Berserk kitten

Gordon Gekko

Hi all, long time viewer, new poster.

We got two 9 wk old kittens last Friday, male and female littermates.

Male is huge! About twice the size of his sis, and bold as brass. She's tiny, was off her food till Monday evening, now eating small amounts of dry food, while he literally eats all food we put down for both of them, and is constantly meowing for more.

He's very boisterous with her (which I understand is normal kitten playing) - she doesn't seem able/willing to fight/play back, preferring to sit on my girlfriend's lap and sleep. When he stalks her he jumps on her, wraps his paws around her neck and wrestles her to the ground. Sometimes she yelps and he moves away for a couple of mins, then it all starts again. He seems to barely sleep at all, and is literally running around bouncing off stuff. I play with him a lot - different toys for up to an hour at a time in an effort to tire him out. It seems to have the opposite effect - he just gets even more hyper!

She is a good deal more timid, and last night was not happy at all about being put to bed in their bed in the kitchen - I thought she was afraid of him, but my girlfriend just thinks she was being clingy for my girlfriend. Although she is starting to explore parts of the house he explored 2/3 days previously.

Until yesterday, they groomed each other and curled up with each other and were very affectionate with us, but since yesterday he's been very very skittish, sitting still for about 10 secs to be petted (and oftentimes not even that long!) then sprinting off around the house. She is still very affectionate, but looks so tiny beside him we are worried he's bullying her! Before yesterday, when picked up, he purred and went to sleep, since yesterday he struggles and jumps out of my arms.

Apologies for the long post, but is all of the above normal? Given his size, is he maturing too quickly i.e. in need of neutering sooner rather than later? I have no prior experience of cats, my girlfriend does, but only of adult spayed females.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

FranknFurter

Completely normal behaviour, he will calm slightly once hes neutered.
welcome to kitty behaviour land lol, one will be quiet and ciddly where as her brother will be like a kitty-whirlwind, lol. They all have very different personalities, some more "different" than others,......... try owning a "Parrot-kitty" who refuses point blank to leave your shoulder morning noon and night! lol
Oh, and as they are only 9 weeks, feed them in seperate rooms, she prolly is not getting enough food if hes bullying and wolfing it all down.
b

peasant

Don't know, if this applies to kittens as well, but in dogs protein overload causes dogs to be hyper.

Maybe change his food to something with lower protein content or at least make sure that he doesn't eat too much ?

hadook

Cats are obligate carnivores - don't mess with the protein

All sounds like typical kitten behaviour. Does the female kitten seem to be playing too or is she just constantly sleeping? If she's not eating much & seems listless & lethargic it might be best to bring her to a vet?

What are you feeding them? Some kittens have trouble with adult cat food - have you tried a specific kitten food? The kibble is smaller and easier to manage. You could also try her with a little bit of wet food mixed in until her appetite recovers properly?

I have two cats like them. They were the only 2 kitten in the litter - Homer is a big fat ball of fur & Luci is a teeny dainty white cat. Homer has calmed down an awful lot in the last 6 months & Luci has become more outgoing.

Dellgirl

It sounds like me and my brother when we were little- except we didnt lick eachother......well only to piss me off!! Typical sybling relationship.


Wait...this is the parenting forum isint it??!

tk123

My cat used to run around the tops of the arm chairs run up the stairs and then run down and do it again. It sounds nomal enough to me but your post would suggest you're a bit worried - i'd bring them to the vets if you're worried about them at all. The vet will be able to give you all the advise you need and check them over etc..

Gordon Gekko

Hi everybody,

thanks a million for all the helpful replies - you've all certainly calmed us down and stopped us worrying so much about the terrible twosome!! They do everything described in your posts, and then some!

He's still as manic/naughty as ever, but thankfully over the last couple of days she's become very vocal in demanding food, and most satisfyingly, when he tries to headbutt her away from the food, she headbutts him right back! Although once or twice we've had to put him out of the room for a few minutes to let her eat in peace!

In an effort to bulk her up a bit we're giving her whiskas for kittens twice a day and dry kitten food (which she loves!) once, whereas in an effort to stop him being such a lardo (quite the pot belly on him!) we give him whiskas once a day and dry food twice a day.

She's still not overly interested in playing, will mess with whatever toy I'm using with him for a minute then wander off for an explore or a snooze. Judging by your advice she'll start to hit back at him and play more once she's a bit more comfortable and feeling 100% again - OH NO, two of them at it!! :eek:

Arcadian

Ideally your kittens should have access to dry food 24/7. If your male cat truly has a pot belly this is a sign of worm infestation which can be fatal if not treated.

Gordon Gekko

Arcadian, could this also be responsible for his rather smelly poo's and the fact that he has a bit of flatulence going on?

We gave him the worming powder in his food for four days just as the vet advised.

Arcadian

Possibly, if your kitten is REALLY stinky and gassy it's something that should be checked out, especially if diarrhea is present. Kittens need worming regularly and you should make sure that they are on a good quality dry food, such as Royal Canin Kitten and NO milk.

Sigma Force

Parazole wormer is brilliant for kittens (and cheaper) the kittens need to be weighed and given correct dosage. It's gentle on their tums. Kittens in general have big appetites and will scoff anything going.
If you can try feeding them on Burns or Royal Canine kitten food as mentioned. I find the tinned food for dogs and cats makes them stink big time. Too many additives in them too. It may seem expensive but it works out the same because it lasts longer.