Kitten is hard work!

[Livelykittenmum]

How long are kittens usually very boisterous?

We have a very friendly 12 week old kitten and my, he's hard work! We have an 8 year old cat, who was considerably easier when young.

He does sleep, mostly at night, and a little in the day, but he is up and down curtains, snd just about everywhere else, and wants to play fight quite a lot, including with our poor 8 year old cat. We have to separate them often, as the older cat seems to get harassed, and will eventually retaliate. We shut off the cat flap as he'll try to follow him out, and is desperate to have a look out.

The vet calls him "a confident kitten ". He's been bought a box of toys snd I have a couple of young people around who play with him too, when he wants it, but we are all getting worn out!

I'm looking forward to when he is older and can go out to play just for a bit. Obviously that won't be for a couple of months at least, as we'd hate to lose him or see him come to harm. And anyway the vet won't spay him till he's 5 months.

Does anyone have tips on how to manage and amuse him and also views about when to risk him venturing outside in the longer run? It's not that our house is too small for him; it isn't.

[Stuffofawesome]

Photo or it didn't happen.
The automatic laser pointer toy might buy you some time and wear him out

[Livelykittenmum]

Here he is:

[Fluffycloudland77]

You need games where he runs up and down the straits, tires them out just like it would us.

[Livelykittenmum]

He do have a version of a pointer which is a self propelled rotary one. He's so over it!

[Livelykittenmum]

Does

[WitchesSpelleas]

A Feliway plug-in might diffuse the tension between your kitten and your 8-year-old.

[GarlicSoup]

Oh he’s adorable what you need is another kitten to entertain him actually I’m serious.

[Livelykittenmum]

Does the Feliway actually work, then? I'll try it if so.

I would have loved a pair, and I saw the advantage. It just seemed one too many for us in total when the 8 year old cat was accounted for. Vet bills x 2 is plenty!

The stairs are well worn, as he moseys up and down from the "kids" bedrooms whenever he feel like it.

His all time favourite activity is leaping onto the cats heads. At the moment we're giving the older one plenty of down time, for both their sakes.

[Stuffofawesome]

Oh my he is beautiful. Thanks for the pics

[WitchesSpelleas]

Does the Feliway actually work, then? I'll try it if so.

I've found they work, yes - can't speak for every single cat, of course, but I've had four cats over the years who have all responded well.

[Oldraver]

That face has trouble all over it.

Lots of wand playing tires then out

We have the round self propelled laser and he much prefers just a pointer. Or chasing shadows

[VettiyaIruken]

Kids are always very playful 😁

Toys you can use to play with them are best. When mine was a kitten she had more toys than most children 😁 but what she loved the most was a plastic stick that my husband used to run round the house with.

Like all children. Toys - meh. Plastic tat, scraps or boxes - hours of fun!

You need to play with him. Have him running round after stuff, jumping for it, etc.

[crimsonlake]

What a cute kitten.
Mine is 18 months now and is still very much in the kitten stage. I have always had cats and never remember any of them being such a handful as this one. I also have an older cat and never really considered how long he would have to suffer being constantly tormented. He has put up with such a lot and has been very tolerant, my other cat who died of old age would have probably murdered her.

[jellybeanz1212]

Yeah you're meant to get 2 kittens

[dementedpixie]

Mine dont have much interest in cat toys but will chase a length of ribbon or a ruler or a stick. Use a laser pointer to get him running up and down the stairs

[Longdistance]

That kitten has rebel written over his cute face. He looks so curious.
Definitely needs wearing out. I wouldn’t be impressed with him going up the curtains at that age. When my cat was a kitten he did it twice. He got told off doing it and learnt quickly.

[AmelieTaylor]

He is gorgeous, but definitely has that 'what next' look about him!!

There was a cat toy advertised the other day that looked like great fun. Kind of whack-a-Mole for cats.

If it was me, I'd have a 'play zone' & a 'quiet zone' & try to stick with it. Playing a lot with him in the play zone, but just sitting snuggling in the quiet zone and removing him if he's playing up.

My tone would leave him under no illusion that scaling the curtains is not something we do!!

[Livelykittenmum]

Some great ideas here. Thanks to all of you.

He really does have trouble on that face. That's a perfect description.

I can't tell you how much it displeases me about the curtains! 2 huge pairs, cost a fortune and had to be made as the windows aren't standard. I keep pulling him off and then removing him to another room, but it hasn't helped so far.

The thing about older cat, is he is actually quite tolerant. He puts up with so much, plays a little, then bats him off a few times. He might lie on top of him and pins him down to make him stop. Eventually he gets annoyed, so we're having to watch snd separate before it gets dodgy.

[TheLongRider]

A paper bag or cardboard box can encourage play between cats. Or even rolling toys past the bag containing a cat so that the cat can pounce on the toys.

Kittens tend to have an on/off switch, when they're on they're on!

[MatildaonaWaltzer]

Yes yes @TheLongRider - Boots now do paper rather than plastic bags and the 10p ones are huge and brilliant for cats. Ours is getting one for Christmas 🤣

[Livelykittenmum]

Boots bag on the list!

[whiskyremorse]

Ping pong balls are also very attractive to kittens. You can tie them to wool/string and hang them off door handles at different heights. He will tire himself out trying to get them!

[chocolatespiders]

www.amazon.co.uk/DADYPET-Interactive-Automatic-Entertainment-Intelligence/dp/B07DCKVGJ8/ref=sr_1_11?dchild=1&keywords=cat%20spinney%20toy&qid=1605382935&sr=8-11&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

We had this when boy kitten was young and he loved it a lot, plug in to charge it up. Lots of similar on amazon. We also had his mum so they used to play fight together. she sadly was attacked by a dog and died.

He is a year now and just sleeps and goes outside.

Also he was neutered at 14 weeks old and recovered well.

[chocolatespiders]

PS He is gorgeous

Mine also loves a paper bag primark etc and a cardboard box which i grab if i am in the supermarket.

A cheap cat tunnel might be a good toy, I think wilko sell them.

[leolion1]

Sorry but I fail to see how you could ever be annoyed at that face!