Expert: Dear Tabbi - 5/21/2009

Question
QUESTION: In January 2009 I got an almost 8week old kitten he is now going to be 6 month the 26th of May. When i got him he was always loving and very playful around a month ago this all change! He is still playful but in a very hyper annoying way. He steals and knocks over everything! He will randomly attack my hands and feet! Hes very loving when i get home from work and when hes tired, at night when were in bed he will come and sleep with us and wont leave until one of us is outta bed. Other then that hes very hyper not in a good way and sometimes aggressive. Hes not yet neutered, but he has an appt. for it on the 27th of may.

Thank you for your time,
Kayla

ANSWER: Kayla,

Oliver is very pretty!

Neutering will help. Also having another kitty about his age would help too. He needs another cat to play kitty games with, run and chase to burn off some of his energy.

Some cats, like people are hyper. Try a pet laser light. They are good for burning up energy. Cats like to chase the little 'red bug' on the floors, ceilings, and walls.

It sounds like he had one or both feral parents. Feral cats are hunters by instinct. That would explain why he attacks your hands and feet...they move! If they are inside cats, you need to satisfy that hunting urge. Try getting some furry stuffed mice that you can throw and he can bat around, put some ping pong balls in the bathtub (with the drain plugged or they get stuck), pull a string around that he can chase and 'attack', etc. Also get the butcher to cut in half some beef ribs and give those raw to Oliver as a treat. It satisfies the fresh kill instinct and the fibers in the meat cleans their teeth.

My cats LOVE to watch cat videos on TV! That keeps them occupied. Here is a link for some that I have:
(copy and paste, or type, the whole link into your address bar)
http://petsittervideos.com/index.html

Tabbi


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you very much for your help!! I filled out an application today to adopt a 1 year old cat from the shelter, now i'm just waiting to here back. I also bought a pet laser light and he loves it! But after hes done playing he starts breathing really hard, panting, hes really hot, and the bottoms of his feet are sweating. Is this normal?

Kayla

Answer
Kaya,

Good. I'm glad he likes the laser light. Maybe you should make it shorter sessions, and let him calm down, and cool down, between sessions.

Good luck with the friend. You've got to go through an introduction period slowly. It can take about 2 weeks, or more for them to start getting along. You can not just put them together and expect them to get along. That very rarely ever happens.

I am attaching a couple of links on how to go about the introduction process: (copy and paste, or type the whole links into your address bar)

http://www.messybeast.com/first-impressions.htm

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=cattocatintro

Tabbi