When does hyperactivity end?

[nallashuman]

hi everyone! I have a issue I'm dealing with.. My kitty 7 months old (my best guesstimate) is terrorizing the house at night. I'm not sure when this phase will end as I've never been a cat mama before. She has these moments throughout the day and night where she just goes berzerk! She gets the doggies running after her. Now during the day I don't have a issue. its when she's dancing on my legs and abdomen at 3 am that is starting to wear me out. I was told that she's Bengal and they are more hyper than other breeds. But will it end? Will she calm down and let me rest?? EVER?!?!

 

[pinkdagger]

Kittens do tend to be full of energy, but there's also no guarantee it's something they'll grow out of. Some cats, while they may mellow out (relatively) with age, will continue to be balls of energy and will go tearing around the house at 3am.

We have an 11 year old who, starting at 11pm will run around the apartment and meow LOUD whether we're in bed or not. The other night, he was tearing around and all we could hear were his claws scrambling on the wood floor. He did it on and off until 7am when my boyfriend got tired of it, scooped him up onto the bed and held him until he calmed down and went to sleep with us.

So how long it will last is largely dependent on the cat themselves. If you want to discourage it, you can tire her out right before you go to bed. If there's someone home during the day, you can try to keep her awake and engaged in the daytime so she'll be more likely to follow your sleep schedule a bit more closely.

Cats have a schedule of hunt -> eat -> sleep, so it's more natural for them to expend a bunch of energy, eat their "kill", and then rest and digest. If you can get her excited and playing for a solid 20 minutes, or get her so riled up that she's running laps around the house (and even better if she's panting!) while you're still awake, you can feed her before bed and she may be less inclined to use all that energy after bedtime. You could also close her out of your bedroom at night if her physically getting in your way is a primary issue.

Dogs have the advantage of being taken out specifically for walks and runs to get the energy out - the way they expend energy, especially as young cats, you can compare to the way you would have to exercise a dog each day.

 

[nallashuman]

Ty. I'll try playing with her before bedtime! I hope she settles down though

 

[LTS3]

Well I have an Abyssinian which is just as active as a Bengal. My Aby  is 4 now and hasn't stopepd bouncing off the walls 24/7

I ended up getting a second cat (a rescue, not another Aby) and that has helped redirect some of my Aby's energy. If getting another cat isn't an option, just keep playing with your kitten more often and for logner periods of time. She will likely settle down somewhat as she gets older.

 

[nallashuman]

I figured the doggies would help her too. She just wears them out then comes to me. Wish I knew cat for "I'm not a trampoline"

 

[stewball]

hi everyone! I have a issue I'm dealing with.. My kitty 7 months old (my best guesstimate) is terrorizing the house at night. I'm not sure when this phase will end as I've never been a cat mama before. She has these moments throughout the day and night where she just goes berzerk! She gets the doggies running after her. Now during the day I don't have a issue. its when she's dancing on my legs and abdomen at 3 am that is starting to wear me out. I was told that she's Bengal and they are more hyper than other breeds. But will it end? Will she calm down and let me rest?? EVER?!?!

As far as I'm aware you b should b get by

 

[stewball]

From everything I hear about a Bengal it seems you should have two so they'll have fun.

 

[nallashuman]

I wish I could get another one! Maybe this summer :-)

 

[cicoccabim]

I had the same feeling about my cat about that age. Now she´s almost 2 years and is still playful, but not hyperactive. She is part siamese, and I guess that it affects her activity a lot. But she will never be a "sleep at the couch-cat". Beeing nosy and active is part of her, and a big part of her charm and personality, as it probably is for your girl as well. 

Be patient, try to see it with a lot of humor and patience, and know that it will decrease when her mind and body gets grownup. 

i do agree with others that play is an important part to cope.... have you tried to go on walks with a harness and leash? That helped my cat a lot. Mental stimulation and physical (trees to climb, bugs to catch, a lot of new smells...). Bengals are smart cats, normally easy to teach to walk in a leash.