Kitten Behavior

I have a new kitten, 6 months old, male. He is neutered and declawed. He is a spazz! Ton of energy, jumping everywhere, and does not respond to me. I say NO very loud to him if he does something wrong.

I am thinking about getting a second kitten so he has a play buddy. Will having another cat calm his behavior down?

It won't calm the behaviour down, but will redirect it toward the new cat in the form of play. You need to wear this kitty out. Try getting a laser pointer or something, they really wear them out. A new kitty will do wonders.

Your kitty is a kitten - think of him as a two year old child! A total spazz - jumping on everything - learning "Good Boy!" and "No!" are things that will take time.

Another cat probably won't help - then you'd just have twin two-year olds jumping everywhere and spazing out on each other. If you have the money to care for two cats and their medical needs and WANT another cat, that's a different story. But cats are not pack animals, and there's no guarantee that they'll like each other. It may work with dogs, but not necessarily kitties.

He'll start to calm down a little as he gets older. A year or a year and several months.

In the meantime, spend at least 15 - 20 minutes a day playing with him, that'll help work off some energy. Rotate his toys to keep him interested - don't leave all of them out for him at the same time. Put boxes out for him to play in. Take them away or move them after a few days.

Teach him that bad behavior doesn't get him attention. Jumping on the counter? Say "No!" firmly, blow a short, sharp puff of air in his face, set him on the floor and walk away. He gets told in his "own language" he's not supposed to do that, it helps him learn what "NO" means, and he learns that being bad gets him ignored - it doesn't get him attention.

Consider purchasing bird feeders. Birds and squirrels out the window provide HOURS of entertainment. We call it "cat TV."

Praise him for good behavior - he needs to have positive feedback as much as he needs the NOs.

....and the laser pointer is a great idea. It gives them lots of great exercise.

Laurie

Thank you for the advice. I did not know that about not leaving all the cat toys out.