Why isn't my kitten playful?
I have a five month old male kitten that I got from a shelter. He has been neutered and dewormed. He has had all of his vaccines and has tested negative for feline leukemia. He eats, drinks, and uses the litter box, but he won't play. He is fed a diet of dry cat food because he will only eat the gravy from the canned cat food which he does get but only a few times a week. He refuses to eat old food or even the same type of food for more than a few weeks at a time. The only food i can get him to eat on a regular basis so far is Iams Proactive Health for adults which i supplement with the goodlife cat treats for a higher fat content. He has steadily gained weight, but still remains a skinny cat, but not to an unhealthy degree. He sleeps much of the day and night but does patrol the house occasionally. I can't get him interested in playing or really doing anything other than walking unless I trap a moth for him to play with. With a moth he goes nuts and hunts it, kills, and eats it. He has toys that he will stare at and sometime move towards but he will never play with . The only one that can get him to play is my girlfriend and that is only occasionally and not for very long. Its not a problem with him being affectionate because he loves me and follows me around, when he is awake, and sits on my lap when ever I sit down. He purrs constantly when people speak to him or pet him. He has dozens of different types of toys, two cat towers, which he will climb but only sleeps when he gets to the top, and another cat to play with but he really has no interest in playing. I will take him to the vet if that necessary but as he has been in the last month when he was neutered with a clean bill of health other than a slightly low blood cell count but not out of the range of normal. The vet said he was not anemic. Is something wrong or is he just a weird kitten?
- <3AnimalLover<3
Dont be worried! ur kitten is perfectly fine! i got my cat at about that age and when i got him he barely played at all too. He was always a mature cat/kitten! today was his birthday ;) by the time ur kitten is 2 he'll be normaler. ahha but its normal....not normal bc most kittens play but normal sometimes like how my cat was like that too. :)
-sus
- Hopp24ycat
I don't think this is a hopeless case but kittens develop their social skills by playing with other kittens and with humans before they even open their eyes. I'm not kidding. Cats have such a well developed sense of smell. I've made friends with kittens and cats by holding my hand out and letting them get used to my smell. After a while they let you play with them and then they demand it.
I've known cats who ran from me, and then followed me around, and then climbed onto my lap.
I have also known cats who were great playmates and then ran from me. He knew I was taking him to be neutered. From that day he would interact on his terms.
If he is your only cat, get him some catnip toys. They love that. After he gets used to the toy, rub some catnip on your hands. That will get his attention.
They do not like sudden movements. Do not push your cat nipped hand too close. Hold it out and let him come to you. If he backs away, respect that. There is a chance that he will never become a lap cat. Sometimes it just doesn't happen. You got him from a shelter at that age. He might not have much experience with humans, and it might be that his experiences with humans have been bad.
Give him room. Think about the possibility of getting another cat to give him a companion (but understand that this hold some risks. What if they hate each other? They will probably become friends, so think about keeping the new kitten in the carrier.
Ha! Here I am thinking you will do that.
Look, I'm 59 years old. I have known and loved so many cats. You really can't predict how they will behave.
All cats, kittens or not, are weird. That's why we love them so much.
And I suspect they think we are weird. I know they love us, but I often wonder why.
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