For every pet owner, managing an overactive kitten can present difficulties. Kittens are lively, inquisitive, and ready to explore everything when they are just a few months old. Although this behavior is normal, it can occasionally feel excessive, particularly if your kitten is playing nonstop, always on the go, and always pouncing.
Whether your kitten is receiving enough play and stimulation during the day should be one of your first priorities. In order to exhaust themselves, kittens require a lot of activity. Playtime with you or interactive toys can help. A bored or understimulated kitten may exhibit unusually high levels of hyperactivity.
You may be wondering if it’s safe to use a sedative or calming aid if your kitten seems to have excessive or disruptive energy. When thinking about giving any kind of medication to a kitten this young, caution is necessary. Before administering any sedative to your pet, always get advice from a veterinarian. They can advise you on the safest options and dosage based on your pet’s age and health.
| Issue | Solution |
| Hyperactive kitten at 2-3 months | Provide plenty of playtime with toys to release energy. |
| Restlessness at night | Create a calm environment with dim lights before bedtime. |
| Overly excited behavior | Use interactive toys to keep the kitten engaged and mentally stimulated. |
| Need for sedative | Consult a vet for advice on safe, mild sedatives if absolutely necessary. |
Hyperactive or too active?
It is not possible to categorize all active animals as hyperactive. Every healthy kitten is active and playful, and if they bite or scratch while playing, that’s okay too. This group of cats is not known for their high levels of physical activity or their disinterest in games. The baby learns about the world he will have to live in without his mother by exploring the objects around him and by playing and moving around a lot.
Cats typically become more serene as they age. Still, some of them are lively and inquisitive to the end of their days. When an active pet spends the day running around the house, exploring hidden corners, pestering the residents to play with him, and at night, exhausted from a busy day, sleeps soundly, then the animal is hyperactive, no matter what time of day.
He is not acting out of a desire to play and release pent-up energy. Upon witnessing the unceasing motion of the four-legged whirlwind, it appears as though its actions are driven solely by its need to leap and flee, occasionally resulting in unclear outcomes.
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In order to help a hyperactive kitten calm down, it’s crucial to provide them with lots of playtime, mental stimulation, and a cozy environment. Since kittens’ bodies are still developing, sedatives are generally not advised for kittens as young as 2-3 months without veterinary advice. Rather, gentle handling, a calm environment, and the use of interactive toys can all contribute to their safe energy management. For appropriate advice, a veterinarian should be consulted if excessive hyperactivity is a concern.
Symptoms of hyperactivity, diagnosis and treatment
Instead of being an attribute of the animal, hyperactivity is a type of behavioral disorder. An animal is considered hyperactive if:
- It is in an excited, very active state most of the day.
- It does not need to rest at all or does it too rarely. Such cats have a disrupted daily routine. If healthy pets sleep at night, like their owners, then hyperactive cats are full of energy even at this time and cannot calm down.
- Is not able to concentrate on anything. If a healthy animal can be carried away by the game, then an overly active one is not able to play for more than a couple of minutes. It immediately runs off somewhere, losing interest in the activity.
- Shows unreasonable anxiety.
- Eats poorly.
Cats suffering from this disorder may exhibit a lack of motivation, bite or paw at household members, twitch limbs or other body parts, and meow incessantly. The easiest commands that their healthy brothers follow are not perceived by them.
Sometimes the owner of the four-legged patient provides insufficient details about the peculiarities of his behavior for the veterinarian to diagnose the animal. Testing may be necessary; these will provide information about the precise cause of the hyperactivity, such as a thiamine deficiency, hyperthyroidism, head trauma, congenital or acquired neurological disorders, stress, etc. The specific case determines the diagnostic approach. This could be an ultrasound, radiography, MRI, or blood test.
Depending on the kind of underlying disease that caused this issue to arise, a treatment plan is created. While some cats may only need vitamin complexes and sedatives, others may need more extensive medical care, such as surgery.
How to calm an overly active kitten?
Three-month-old kittens are lively and entertaining. It can be difficult at times to quiet these tiny fidgets. When they lose control, they have the ability to completely destroy the house, injure themselves when they run around it and bump into sharp objects, or even drop a flower pot on themselves. You must take action to calm the baby down if the activity endangers his safety.
See also: Cat to Human Translator: How to Learn a Cat’s Language and Communicate with Her?
Satisfy the need for games and movement
You must allow a small pet to release energy and channel it into a calm channel in order for him to become calm. You must use toys to satiate his need for movement and games in order to accomplish this. You can either playfully tease him with a rustling candy wrapper tied to a thread or run with him from room to room while clearing valuables out of the way if he wants to play with the other residents of the house. A play complex can help soothe the infant. The kitten will soon grow weary of exploring its mazes and want to rest.
If the animal bites and scratches, you should either grab him by the jaw, clench his teeth, and pat his ears, or gently pat him on the back with a rolled-up newspaper. A kitten that is playing should not be allowed near children until he has calmed down; otherwise, he may bite or scratch them.
Create a calm atmosphere in the house
Kittens’ minds are still quite active. Anything can pique their interest, such as a sizable group of people within the house, a loud noise, or a bright light. You must remove all stimulants from the "energizer" in order to calm it down. For example, turn off the lights and any loud appliances (radio or TV), ask the kids to talk quietly, and remove the pet from the room. If there are no outside stimulants present, the kitten’s mental condition will rapidly return to normal.
Give a sedative
Sometimes using sedatives is the only way to get out of a sticky situation. This is a last resort, something you should only use if all other attempts to calm the irate cat have failed. Referring a small pet to a veterinarian before administering a sedative is advised.
The sedatives listed below have shown excellent results:
- "Kot Bayun". This drug, which contains medicinal plants, is available in the form of tablets and tincture. It can only be used to calm kittens over 10 months of age.
- "Fitex". This sedative solution is dripped onto the root of the tongue or into the cheek pouch 1 hour before eating in the amount of 3-5 drops three times a day.
- "Relaxivet", produced in the form of a solution and suspension for oral administration, spray, drops for local use. The products of this brand are very effective, they are often prescribed by veterinarians to calm animals.
- Oral solution "Fospasim", which should be given to the pet 1-2 times a day at the rate of 3 drops per kilogram of its body weight.
- "Relax" from the brand "Sanal". This effective product has a significant drawback – since it is available in tablet form, it is difficult to dose it for small animals.
The majority of sedatives are naturally occurring substances, but usage guidelines should be strictly followed when using them. Ignoring them can have detrimental effects on a small four-legged pet’s still-fragile body.
It may take time to calm an overly energetic cat or kitten, but with the correct training, their energy can be directed toward constructive activities. Making their bursts of activity more bearable requires an understanding of what triggers them.
Natural solutions, such as diffusers or calming sprays, can help calm fussy kittens. But before administering any sedative, especially to a pet this young, it’s always a good idea to speak with a veterinarian.
You can also help your kitten become less hyperactive by routinely playing with them, creating a stimulating environment for them, and establishing playtime. Most cats eventually figure out how to balance their energy levels with rest.
