Cats are juniors until the age of 2, and like human children, may start to show a different temperament between 6 months and 2 years old, even progressing from the (sometimes) defiant 'Terrible Two's' to becoming a stroppy teenager!
Intensive growth 2-4 months. This is the naughty stage of the kitten development chart when your kittens start to show their true colours! An important stage in kitten growth, the personalities of your kitties will come forth during this time making it one of the most endearing stages of kitten development.
The good news is that most kittens calm down with age. Cats develop much quicker than their hooman families so you can expect your kitten to slow down at around 9-14 months as they advance into adulthood.
At what age do kittens calm down? Generally, by 9 to 12 months old, the massive amount of enthusiasm has begun to settle, and a personality has become more apparent. Each cat differs individually with some being more playful and some lazier. However, these are some typical stages you'll see as your frisky feline ages.
Single kitten syndrome is the idea that young kittens, when raised with other young kittens and cats and then adopted into a home by themselves, can become aggressive, anxious, stressed, and even develop behavioral issues like inappropriate chewing/scratching and inappropriately using the litterbox.
Most cats outgrow much of their impulsive behavior and “chill out,” at least a bit. Your goal will be to continue to reinforce the behavior you want, minimize opportunities for your cat to develop bad habits, and then to stay the course until their brain catches up with their body.
A simple training method involves praising and petting your kitten when it leaps onto acceptable surfaces while scolding and removing it from unacceptable surfaces. The spray bottle can help train your kitten to stay off specific surfaces.
It's common for kittens and young cats to engage in rough, active play because feline play can consist of mock aggression. Many cats retain this kitten-like behavior well into adulthood. Cats stalk, chase, pounce, swat, kick, scratch and bite each other—all in good fun.
The sensitive period for such learning to occur in cats is between 2 – 7 weeks of age. During this time period, owners can engineer all kinds of useful friendships between animals of the same or different species. As many owners already know, cats don't just bond to their moms or to their human owners.
You can tell a lot about them by the ways they interact. Kittens who are perpetually stalking their siblings' tails and generally horsing around will be the most outgoing and playful. Kittens who are willing to play but don't initiate a lot of games on their own will generally grow up to be more laid-back.
The Ideal Age to Adopt a Kitten
Ideally, kittens should go to their new home around 12 weeks of age. 3 While some kittens can go home earlier, the closer you wait until 12 or 13 weeks, the better off the kitten will be.
Young cats and kittens that were not raised with littermates, or that lack opportunities to play most commonly show play aggression. Learning appropriate play is an important part of a cat's socialization, and this normally occurs during time spent with littermates.
Overstimulation refers to a cat's normal response to being touched in areas or ways the cat finds uncomfortable, or that have gone on for too long. Many cats exhibit overstimulation or petting-induced aggression.
The most common reason cats experience the zoomies is pent-up energy. Cats rest and sleep for a majority of the day to conserve energy for short, very active periods. Without intentional exercise and activity, your kitty will need to find a way to get that extra energy out, resulting in a case of the zoomies.
“It most commonly (and annoyingly) happens at night. They usually don't last longer than 1-2 minutes, but they leave a lasting impression.”
No Yelling, Threatening, Or Physical Punishment.
Punishment teaches a kitten nothing, except how to avoid the punishment. It is far better, and far more humane, to teach the kitten what to do rather than to punish it for something it is doing.
“Bring them close to your body – they're fragile and you don't want to drop them or have them jump out of your arms if they're scared by a noise.” It's also important to never pick up a kitten by the nape of his neck. “We never grab or scruff. The kitten's mom might, but we don't need to,” says Monteith.
Give a timeout: Gently put your cat in a bathroom or other room without any people in it for 20 minutes if it is misbehaving. Quite often, it will emerge from the room with a different attitude.
Aggressive Biting, Scratching, and Fighting
If your kitten is displaying signs of aggression such as hard biting, scratching that draws blood, and dangerous fighting with other kittens, this is abnormal and problematic behavior.
Boredom may contribute to destructive behavior, so providing dedicated play time and acceptable toys for cats to play with is important. A variety of feline-friendly toys are available, but remember that time spent actively playing with your cat is best, for both of you.
The good news is, despite their reputations for being antisocial, cats love bonding and they do forgive and forget. So, if you're at a loss as to how you're going to rebuild trust and affection with your cat, don't fret.
Most cats with Tarzan Syndrome are aggressive toward other cats. They will defend themselves from the cat you are trying to introduce because they never learned to interact with their own species. They instinctively tell the new cat to back off or else!