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How To Get A Kitten To Calm Down

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When Is Hyperactivity A Natural Behavior And When Does It Become A Problem

Hyperactivity may be frustrating and hard for owners.

But believe it or not, it is a natural behavior for any cat breed.

All cats go hyper at some point in their lives, even as kittens but it will stop over time.

However, when it becomes unusual and starts to affect your cats normal life by causing anxiety or stress, thats when it becomes a problem.

When a natural behavior becomes a problem, you should know that it is the time to seek professional help.

What Is The Best Way To Introduce My New Kitten To My Home

A new home with new sights, new sounds, and new smells can be a scary place for a young kitten, but there are things you can do to make the transition easier. Your new kitten likely left behind a loving mother, playful siblings, and a familiar environment, so he needs a little special care when being introduced to his new surroundings and new family.

Getting started

Your kitty needs to feel comfortable with you as soon as possible, so start your relationship by interacting with him on his own turf where he feels safe and secure. Spend time playing and cuddling him before taking him away from his familiar environment. Bring home the comforting scent of his current home by petting his mother and siblings if they are present. Better yet, bring along a towel and rub his family members or even the inside of his kennel to carry these old scents to your kittys new home. Familiar smells warm the heart and steady the nerves.

Going home

The ride home should be as pleasant as possible. Place the scented towel in a cat carrier and gently place your kitten inside. If he resists, remove the top of the carrier rather than nudging him through the door. Cats prefer cozy spots so they usually like being in a carrier. By encouraging your kitten to ride within the confines of a carrier, you are providing safety and security, as well as starting a good routine that you can maintain for future car rides.

Arriving home

Staying home alone

Preventing problems before they start

How Do You Calm Down An Aggressive Cat

 

If, despite everything, your cat becomes aggressive, then here is what to do. An aggravated cat or kitten is generally behaving that way because they don’t know how to react.

 

They may start to spit, scratch or bite. If they seem aggressive, it is important to make sure you don’t aggravate them further and give them a chance to calm down. You will need to stay out of their way, even if this means leaving the room where they’re in.

 

If you are close to them when they show signs of aggressiveness , then avoid making eye contact with them, as they interpret this as a sign of aggression on your behalf. Turn away your gaze as if nothing is happening.

 

Double Down On Training

Instead of taking your cat out of a stressful situation, you can help her adapt to whatever is causing the stress. For example, if the vacuum cleaner is the leading source of stress, teach your feline pal to associate this device with positive reinforcement. You can put her favorite food or treat near the vacuum when its off until she learns to approach the device on her own. When shes used to it, try turning the vacuum on while your partner or friend plays with her across the room. Eventually, your pet will learn to associate the sound or presence of the vacuum cleaner with a good thing. This process is referred to as counterconditioning.

You Might Need To Leave Your Cat Home Or With A Sitter

How To Calm Down A Cat

Sometimes cats cannot adjust to riding in a car. If this sounds like your situation, your best bet might be to leave your kitty at home or a pet hotel. If you decide to leave your kitty home alone, ask someone to stop by to check on your pet regularly and leave a list of instructions. Be sure to include what kind of food and how much to serve, how much water to give, any medication your cat needs, and a phone number for the veterinarian, in case of an emergency. Also, make sure they know how to get in touch with you if they have any questions or problems.

There are other options besides leaving your cat home alone, although that might be his favorite! You can ask a friend to “kitty-sit” while you’re gone by either staying in your home or taking your cat into their home. If your cat sitter takes your cat into their home, be mindful that this change of scenery can be very stressful for some cats. And if your cat somehow escapes, it is unlikely he will be able to find his way home. So this option really depends on your cat’s personality.

There is also the option of taking your cat to a pet hotel. In some locations, laws have been passed to make sure these businesses are regularly monitored, so the cats are taken care of in a way that would please even the pickiest of owners. Recently, there has even been a trend for posh cat hotels and bed & breakfasts. Make sure you do your research and visit the locations to see which one is best for you and your cat.

Address Any Hyperthyroid Issues

Not all unwanted behavior from cats is behavioral. With older cats, the most common physical reason for overactive activity is. Cats with this condition have an overactive thyroid gland, which is the control mechanism for their energy levels. Subsequently, youll have a cat with bursts of energy. Cats with hyperthyroidism dont sleep very much and will have a voracious appetite, says Dr. Erin Wilson, a veterinarian and medical director at the New York ASPCA. It generally occurs in senior kitties, she adds.

Treatment for hyperthyroidism in cats includes the medication Methimazole, surgical removal of the thyroid gland, and radioactive iodine therapy.

Helpful Ways To Calm Your Cat

 

 

Cats are something of an enigmaintelligent, sometimes inscrutable animals whose sensitivity and perceptiveness make them fascinating and lovable pets. But as most cat owners can tell you, cats are also creatures of habit and comfort. They can become stressed or scared by a range of things, from a trip to the vet to a new person in the house.

 

To tell if your cat is experiencing stress, closely observe his body language, advises Dilara Goksel Parry, a certified cat behavior consultant with the San Francisco-based company Feline Minds. As prey animals, cats are masters of disguise, she says. People need to be able to take in all the information the cat is giving them with their expressions and body languagethe tension in the body, the size of the pupils, the movement and direction of the ears, vocalizations, and so on.

 

But once you notice your cat is stressed or afraid, where do you go from there? Calming down a cat is a delicate process, so weve provided some tips for getting kitty back to his happy, mischievous self. 

Image:Elya Vatel/Shutterstock.com

Familiar Smells Can Help Your Cat Stay Calm

Some cats love to travel, especially if they get accustomed to it as a kitten. But some cats need a little extra help to stay calm. When traveling, it’s very important to maintain some sense of routine for your kitty. This normalcy will help your cat feel calmer.

Be sure to bring all your cat’s necessities, like food, bowls, toys, travel-sized litter, and a  or blanket. When choosing which bed or blanket to bring, pick your cat’s favorite or one she spends a lot of time in. The familiar feel and scents will provide a sense of security.

To enhance the sense of normalcy and further calm your cat, put your cat’s carrier in your home for a few days before the trip and keep a favorite blanket or towel inside.1 Give her treats occasionally in the carrier too. The goal is for the carrier to smell like home once you put it in the car and for your cat to find the carrier comforting by the time you get on the road.

How To Calm A Cat Down

Being aware of your cat’s emotions can help you to intervene and provide some comfort. However, soothing a frightened cat isn’t always easy. So, how to calm a kitten or a cat down?

  • Be calm

Cat’s will feed off your stress, so the more anxious you are, the more anxious your cat is likely to be. Talk to your cat in a soothing and calm voice.

  • Don’t make sudden movements

Move slowly and deliberately. Sudden movements are likely to startle your scared cat further.

  • Don’t trap them or restrict their movements

Cats don’t respond well to feeling constricted or trapped at the best of times. Always allow them the space they need to feel unthreatened, but too much space can leave them more vulnerable in a new house.

Don’t force your cat to leave a pace where they feel safe. Calmly lure or coax them out if you need your cat to move.

  • Introduce new things slowly

A new pet, a new family member, or a new home can all be very intimidating to your cat. If you’re introducing a kitten to a cat and family members, do it slowly and in stages. When moving to a new home, allow your cat to feel comfortable in one room before giving them a full run of the new house. This new space can be a lot to handle all at once.

  • Provide familiar comforts

Make sure your cat has access to their litter box , food, and water, as well as items like blankets or beds and toys that smell familiar and can be comforting.

  • Create positive vibes
  • Keep exits sealed
  • Calming treats or diffusers
  • Desensitization training

Why Is My Cat Stressed

 

There are many reasons as to why your cat could be stressed. Firstly, they could be genetically predisposed to stress, something which is impossible to foresee.

 

Secondly, they could be feeling overwhelmed about their environment which could make them nervous. Even if your cat is generally independent, they will still like to have their routine and habits. A sudden change in their daily routine could leave them feeling anxious.

 

The arrival of a child or another animal in the family, in particular another cat with which they must now share their territory among other things with, can also upset them.

 

Understand The Symptoms Of Anxiety:

First, you need to understand the symptoms of an anxious cat. Typical Anxiety in cats symptoms are inappropriate urination, increase the amount of scratching, shouting and excess vocalization. Cats are naturally anxious and act upon their instincts. Whether you are taking it out for a walk or driving your kitten to the vet, it always behaves stressful, and you can understand the tense moment. When your kitten is driven crazy with anxiety, it pees outside of litter box, runs everywhere and does a lot of nasty stuff. An unhappy cat also twitches its tail in the air to show warning signs of anxiety.

Behavior specialists and veterinarians suggest noticing emotional and physical signs given by your cat to figure out the reason for anxiety. If you are looking for ways to relax your stressed cat, here are the top ten ideas on How To Calm an Anxious Cat:

Give Her Some Calming Pet Treats:

Believe it or not, pet treats make your cat feeling nervous breakdown. One of the most popular methods about how to calm an anxious cat is offering it delicious pet treats. Calming pet treats are manufactured to support the mental health and nervous system functionary in the cats brain which eventually calms down the tensed nervous system. You can use these treats daily or in times of stressful moment.

Pet treats are considered to be one of the natural remedies that help your kitten to fight against a kitten. There are wide ranges of pet treats in the current market which are offering different types of flavors. Cat treats are made up of ingredients that helps to decrease anxiety in feline. If you are using these treats for the first time, try something that has chicken, fish, and turkey.

Calming pet treats consists of ingredients like L-theanine, Biopeptide blend, C3 Blend or Colostrum calming complex Biopeptide Blend. All these supplements help to reduce anxious feelings in the animals. They have filtered mixtures of fatty acids and proteins which promotes calming sensations in the anxious brain activity. Give your kittens these treats whenever it needs and be careful with the number of dosages and keep in mind not to overdose your kitten.

Mimic Their Hunting Instincts

How To Calm Down Your Cat When It

Learning how to play with your cat effectively makes all the difference between a hyperactive cat and a cat who is satisfied and tuckered out. The best way to play with your cat is to mimic their natural hunting instincts. 

Rather than move a wand toy wildly around and hope your cat will chase it, build up the anticipation by slowly dragging it or moving it around and trying to time their pounce. If you imagine a cat hunting in real life, they are going to spot a wounded bird or mouse and stalk it until its the perfect moment to make their move. Simulate this struggle by moving the toy around the corner, under a blanket, or with rustling noises. Youll quickly get your cats attention and once theyre in the hunt, theres no stopping them!

How Do I Know If My Cat Is Nervous Or Afraid

Sometimes its clear when your cat is upset about something, but some cats can hide their fear and you may not realise theyre uncomfortable. You might not to see their first reaction when something scares them, especially if it happens while theyre outside, so you may only see the end result which is often hiding or stress.

Signs of fear in cats include:

  • Freezing in place or making themselves small by crouching low to the ground and lowering their head
  • Running away
  • Arching their back and puffing up their fur
  • Wide eyes with big pupils that look like ovals or circles
  • Tucking their tail under them or swishing the tip quickly side to side
  • Moving their ears quickly or flattening their ears close to their head
  • Hissing or spitting
  • Scratching or biting
  • Peeing or pooing outside their litter tray.

If youre seeing any of these signs, it could be your cat is afraid, anxious or stressed and its important to get take the steps below to help.

If you have an anxious or fearful cat, they can develop a condition called stress cystitis which causes pain, blood in the urine and can even lead to a blocked bladder. Contact your vet for help as soon as possible if you see signs of these or any other symptoms that are worrying you.

How To Get A Kitten To Sleep At Night

Planet Feline is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Do you have a kitten that runs around all hours of the night? Maybe youre wondering how to get a kitten to sleep at night. If so, youve come to the right place. 

In todays article, we will talk about how many hours a kitten tends to sleep as well as how to coerce your beloved kitty into sleeping so that you can have a more restful night yourself. 

Table of Contents

Learning To Play Nice

Kittens learn to control how hard they bite from their mothers and littermates. A kitten who is separated from their family before two or three months of age may not have learned appropriate play behavior, leading to unwanted nipping. Kittens also learn acceptable play from humans: if people use their hands and feet instead of toys to play with a young kitten, the kitten may learn that hands and feet are play objectswhich is cute when theyre kittens, but painful when theyre adults. Consistency is key. Everyone in the household must be on the same page: your kitten can’t be expected to learn that it’s okay to play rough with certain people but not with others.

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In most cases, it’s easy to teach your kitten or young adult cat that rough play isn’t acceptable. Follow these tips to keep playtime fun:

 

Have The Kitten Checked

Sometimes, kittens wont calm down due to a health condition. While most kittens will become neurotic because of anxiety and fear, some are suffering from . This condition will make the kitten increasingly active and thirsty. You will also notice a sudden boost in appetite, accompanied by unexplained weight loss.

You should bring your cat to the vet for proper diagnosis and treatment. No matter what you do, your cat will remain overly energetic unless its medical condition is treated.

How To Calm A Kitten: 10 Effective Tricks

Kittens tend to be hyper and energetic, which can be a handful at times. Also, kittens can get easily stressed when overstimulated or if exposed to an undesirable experience. As the owner, you should know how to calm a kitten to manage its behavior. This will also reduce your kittens stress so that it wont border to aggression and behavioral problems. You can also try diffusing essential oils, massage, more playtime, and soothing sounds to calm a nervous kitten.

Below, I discussed ten easy steps you can take to calm your kitten. Ive done this to my kitten Watson, and so far hes doing great:

Table Of Contents

Use Calming Essential Oils

 

In addition to your cats own personal musk, there are other natural scents, particularly essential oils, that can create an aura of kitty-calmand they work on humans as well. Johnson recommends scents such as honeysuckle and lavender, which can have a calming effect on cats. At the vet practice, when we have an aggressive cat in the exam room, well put a couple of drops of lavender oil on a paper towel, so its just airing in the exam room, she says. Just a little in the air is all you needuse a small amount at a time and store essential oils safely out of reach, as they can be dangerous to cats if they come in direct contact with them. 

Image:AmyLv/Shutterstock.com

How To Calm Down A Crazy Cat

July 25, 2019

Anyone whos adopted a kitten knows theyre very playful, if not slightly annoying. But most kitties grow out of it. However, not all of them do. If your is over six months in age and is still acting out, you may have to accept that youve got a crazy cat on your hands. Any animal is unpredictable, but cats can be especially sneaky: They can act cuddly and sweet half the time, only to turn into a monster mere minutes later. They also tend to get extra hyper at night time, kind of like mini-werewolves. Running around your apartment, scratching everything in sight and making lots of noise are some favorite pastimes of unhinged felines. But dont give up hope. There are some steps you can take to tame your kitty, especially if their hyperactivity is due to an underlying cause. Check out our best advice for how to calm down a crazy cat below.

Can Kittens See In The Dark

How to Make your Kitten Calm Down! Relaxing Music to Help ...

Both cats and kittens tend to be able to see way better in the dark compared to us humans. However, its important to note that they cannot see in absolute darkness. There must be some sliver of light coming from somewhere such as under a doorway or through a window.

When a kitten is still really young though, they tend to have poor vision, because theyre still growing and adapting to their new environment. This is especially true if they have just been born within the last 2 weeks or so. 

After awhile, your kitten will start taking on the same general feline traits as adult cats do in regards to the development of their eyesight. This growth can be compared to that of a human babys early stages of vision.

How Can I Help My Kitten Enjoy Physical Contact

Depending on his personality and early experiences as a kitten, your cat may either enjoy or dislike certain types of handling. In order for the cat to learn to accept and enjoy physical contact from people, it is critical that the human hand only be associated with positive experiences and that physical punishment is not used.

Begin with those types of handling that the cat enjoys like scratching him behind the ears. Speak to him in a kind voice while petting him. For reluctant cats, you may consider giving a treat during the petting sessions. This technique can be applied to other types of handling and can help the cat become accustomed to, and perhaps eventually enjoy, petting, grooming, teeth brushing, nail trimming, and even bathing.

Warming Up Cooling Down

A good workout starts and ends with a warm up and cool down session. The same goes for kitten play sessions. In particular, the cool down lets your kitten know that its time to slow things down and relax. While winding the play session down, move the toy more slowly and let your kitten chase it without as much energy behind her movements. When you see your kitten beginning to get tired of the game, let her cool down and then give her food. Instinctively, your kitten will want to eat a meal, clean herself, and take a nap. Do this before bed at night so that she can go to sleep when you do.

Give Her Plenty Of Attention

In addition to playing with your kitten, you also need to give her plenty of attention to make her feel loved. You can allow her to sit with you while you watch television or work on your laptop. You can also pet her while she purrs in your arms or maybe snuggle with her in bed. This helps to prevent feelings of loneliness, neglect, or boredom- all of which contribute to making a kitten hyper.

Should I Leave A Light On For My Kitten At Night

In general, you will not need to leave any lights on for your kitten. If it is their first night in their new home, then yes, you may want to leave a light on for them. This is simply to help them with transitioning to their new environment and surroundings. 

But for the most part, no, you do not need to leave any lights on for your kitten. You may, however, wish to keep a small light on simply for their safety if you tend to get out of bed to use the bathroom a lot and dont want to risk accidentally stepping on your kitten. It would also help to buy them a suitable cat bed for them to sleep in.

I would not recommend having a brighter constant light on though. The reason for this is because cats are like any other animal on this planet in that they have pineal glands. 

What pineal glands do is help support the production of melatonin, which naturally helps induce sleep. So if you constantly have a light on, this will interfere with melatonin production and could have a negative effect on their sleep cycles.

When Do Kittens Calm Down

When you think of energy, you may often think of puppies. But dont disregard felines as your kitten grows, they may exhibit different levels of energy. Nold points out some differences between  and  below.

Cats are not small dogs. In general, we dont use calm down as a term for cats. Unlike dogs, your cat may place more importance on the security of their home than attachments to people or other cats. In other words, they may tend to be more solitary.

A kitten may have energy while they learn, grown, and explore. Naturally, thats to be expected from your feline.

Also, its important for your kitten or adult cat to feel comfortable at home. Consider creating a cat-friendly space that gives your best friend a chance to roam and get that energy out in a safe space.

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