Cats with high levels of energy vary between breed and age range of the cat. As expected a kitten can have up to three times more energy that an adult cat and keeping them amused and engaged can be a challenge. The alternative, if you don’t, can be a cat that learns to be destructive, thinking it’s just fun. They might scratch furniture or carpets, knock things off counter tops, chew or eat house plants, and in general direct their high energy towards things you’d rather they didn’t. That’s why you want to be organized when you have a high energy cat.
1 – Hyperactivity in cats can often be traced to boredom. When a high energy cat gets bored, it will often become even more hyperactive, playing out games it invents, such as chasing imaginary mice or birds, or just running around, bouncing off walls simply because there’s little else for it to do. To combat your cat’s boredom, play with it. Tossing a toy to your pet will rarely be enough. Get down on the floor and engage in some play, if only for 10 minutes, but longer if possible. Tying a small toy to the end of a piece of string, throwing it far away and reeling it in can provide endless amounts of fun for your cat. You’ll love it too.
2 – Don’t let your cat sleep all day. Cats are nocturnal animals – humans are not. If you let your cat sleep all day, it will be awake and probably bored all night. If it then engages in boisterous play throughout the night, guess who will not get enough sleep! It’s much better to have your cat playing throughout the day so that it feels sleepy and tired at night. Some high energy cats will still want to play at night, but if you provide your cat with soft toys to play with, that can often be enough to keep them going.
3 – To help avoid destructive behavior, create a fun play space somewhere in your house. Your den or great room is an ideal place for this. Gather all your cat’s toys into this space and always start off any play session here. Your cat will quickly associate this space with play, and will be able to shed any excess energy playing here at any time. A cat tree or scratching post is an essential item for this area. Combine the scratching post with a climbing tree so your cat can expend lots of built up energy here. If the top part of the tree is also a perch that overlooks the yard or garden, this will give your cat added reason to play here.
4 – Make meal time a scavenger hunt hiding food in various cubby holes and on the cat stand or any other areas you have setup for the cat to relax on while watching outside to see the birds and other animals. This time being a predator will mentally and physically challenge your cat and work off the excess energy. The added bonus is your cat will stay thin by working off its food while discharging the energy.
5 – Invest in a food puzzle toy for those times when you need some time alone. This type of toy is typically a ball-shaped toy that has small treats inside. Your cat has to work out the correct way to release the catch in order for the treat to be released. A treat will always be an incentive for your cat to keep trying to get it released. It’s surprising how long this kind of toy can keep a cat occupied – and how long you can get to have valuable time to yourself.
If you enjoyed this article, you might find the following interesting as well… 4 Games to Play with your Cat or Dog, Top 5 Reasons to Hire a Daily Dog Walker.
I was thinking of getting rid i of my very hyper kitten but this has given me incite on things to do for her and I want to give all of it a try more because I do love her will keep you posted
I have the exact same problem with my kitten, I feel so lost and constrained because of this…
I did almost all the things this article says, but my cat is still so crazy and destructive. He has lots of toys and I play with him for hours and he still has energy and zoomies, it’s never enough.. I believe he would be happier in a house with a big garden..I live in a 3 rooms apartment. I think very often about rehoming him. He is the most difficult cat I ever had. The saddest thing is that I don’t even feel very attached to him because he is not very affectionate..
Eva same here. We walk and play for hours outside and it is not enough. I thought about giving him to a farm. I live in the city.
Don’t rehome your cats because they’re hyper active!! They’ve grown attached to you and moving them will cause them distress. Get different toys, I bought electric ones to play with my cats when I’m done playing and they’re not. Try to keep them up during the day with videos that show birds or squirrels. Love that pet as a child!
dont move your cat and he is atached to you and he loves you so dont move him away from you or he might get anxious or depressed.
you should take him to a trainer if he is scratching and biting you. also, if you don’t have a cat tree, you should get one. also i recomend you to get a floor to ceiling cat scratcher.
My daughter has the most hyper cat I have ever come across and does weird things.for instance she’ll grab your hands woth her paws a lick and lick forever then after done licking she bite and bite and want to play restle.she will fetch toys like a dog.she will get on her hind legs put her paw up and beg.when you pet her it will be certain to turn to a fighting match.it is not like a I’m angry with the aggression but she just wants to bite and scratch wrestling you.once she locked my husband’s head for 20 odd minutes.hes almost bald I might add.i can’t even put it all in words.no amount of play time wears hurt out.she usually does not go on all night and sleeps.thank goodness
you should probably give her a very tall cat tree so she could climb on it and have fun.
For those of you saying you’re thinking about giving away or “getting rid,” of your cat because of a behavioural issue that can be fixed; you should not be pet owners in the first place. What a disgrace.
You really don’t know anything about their situations. For me, a hyperactive kitten basically got dumped on me without any effort to acquire a cat from someone who didn’t get their cat spayed. You have no idea why they have a cat, and that cat could already be dead or euthanized if they weren’t trying their best to give the cat a home.
My kitten is seven months old and no signs of slowing down. She gets very energetic and mischievous at times. We have a ton of different toys with different textures, and some electronic toys. An automatic laser light is a wonderful thing. We had a kitten two months before I got her, so that has helped a lot that they have each other to play with.