Siamese wildcat

I have a beautiful Siamese kitty almost 5 mos. old - my first Siamese. My last two cats died at the ages of 17 and 18 yrs., so I haven't had a kitten for a long time! Problem is, she is so wild! (Although now that I have decided to write this, she is sleeping quietly in my lap - but this almost never happens!)
She is soooo energetic and wild, and bites and attacks a lot when she is in this wild mode.
I am wondering if there are other Siamese cat owners out there that can tell me if this is normal Siamese behavior, or just kitten behavioir that she will grow out of.
Thanks for any replies!

Although I don't own one, I am around them quite a bit and know a few breeders. They are a VERY active cat. They are known for being active, mischevious, vocal and very attached to thier humans. Most that I have meet stay very playful into their teen years

Uh oh. My neighbor has a very sweet mellow Siamese and I had heard elsewhere that they are pretty sweet. Guess I should have done more research.... But of course I love her, so here I am. I am trying to keep her as an indoor cat - at least for her first year, but this wild behavior may make it impossible. She just wants to run and climb all the time!

Oh no, don't get me wrong, they are very sweet and loving cats. They get really attached to thier owners and are very loyal. You also have to remember that she is very young still. Kittens in general are very active like that. I really don't think she will need to be outside at all. I would just try and give her more things to do in the house such as the tall cat trees to climb, tons of toys and things to keep her busy. Have you thought about getting a second kitten to help her with her energy?

I had a Siamese-cross for many years, she had some of the Siamese traits, but not all of them. Midnight was an active cat who was very affectionate and responsive (more like a dog than a cat), and was very demanding when she wanted attention. I have heard that just because a cat is of a certain breed, it doesn't always mean the cat will have the temperment that is associated with the breed. Maybe this is the case with your neighbor's cat.

When your kitten is in her wild mode, she might be feeling playful, you could try getting her to play with some appropriate toys, like a wand toy.

Thanks folks for the replies and encouragement. She does have tons of toys and playing with her helps, but I can't do it all the time. Also, it seems she revs up the most right at bed time - of course - being nocturnal and all! I have a little back porch which is her "zone' with bed and cat box and all, so if she gets too wild I can put her in there - she also sleeps there at night - thank goodness! or I wouldn't sleep!

So managing her is doable, I was just wondering more what to expect long term in her personality - I would like a little more cuddling and a little less wild-eyed terrorism! I know she is young, so I was just wanting to know other people's experience with older Siamese cats (older than 5 months that is!)

I love the talking voice, the intelligence, the loyalty which is why I got a Siamese, but I guess I wasn't ready for the activity level. Let's hope it's a kitten stage. Any more input?

Oh she's so sweet! My Sophie isn't a siamese, but she's still under a year old and sometimes she gets in one of her wild moods and attacks me; I know that to her its just agressive play, I say "ouch!" or "ouch that hurts!"; these episodes are getting fewer and farther between though so I think it's just a kitten/phase thing.

Don't worry, she will calm down except sometimes she will act like she's seen a ghost and run around like a kitten. They are very affectionate, believe me I know. My mom raises them and I also have a few of their cousins, the Oriental Shorthair. I do have a suggeston for bedtime, about an hour before you go to bed, play very hard with her which will knock her out and she will sleep. Mine curl up with me to sleep and I get yelled at if dinner or breakfast is late. I do love them but my house has always been known as the crazy house. You see, I don't have only OSHs, I have abys which, in my opion, are a little more active. They never grow up even when they are older but the Meezers and OSHs do. Keep us posted. BTW, she absolutely adorable.

Frannie

Thanks for the encouragement everyone. And here is the picture I should have posted - more accurate:

What a beautiful baby! You might want to get her a playmate. This will help when she's really active. Before we adopted Twinkles, Snuggles would play a little rough. After he seemed happier. I guess she was more fun to play with then us.

I'm afraid to get another kitten. I fear it would be TWICE the chaos and they'd tear the place apart. I probly will get another cat later when she settles down. Actually what I really want to do - (I am now bracing myself for the reaction...) - is breed her once and keep a male kitten. I know this will open a can of worms from people against breeding cats - I know, I am one of them! But I really want one of her kittens. Her mother has papers and I am looking for a full blood Siamese to breed her with - only once. I already know I can easily get homes for all of them - everyone loves my kitty. OK, send those responses!

I once read an article that described having kittens as akin to living with tiny kamikaze terrorists. Having had a litter of 4 since they were two days old, I would call this description accurate!! However, I can also attest that even the wildest of them will settle down by the age of 2; it's just that first year that's kind of rough.

I use to own a Siamese about 5 years back. We called him Musty and boy was he wild! He's really active. He likes to pounce on my face. Luckily its always his tummy that lands on my face and not his claws. But he is a loving cat. He really liked rubbing his face onto mine which I find really affectionate. And when he rubs against my leg he will start biting playfully and turns to 'play mode'. I don't know about other Siamese though, but Musty was really hyperactive. Good luck.

Originally posted by martyR
I'm afraid to get another kitten. I fear it would be TWICE the chaos and they'd tear the place apart. I probly will get another cat later when she settles down. Actually what I really want to do - (I am now bracing myself for the reaction...) - is breed her once and keep a male kitten. I know this will open a can of worms from people against breeding cats - I know, I am one of them! But I really want one of her kittens. Her mother has papers and I am looking for a full blood Siamese to breed her with - only once. I already know I can easily get homes for all of them - everyone loves my kitty. OK, send those responses!

Click to expand...

I'm not getting into the breeding thing, that's your call, and I think as long as you are responsible about it...well, here I am getting into it! Anyways...

I disagree with the first part! Where I got my Poppy, they won't even adopt out kittens if they are going to be 'only cats'. You go out and go places while your kitten stays home alone. Then when you get home, he's super excited. But if he had a playmate, he's probably be more satisfied. Well, good luck! He's is such a cutie! oh, and I have a pretty wild and crazy kitty myself, but they do calm down a little with age!

But don't you find that two of them chase each other around and knock over lamps and stuff? I am actually in a good position to have a new "only cat" right now, because I am home almost all the time - partly unemployed and occasionally working at home. And even when I'm gone, she seems to play with her toys. I'm sure I will get a second cat one way or the other at some point tho.

Well, they do a lot of chasing around, but amazingly, never knock anything over. In fact, my kitten has only broken one thing, and that was a mug and he was all by himself. If I could, I'd probably get him another kitten to play with, as my other cat is older and not as playful as he would like.

That's great that you get to spend so much time with your kitty! If you get a new kitten now though, they'll probably socialize better. If you wait until he's grown and get a kitten, he might not want to play. And if you get an adult cat when he's grown it may be more difficult. Well, good luck!

alicat613
If you read my earlier post, you will see that my current plan is to let sumalee have kittens and keep one of them - that's how I'll get the secnd kitty - her very own son!

Oh, I read that, but I forgot! Duh.

Well, I bet they'll get along! I used to have a mom and daughter and they got along just fine, unlike many human moms and daughters!

Well my situation is a little different-I got blue siamese twins, brother and sister at the same time because I was told that they reqiure a lot of attention(this is true). This was wonderful because they are very active intelligent animals and enjoy lots of playtime. On Sept 10th Max got out of the house- I dont know how...(they are both indoor cats) and I haven't seen him since. Since then Bella has been an only cat and I have had to change my routine with her because she was very close to her brother. She is 1.5 years old now and still very much a kitten. The "wild" behavior is due to their curiosty and playfulness. It just takes some work on your part to get her to understand what is acceptable. Don't get me wrong Bella still makes laps around the house at 80mph and plays with everything in sight as well as open every drawer, door and cabinet there is that does not have a baby lock on it.
Because she is home alone all day when I get in she is ready for action and attention. I make it a point to play with her before bed time at least 30min or go for a walk outside on her leash. This really is what she waits for all day...time with you.
I have set play limits from the begining. I do not play with my hands. I let her know that my hands are for love(petting, feeding, grooming, NEVER BITING) and toys (feathers, wand toys, mice ) are for chewing and swating. I don't hit or yell but I can be very firm when I have to get my point across.
I did have problems at night since they are nocturnal but soon she fell right into my routine. I'd get in bed-turn off the light and as much a she tried bringing me mice and balls to play fetch with, I resisted and would ignore her until she would just fall asleep. If it got too bad I would shut her out. The bad thing about that is Siamese are VERY VOCAL and LOUD , you just have to be stronger.
Now when I get in bed and shut off the light she follows with her toy monkey clims under the covers and sleeps through the night.
You have an advantage with a siamese...they catch on quick. Bella is only 1.5 and already she is toilet trained, leash trained, she can sit,lay, and speak on command. The wild playfulness is still there but I also have a great lap cat to watch TV with.
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Monica

Wow Monica - thanks for the great reply!
First I am so sorry about your lost kitty - that must have been heart-breaking. Do you think someone took him? My Sumalee is dying to get out and I've let her come in the yard with me a few times - I can tell she'd love to be out all the time, but I am still too protective. Other cats I've had have styed close to h ome, but I have a feeling she would be a great explorer and wander too far.
Questions:

Do you really mean TOILET trained? I have seen that book how to toilet train your cat, but I never met one that did it.

How do you stop her from biting? My kitty sometimes just gets so excited and bites. I hold my hand still and firmly say (sometimes yell) NO! she usually stops or says "oh I meant to just lick you!" and starts licking. Any other suggestions?

Does your cat really bring a toy monkey to bed with her? This is too much!

At night, Sumalee sleeps quite happily in her little back porch where she has had a bed since she arrived as a baby. She feels very secure there, so this is great.

Right now she is sleeping on a little shelf under my desk by my feet where she keeps me company while I work!