How to Effectively Calm My Kitten

Kittens are notoriously curious and energetic, and if you do not take steps to keep your kitten calm you may find yourself with a house full of destroyed furniture. Although most cats spend more than half the day sleeping, when they are awake kittens are full of energy. Unless you provide your kitten with something to do or you play with it yourself, your kitten may release all of its pent-up energy by clawing up your drapes or sharpening its claws on your furniture. The key to keeping your kitten calm is to provide plenty of toys and play time.

Things You'll Need

  • Cat toys
  • Yarn
  • Old boot or shoe
  • Squirt gun or spray bottle
  • Scratching post
  • Cat treats
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Instructions

    • 1

      Spend at least one hour a day playing with your kitten. If you do not have time to spend an entire hour with your kitten at once, break up the hour into several 10- or 15-minute sessions. By playing with your kitten while you are home, it may be tired enough to sleep during most of the time you are gone or unable to pay attention to what it is doing.

    • 2

      Provide your kitten with plenty of toys to amuse itself. Kittens particularly enjoy toys that make noise so purchase plenty of plastic balls with bells inside and fake mice stuffed with rattles.

    • 3

      Keep a supply of toys handy at all times. If your kitten begins to get too energetic or disturbs you when you are busy, distract it by tossing a toy. You can keep a kitten amused for a long time by tying a piece of yarn to the arm of a chair and dangling it over the edge or by tossing a ball or toy mouse into an old boot for your kitten to dig out.

    • 4

      Discipline your kitten for bad behavior. You should not discipline your kitten for having too much energy, but you can teach it not to do certain things like claw the drapes or jump up on the table. Deter your kitten from bad behavior by spraying it with water from a squirt gun or spray bottle or by clapping your hands loudly. Cats have very sensitive ears and sometimes a loud noise is enough to distract them from bad behavior.

    • 5

      Reward your kitten for good behavior. Purchase a scratching post for your kitten and when you see it using the scratching post rather than your furniture, reward the kitten with a treat or a few minutes of play time.

    • 6

      Pet your kitten on the top of its head between the ears with two or three fingers. This motion is a technique used to tame feral kittens and it is meant to imitate a mother cat grooming her young. Perform this motion when your kitten is calm and cuddling with you or when it begins to get too rambunctious and needs to settle down.