Very active behavior for a kitten

Hi,
I brought home a new, 8 week old male kitten about two days ago from a friend. For the first night, he was relatively quiet and kept to himself, which I basically expected. However, since that night, he is constantly full of energy and bouncing off the walls. The major thing, however, is that he yowls for hours on end if I do so much as leave him alone for a minute. Even when I come to play with him, he still yowls and sprints tirelessly all over the place. He eats regularily, keeps himself hydrated, and sleeps appropriately; generally, he looks like a healthy, active kitten.

I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm beginning to worry that it may be health related. Perhaps he's in pain, yet I can't imagine that considering what I said before. So I'm basically dead in the water trying to figure out why he keeps yowling so often. And for the record, I haven't taken him to a vet as of now.

Please share your opinions. Thanks in advance!

Originally Posted by xt86

Hi,
I brought home a new, 8 week old male kitten about two days ago from a friend. For the first night, he was relatively quiet and kept to himself, which I basically expected. However, since that night, he is constantly full of energy and bouncing off the walls. The major thing, however, is that he yowls for hours on end if I do so much as leave him alone for a minute. Even when I come to play with him, he still yowls and sprints tirelessly all over the place. He eats regularily, keeps himself hydrated, and sleeps appropriately; generally, he looks like a healthy, active kitten.

I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm beginning to worry that it may be health related. Perhaps he's in pain, yet I can't imagine that considering what I said before. So I'm basically dead in the water trying to figure out why he keeps yowling so often. And for the record, I haven't taken him to a vet as of now.

Please share your opinions. Thanks in advance!

Click to expand...

Do you have another cat/kittens?? If not, this guy is likely yowling because he misses his littermates. That is why our group adopts out young kittens in pairs:

http://www.pawschicago.org/PetCare/catsinpairs.htm

If you aren't home all day..you may want to get your little one a friend.

Katie

Katie

i can totally relate! I'm feeling like a referee at the moment. Trying to spend quality time with my resident cat whilst listening to the cries coming from my 7 week old kitty in the kitchen. She sleeps for two hours tops, then starts crying. We've got into a routine where we play for ten mins, then she eats, then runs around like a loony for 15 mins, then poops, then plays until she finally falls asleep on my leg. I went in and cooked a meal tonight whilst she hung on to my leg the whole time. I have one of those fishing pole toys which she adores and fortunately i can hold that in one hand whilst getting on with jobs. She just follows me around playing with it. She has a mad hour around 11pm after which i sit on the floor and cuddle her, whilst talking in a calm voice. It seems to help her quieten down. Then i leave her in there with the radio on, playing classical music. She's calling for me at the moment but she's had a lot of attention tonight and i want Tabitha to see me for a while (she's sat on top of the computer lol). I don't want to get into a routine where she expects me to come everytime she calls. Is that cruel? I'm a first time kitten carer so I'm not really sure. She has tons of toys in there and a scratching post. I've put a hot water bottle in her bed too. I hope it will be a lot easier when she can come into the rest of the house with tabitha.

Originally Posted by yorkiegal

I don't want to get into a routine where she expects me to come everytime she calls. Is that cruel? I'm a first time kitten carer so I'm not really sure. She has tons of toys in there and a scratching post. I've put a hot water bottle in her bed too. I hope it will be a lot easier when she can come into the rest of the house with tabitha.

Click to expand...

Kittens do need some adjustment time, first from being from their family, and then to you and your home. Don't feel bad about not coming everytime she calls- you will soon be able to tell the difference between "I'm lonely/bored, etc." and "Help" when your kitten cries, and since you know where she is and what she's doing (If you need to check, you can try putting a mirror around the corner to see her ) Then she will learn that you aren't at her beck and call, and when she can get out and run around, you'll know, if you hear her hollering instead of coming to see you, she probably does need you! (mine are usually stuck in a closet somewhere )

Originally Posted by TNR1

Do you have another cat/kittens?? If not, this guy is likely yowling because he misses his littermates. That is why our group adopts out young kittens in pairs:

http://www.pawschicago.org/PetCare/catsinpairs.htm

If you aren't home all day..you may want to get your little one a friend.

Katie

Katie

Click to expand...

Yes, I didn't mention that I already have an older female that's about 4 years old. At this point, they tolerate each other, but I'm seeing that perhaps their relations will improve. Right now, I'm trying to gradually introduce the two, just to be sure that I don't rush the little one.

I guess I'll give him some time to adjust and then see how things turn out. Thanks for the advice.

@yorkiegal: I'll try something like that, since I want my kitten's transition to be as comfortable as possible. Thanks!

@catsallover: Thanks, that actually takes some stress off me.