Your cat has passed the 6 month mark and is no longer a young kitten, it is now a teenager who is beginning to change his behavior and who is reaching the most difficult phase of his life in terms of behavior.
Obviously, the age of adolescence depends on the breed of the cat and can occur only at 1 year old as for example in the Maine Coon . At this stage, he is a savage who forgets all good behavior and is in constant rebellion.
Teenage cat: Habits to adopt
Expect to have a very restless cat during its teenage years and you will need to take some steps to make this time as enjoyable as possible. For example, putting anything that can channel his energy inside like toys and a scratching post. If it’s an outdoor cat, it will roam all the time.
As a teenager you will notice that he needs mental stimulation on a daily basis as he gets bored quickly and for this reason letting him go outside if you live in the countryside is ideal so that he can channel his energy into the nature.
If he becomes rebellious, you will have to correct bad behavior by ignoring him and reward good behavior so that he learns to adopt good habits.
What are the behaviors of the adolescent cat?
Cats adopt certain behaviors during adolescence that allow you to be sure that they have reached this stage of life. In fact, all these behaviors are explained by the change in the brain of the cat which develops and in particular in the limbic system which is centered on the search for reward and emotional impulses. He will therefore be more restless and more aggressive and will develop new demands which can be trying.
New behaviors
You will see many new behaviors, such as him constantly waking you up or climbing on the table. He tries to see what works and what doesn’t. It’s related to the development of his brain.
The kitten’s learning is temporarily forgotten
The good habits you taught him when he was young will disappear to make way for rebellion. He will try to push the limits and interact in a different way. This behavior will pass when he is in adulthood.
Conflicts between cats are on the rise
If you have several cats, you will find that although they naturally get along well, they can get into arguments.
A surplus of energy
Your cat is full of energy and he is determined to use it to take his place in the world by testing the limits with everyone. For example, he had to scratch the furniture, mark his territory, or even fight with other cats?
He will also try to jump high and sometimes attempt acrobatics, especially if he is an indoor cat.
What to do ?
To facilitate this stage of the cat’s life, there are several easy-to-implement solutions:
Channel your energy
To manage your cat’s adolescence as well as possible, you will need to be patient and the first key will be to manage to channel his energy through toys and games. He will need to spend time with you to play and grow into adulthood. And despite his rebellious behavior, the more affection you give him, the easier his adolescence will be.
If he bites you, then there are many ways to deter him, such as playing with him with toys and providing him with something to let off steam such as a scratching post. Never get angry with him because it will break the bond of trust that exists between you. Provide him with a scraper that will allow him to climb and scratch to channel his energy.
Play training can also help him transition well into adulthood and improve his physical and brain skills.
Control bad behavior
This phase of his life rhymes for him with many inappropriate behaviors that allow him to test the world. If he behaves badly, you will have to ignore him or calmly verbalize your dissatisfaction.
Consider sterilization
Adolescence is a time in his life during which he reaches his sexual maturity and a cat can have kittens from 5 or 6 months on average. The cats then enter the heat phase and will seek to mate. He will also exhibit breeding behaviors such as urinating to scent mark and being found by other cats of the opposite sex.
To avoid all of these potential problems, cats can be neutered. The younger the cat, the easier it will recover. This can save you a lot of problems, especially if you have a cat that has access to the outdoors.
Adolescence of the cat: The final word
Adolescence in cats is ultimately quite similar to that of humans and you just need to understand the behavior of the cat to be able to allow it to get through this period as well as possible and not suffer from its sometimes exasperating behavior.