg wrong, etc. Get some nice treats for him like the Orijen lamb treats, to brighten up his moody days. They smell and taste great. Kittens are supposed to be playful, curious n run abt.
Maybe you also want to give him some high quailty canned food like NV Instinct or Feline Natural. They are more meaty and may energize him too. :)
Yes, I will admit when we start shaking the string toy, he does want to jump for it. But as soon as we're done, he'd done.
Based on everyone's replies, I would say it's normal behaviour. He's going through teenage puberty, haha!

HOWEVER, he does still like to bite our ankles. Since he's an only cat, I feel like this is due to lack of playmates. But any tips on calming this down would be great!
 

maggiedemi

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Did you cut back on the dry food? Just wondering if he ate too much at once?
 
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