1 year old cat questions!

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My Kitten is 11 months old so nearly 1 and in the last 2/3 weeks I’ve noticed he’s becoming even more of a rebel than normal!!
I’ve read online at this age they are the equivalent to a teenager so can be a bit naughty then they calm down a little, was just wondering if anyone else had experience of this?
He’s such a friendly cat (we ve had him since he was 5 months old) and used to love lap cuddles and would snuggle up to me every evening but the last 2/3 weeks he seems to be tearing around the house more , trying to jump on and off furniture, knocking things over, looking to jump out of high up windows if they are a fraction open... just wondering if he ll go back to my quieter cuddly kitten after this phase?!

So he doesn't have outdoor access? And he's neutered?

Yes - welcome to your teenage kitten!

One question - has he been neutered yet? (I know many vets are not carrying out non-emergency procedures at the moment). That tends to calm them down a lot.

At this stage they have all the inquisitiveness of a kitten but a lot more energy and they're bigger so they can do more damage. It is a phase and he will get past it. If he doesn't go out you might want to think about a cat tree (if you have room). Also, using interactive toys to play so his focus is on you rather than jumping around the house.

Final recommendation is Feliway - that has a chillout effect on cats.

Main thing to remember is that it will pass!

Yes he was neutered just before we got him so when he was 5 months. We do have a small outdoor garden and he comes out with us sometimes but we are quite close to a road so don’t plan on him being out lots. The house is quite big so he has lots of room to run around, which he is currently making the most of lol.

I have ordered a couple of new interactive toys from pets at home, and actually I used feliway when we first got him to help him settle in which seemed to work quite well so I may try that again, thank you!

I’m also in the process of transitioning him over to adult food, not sure if that will help? At the moment he has half of each but plan for him to be purely on adult within the next couple of weeks.

He’s such a gorgeous cat, I’m just missing my cuddles lol!

Yes, good idea to transition to adult food - kitten food is higher density for smaller stomachs, but once he's down to one or two meals a day he can get the nutrition he needs from standard adult portions.

Cat nip or silver vine sends some cats into a sort of ecstatic trance where they roll around, and afterwards they fall asleep - not all cats go for it but it may be worth a try. Cat nip is easier to get but silver vine is most effective - you can get pre-made toys or a spray for existing toys.

Mine are 9 months old and so naughty!! Constantly up to stuff and getting into things they shouldn't!! It's hard work!!

Well yes, he's being a teenager. It's probably best that he isn't allowed out - this is the age at which cats are most likely to get run over. They have more exuberance than sense.

Oh, the food will make no difference at all :)

I ll stick to the plan of keeping him inside at the moment then. At what sort of age do they grow out of the teenage stage?!!

My cat is elderly and still tears around the house and jumps out of the window. Bless him.

You cannot play with them enough at this age, they love interacting with their owners.

They like things they can kick like that catnip banana on here a few years ago. Loads of cats like that sort of thing.

If he was in the wild he’d be spending a lot of time hunting now.