Ah, the hyper kitty cat. There’s nothing more entertaining and amusing to watch. However, when the hyperactivity goes on for a long time, with a little attack session on your poor fingers or toes, a lot of midnight wake-up calls by way of kitty cat war cries, meowing and darting around the house like a wildebeest, this charming behavior really begins to lose its shine.
Are you trying to figure out why on earth your cat is so hyper? Do you wish you knew if all cats were this way or if your cat is just a little bit unhinged?
Cats have a deeply ingrained biological need to hunt, stalk, and kill prey. This instinct is not due to mischief or naughtiness; it is a fundamental part of their survival mechanism.
Without the urge to hunt, cats would likely spend their days lazing around or napping, which in the wild would lead to starvation and ultimately, death. This hyperactivity is crucial for their survival in nature. Interestingly, all cats exhibit hyperactive behavior. It’s not just your cat that acts out of the blue. Cats are either nocturnal or crepuscular, which means they are active mostly at night or during sunrise and sunset. This can lead to issues such as cats crying at night or waking owners up early in the morning due to their bursts of energy. Fortunately, cats can adapt to be diurnal, meaning they can become active during the day like humans. Many cats naturally shift to this pattern after living with humans for some time. There are several strategies to calm a hyperactive cat: 1. Acknowledge that your cat will always have hyperactive moments. To ensure calm during desired times, engage in short, intense play sessions to drain their energy. 2. To reduce nocturnal hyperactivity, ensure your cat expends energy during the day. If all needs are met during daylight hours, including exercise, prey drive release, and meal times, cats are likely to rest and sleep at night. 3. It’s important not to fight against your cat’s natural needs or punish them for wanting to play. Instead, provide outlets for their energy and instincts. One tool that can help manage your cat’s energy is the Interpet Pet Love Kat Tikkler Feather Wand Cat Toy, available on Amazon and eBay.It’s not healthy for your cat and won’t work out for you if you don’t train it properly. Instead, work with your cat to fulfill its needs during morning, afternoon, and evening hours so it is wiped out by nighttime. The cats and humans in your household will be happier and healthier for it.
Now it’s time to get into the tips. What I recommend is trying to do the most effective ones first. I’ll start with what I think are the most effective and work my way down to those that are not ineffective but definitely not as effective as the initial ones. Petlinks Jeepers Creepers Catnip Rat Toy – Amazon / Chewy 1. Have regular, high energy playtime with your cat during the day. Cats need play in their lives due to their prey drive. Your cat should have regular, daily playtime sessions that last around 20-30 minutes in total for each day. You can break this into two or three sessions or have one long playtime until your cat is completely spent. It depends on what works for you and your cat. You can also “outsource” some of the work to automated cat toys like automatic laser pointers or button activated prey-under-rug types of games. But if these aren’t interesting or engaging for your cat, you’ll need to play with it yourself. If your cat is still hyperactive even after regular playtime, use high-energy exercise toys like Go-Cat Da Bird Feather Wand Toy. Many cat toys are great for mental stimulation but don’t drain your cat’s energy. High energy cat toys are useful for getting your cat to use its prey drive fully. Kittens are notorious for having lots of energy, so these toys work well for them. Some adult cats are also high-energy, and a bunch of high-energy cat toy options are great for releasing their pent up energy and aggression on a toy instead of the furniture, wall, or you. 2. Add toys your cat can play with by itself to your cat’s environment. Imagine if your hyperactive kitty got a burst of energy and instead of whining, complaining, or attacking you, it went to a cat toy and played with it. You’d have no issue with a hyper, high-energy kitty if it was that proactive about playtime. Unless you have toys that cats can play with by themselves littered around your home in all the places your cat spends time, you can’t know if this picture of domestic bliss and life-with-cats perfection could be your household.Considering the affordability of non-electronic cat toys compared to their electronic counterparts, it’s worth trying a variety of them. Avery, a cat, particularly enjoys cat springs and a stuffed mouse that emits an electronic squeak when poked. Knowing his preferences, efforts are being made to purchase more toys of similar types—those that jump and bounce in amusing ways, and those that squeak or chirp upon contact.
For cat owners who are frequently away from home, these toys are ideal for leaving around the house to keep your cat entertained. One recommended toy is the Catit Design Senses Play Circuit Light Up Ball Track Cat Toy, available on Amazon and Chewy. Making your cat’s environment more engaging is crucial. While it might be disheartening to hear, a hyperactive cat around you could indicate boredom during your absence. It doesn’t mean you’re a poor cat owner; cats can be selective and get bored easily. Boredom is more common in indoor cats, but it’s not a problem to have an indoor-only cat. There are numerous ways to keep an indoor cat entertained. Here are some ideas to combat feline boredom and create an engaging environment. For those living in apartments or small houses, an article on keeping indoor cats happy in small spaces offers additional tips for improving your cat’s environment. Lastly, consider stopping free-feeding and instead, feed your cat meals. Cats are known to have bursts of energy before eating. In the case of Avery, he shows signs of readiness to play about an hour after his main meal, indicating the importance of structured feeding for energy and playtime.A key rule of thumb for managing your cat’s meal times is to ensure they eat one or two hours before you sleep or shortly after waking up. This allows you to be present when your cat wants to play post-meal, helping them burn off energy.
If your cat tends to get hungry at night, consider providing kibble in a slow feeder bowl or a puzzle feeder cat toy such as the Catit Senses Food Maze, which I personally recommend. This approach prolongs the eating process, preventing the food from being quickly consumed.
For the main meal, it’s best to stick to the one or two hours before sleep or after waking up schedule. You can find the Catit Design Senses Food Maze on Amazon or Chewy.
I invite you to share your thoughts, experiences, and advice on hyperactive cats. Have you dealt with a hyper feline? Did your cat outgrow this behavior as they matured? Did they used to wake you up at night or attack your toes under the bed sheets? If you’ve found a solution, please share it in the comments below.
Your insights could be invaluable to other pet parents. Any comments related to hyperactive kitty cats are welcome. Your few minutes of sharing could make a difference to someone else.
