Ok all you cat lovers out here I have a BIG QUESTION for you.
When do cats start to slow down?
Boots is only 2 and He still seems very active.
He "rips" through the house at night.
And I was just wondering at what AGE does the running around
and hyperness stops.
I know I can ask a vet. But I don't want to wait till Feb for an answer.
Boots is not due for Booster shots till Feb.
Anyway, Boots does have the ability to settle down and snuggle. But then 3 min later he is off & running.
So I was wondering how long will it be before he really becomes
a full fledged lazy cat? LOL
IF I asked this before, and got an answer I am sorry for the repeat.
My meds shorten my memory alot.
So please forgive me.
I have a 12yo and I have noticed that she sleeps alot more than she used to. Cats in general sleep an awful lot, so that's saying something!
That said, she does still play and she still has her moments, but the last year or two she's been a lot less active.
My 7yo is still VERY active - he zooms around and plays a lot.
Much also depends on the cat's personality.
My older cat is very timid and only plays a little. She is almost 6 years and when we first had her she would never play. Now with the other cat (3ish) she plays more and holds her own with the dog. Oh, and don't even think about getting in her way for tuna juices or her catnip.
The younger cat, esh. She probably won't ever slow down much. Then again, she is not a lap cat most of the time. She will tear up the stairs and bang an open door wide enough for a grown woman to walk a load of laundry downstairs.
I'd say somewhere around 7 or 8 they start to slow down, but again, it's an individual thing.
ETA: As far as the kittenhood hyper-ness slowing down, I'd say about 2 or 3, maybe. Our 18-month old is still pretty freaking hyper, but our 3-year-old is more mellow these days.
ETA again: Now that mine are outdoor cats, they save a lot of the running around for the outdoors and just come inside to sleep and eat. If yours is inside all the time, then you are probably going to see a lot more of the hyper running stuff.
Mine is an indoor cat full-time and at an unknown adult age. The vet guesses about 9 or so, maybe a few years older. She sleeps a lot, but there are still times -- like after a particularly good dinner -- that she whips up and down the hall and into the bedroom. It is just as the mood or an energy rush hits her. LOL!
Like with everything else, cats vary. Some will slow down around 2, or 4, or 8. Remember that cats live longer on average than dogs, so while an 18 yr old dog is rare and 18 year old cat isn't- so they aren't like dogs who are "mature" at 2.
My crazy cat didn't calm down until 7, now at 9 she's mostly an old lady cat who eats, sleeps, and growls all day. My other cat was NEVER hyper and he was only 7 months old when we adopted him.
Most cats slow down when they reach the "senior" age (about 7), but it's all relative to the cat's personality. My 11-year-old still gets a wild hair from time to time and will start jumping and climbing, but he's certainly nothing like the hyperactive kitten or even somewhat wild young adult stages.
Thanks Guys, Now I know I have at least a good 5 years or more of him ripping around the house.
Yep we keep him indoors only, and Yes I do play with him.
And forget about me buying anymore toys for him.
He is happy playing with a bottle cap, twistie tie, and milk jug ring,
better then any toy I can ever buy him, lol
Caps were always my cat's favourite toy when he was a young kitten. I would scratch the edge of the plastic cap and he knew what that noise meant. He would come running, and would chase after it when I flicked it off my palm to the other side of the room. Then he would pick it up and return it after having tossed it about for a while.
He has calmed down a lot since he was a kitten but he still has 'cat crazies' most nights where he runs around and acts silly. My other cat is several years old and doesn't show any signs of slowing down (but she's 'not quite right', similar to Kirby's kitty).
I needed to bump this thread as I had a new question regarding cats.
This one has to do with flowers.
Today a friend of ours brought us a lovely bouquet of fresh cut spring flowers ( I have no idea what kind just a mix bouquet) his way of thanking us for letting him use our lawn mower.
All season long.
Anyway, ever since we got Boots we never had flowers in the house. Cause we did not know how he would react to them
And Bob did not want to waste money on flowers, if he thought the cat would tear them up.
Well I had them on my desk in the master bedroom.
And I caught Boots on the desk rubbing his face on the blooms and trying to eat them.
My question is.... If he was to ingest a flower would it hurt him?
I plan on moving the vase to the ET center. Boots knows he is not allowed up there.
So I am hoping they will stay safe.
But just in case he decides to dissobey the prime directive
and gets up on the ET center to maul the flowers, will it hurt him?
Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer on this subject
A lot depends on the flowers (and if you kill him for getting on top of the ET center LOL)
I don't think that nibbling on most flower will make him sick, but there are a few like lilies that are not good for cats. (most won't kill with just a nibble but will make some cats ill.)
My older cat actually will break rules to sniff flowers. She chews on the greenery but loves to just sniff the flowers. (She is funny little thing.)
Honestly, I just don't get flowers often and don't even have houseplants because the cats like nibbling the green.
Your biggest problem will be if he decides to knock over the vase and get water all over everything.
There is no guarantee that the flowers aren't going to make him sick, but it is extremely rare. I wouldn't worry about it.
I have had cats before who like to knock over vases filled with flowers and water. Not sure why.
Thanks Gingerzing, Ziggy & CFS I decided to put the vase in the bathroom. I know not a very romantic place to keep flowers, but at least they will be safe Vase, water & all, lol. As we always keep the bathroom door shut, as he had a habit of drinking toilet water, ( ugh) lol
So thanks, for the tips.
Plus I did look on line and a lot of flowers are dangerious for cats
The only one not mentioned was Roses.
Yipppeee I can get Roses for Sweetest Day this year, lol. Provided Hubby has a job by then
http://www.healthyfoodforpets.com/Flower...20Cats.htm
I had to bump this thread as I have a new question about Boots.
How often do cats throw up hairballs??
It seems that Boots goes through the motion of coughing and barfing at least 2 times a week on an avg. Is this normal?
Its not every week. Some weeks he goes without making a sound.
But other weeks, it seems he is coughing up every day.
But, nothing ever comes out, cause of the special food I have him on.
But regardless, I was just curious. How often does your cat barf up a hairball?
And should I be concerned for my Boots?
My elder cat is bad about her hairballs. And actually often it isn't always hair. She sometimes just eats too fast or too much and then does a "hairball". Pleasant (especially if the dog sees it before me. Blech)
One thing that our current vet told me was to try to brush our cats every day and that will cut down on the hairballs.
Our first vet also said not to even bother with the hairball gel stuff. Said it doesn't really work.
(11-20-2009 01:29 PM)gingerzing Wrote: [ -> ]My elder cat is bad about her hairballs. And actually often it isn't always hair. She sometimes just eats too fast or too much and then does a "hairball". Pleasant (especially if the dog sees it before me. Blech)
One thing that our current vet told me was to try to brush our cats every day and that will cut down on the hairballs.
Our first vet also said not to even bother with the hairball gel stuff. Said it doesn't really work.
Oh Gingersing does that bring back memories.. I use to have a cat by the name of "Twinkie" Decades ago,lol. Anyway I recall giving Twinkie this goo in a tube that he just loved to lap up, and it reduced the amount of hairballs he would cough up.
BUT, in Boots's case He does not cough up anything. He just goes through the motion of coughing! And he will cough & hack & choke. but nothing ever comes up.
So I was wondering if I should be concerned over this? Or just let him cough away?
Reminder the reason why he does not cough up a hairball, is due to the food he is on that elimates hairballs.
Okay, I keep seeing posts called "FOAK" ... what's a "FOAK"
As for the hair ball, my hellion Helios will do the stretch neck out cough cough hack thing but not produce anything. Generally about once a week or so, unless we've been out for walkies (Helios walks on a leash, but periodically he spazzes and chokes himself). It doesn't seem to be an issue, but whenever he does it I give him a dabble of butter just incase something is stuck.
FOAK = Fount of All Knowledge
It basically is just saying people here know a lot about a lot of things.
(11-21-2009 12:19 AM)faeriecat Wrote: [ -> ]Okay, I keep seeing posts called "FOAK" ... what's a "FOAK"
As for the hair ball, my hellion Helios will do the stretch neck out cough cough hack thing but not produce anything. Generally about once a week or so, unless we've been out for walkies (Helios walks on a leash, but periodically he spazzes and chokes himself). It doesn't seem to be an issue, but whenever he does it I give him a dabble of butter just incase something is stuck.
faeriecat Thanks
its nice to know there is another cat around that coughs up nothing like Boots does
Yes and ITA with Eddy FOAK Fountain Of All Knowledge. Is an endearing term for many people here who have loads of brain power on the subject at hand, lol.
Anyway Boots sends his love as his face is right here on my keyboard, lol
And I will keep a tab on his coughing spells.
He had one yesterday. So with any luck, he won't have another one for at least 6 more days