Background - We have three spayed females cats, all of whom we got as kittens. The oldest two are going to be 2 years old in May, and the youngest will be two in July I believe.
On the 15th, we adopted a male kitten that is 8 months old (Dino) and neutered. He has been confined to part of the upstairs that includes the laundry room, a bedroom, and a closet because we still can't leave him unsupervised with our other cats. We do let him mingle with the other cats a couple times a day for short periods. I know kittens have energy, but Dino has a TON of energy...more than any of our other kittens did. He never sits still for long. Basically,we need to let him out and play with him to the point of exhaustion or he will try to play with mainly Ava, who gets mad about him pouncing on her. They'll chase each other around, but both cats end up getting a little upset. The cats have not hurt each other, but it's still not like when the females chase each other around for play. Could part of the reason for his excessive energy be because he's cooped up by himself for most of the day? I hate doing that to him, but I know it's necessary at this point. Also, does he just chase Ava around and not the other cats because she's the one that responds the most to him pouncing? I don't think she'd be as upset if he wasn't constantly trying to play. It's like she needs a break.
Also, and this is very important to me to fix, he seems to think hands and feet and HAIR are toys. He is a very friendly cat and loves attention, but if you start petting him he will more often than not paw at your hands or nibble on them. He doesn't take his claws out when he does this, except with my husband's friend, but that's because the friend was basically encouraging Dino to play with his hands. (I don't like that.) I'm not sure what to do about this because none of our other cats did it. I don't think it's a situation where he's trying to tell us he doesn't want to be pet, because if you stop petting him he rubs against you/climbs on your lap/rolls around like he wants you to continue.
If anyone has any suggestions on either issue, I'd appreciate the information. Thanks!
On the 15th, we adopted a male kitten that is 8 months old (Dino) and neutered. He has been confined to part of the upstairs that includes the laundry room, a bedroom, and a closet because we still can't leave him unsupervised with our other cats. We do let him mingle with the other cats a couple times a day for short periods. I know kittens have energy, but Dino has a TON of energy...more than any of our other kittens did. He never sits still for long. Basically,we need to let him out and play with him to the point of exhaustion or he will try to play with mainly Ava, who gets mad about him pouncing on her. They'll chase each other around, but both cats end up getting a little upset. The cats have not hurt each other, but it's still not like when the females chase each other around for play. Could part of the reason for his excessive energy be because he's cooped up by himself for most of the day? I hate doing that to him, but I know it's necessary at this point. Also, does he just chase Ava around and not the other cats because she's the one that responds the most to him pouncing? I don't think she'd be as upset if he wasn't constantly trying to play. It's like she needs a break.
Also, and this is very important to me to fix, he seems to think hands and feet and HAIR are toys. He is a very friendly cat and loves attention, but if you start petting him he will more often than not paw at your hands or nibble on them. He doesn't take his claws out when he does this, except with my husband's friend, but that's because the friend was basically encouraging Dino to play with his hands. (I don't like that.) I'm not sure what to do about this because none of our other cats did it. I don't think it's a situation where he's trying to tell us he doesn't want to be pet, because if you stop petting him he rubs against you/climbs on your lap/rolls around like he wants you to continue.
If anyone has any suggestions on either issue, I'd appreciate the information. Thanks!
As Marcia said, time should calm him (and lots of play, in the mean time). By the time he's 1 year, he should hopefully mellow some.
