# At what age does a crazy kitten start to calm down? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 14, 2013, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-does-a-crazy-kitten-start-to-calm-down/673877 "2013-11-14T02:33:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Grapefruit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@Grapefruit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grapefruit)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-does-a-crazy-kitten-start-to-calm-down/673877/21 "2013-11-14T22:33:07Z")
A kitten with a guinea pig! Squee! Why are there no pictures in this thread? Keep a sharp on eye them, though. You never know when the prey drive kicks in. Are you moving the kitten to the cat tree after you discipline her for climbing the curtains? Getting her to associate curtain climbing with bad things happening is the first step, but she should also know that the tree is her safe place to climb and that’s where her attention should be directed. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-does-a-crazy-kitten-start-to-calm-down/673877/22 "2013-11-15T00:12:31Z")
A year at the very least… maybe a little longer. I feel your pain. My Kitten from Hell is about a year and a half, and a few months ago, she FINALLY settled down somewhat. Even so, she was a feral that we bottle-fed and she had terrible mange for the first couple of months and we didn’t think she was going to make it. Now she will crawl up on my chest and nuzzle me and purr but taking her to the vet is still an ordeal. I took her a couple of weeks ago for shots and it took the doc and two technicians to hold her down for shots. The vet’s office just freaks her out completely. I do love her. When she was a baby, I loved bottle feeding her. I used to sing to her, “Me & My Shadow.” I still do when she snuggles on me. [Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYqUXesDdNo) she is (the black one) giving my older cat Max a hard time. God, he was patient with her. This was about a year ago. The other black cat curled up asleep at the end of the sofa has since died. She was 15. She did not take One Bit of Crap off the kitten. One swat took care of that. Max never would swat her-- too much of a gentleman? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-does-a-crazy-kitten-start-to-calm-down/673877/23 "2013-11-15T00:41:50Z")
I noticed there was a lack of kitteh pictures in this thread, too. Here is my little poopsie - [she fits in it, so she sits in it.](http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s142/featherlou/Family/SAM_2774_zpsecd22d37.jpg) [Kitteh being weird, as usual.](http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s142/featherlou/Family/SAM_3339_zps85a0aab9.jpg) 😃 ETA: I love that video, **ThelmaLou**. Giving Max a hard time, indeed! ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-does-a-crazy-kitten-start-to-calm-down/673877/24 "2013-11-15T20:26:00Z")
The little weirdo cat has taken to spending all her time [here](http://imgur.com/MtHsfWU), on top of the guinea pig’s cage. She has beds, couches, pillows, cushions…but all she wants is this little plastic box we store on top of the guinea pig’s cage because he sits in it when he’s out of his cage sometimes. I even put a large cushion on top of the cage for her to rest on instead, and she ignored it. And [here](http://imgur.com/CgqrCuI) are the little ones getting acquainted. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-does-a-crazy-kitten-start-to-calm-down/673877/25 "2013-11-15T20:50:01Z")
Yup - cats is weird. 🙂 (What a cutie!) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-does-a-crazy-kitten-start-to-calm-down/673877/26 "2013-11-15T21:41:37Z")
KEE-fucking-_yute!_ ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-does-a-crazy-kitten-start-to-calm-down/673877/27 "2013-11-15T22:03:32Z")
IME single cats get weird and dysfunctional (more prone to sending you unpleasant messages, attacking visitors, hiding from you). I think letting her play with the guinnea pig would help with that as much as a second cat would. And large rodents are far from helpless if confronted by a kitteh. Otherwise, LOTS of hands on and cuddling. I’ve got a 5 year old, 17 pound eunuch who will walk up my chest, throw his arms over my shoulders and bury his nose in my neck. Nothing better in the world. Um…just to be clear, the eunuch is a cat, not a pygmy. That would be really weird. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-does-a-crazy-kitten-start-to-calm-down/673877/28 "2013-11-15T22:41:06Z")
> [@The Great Sun Jester](#): > > \ Um…just to be clear, the eunuch is a cat, not a pygmy. \ {Skeptical voice on}Mm-hmmm. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-does-a-crazy-kitten-start-to-calm-down/673877/29 "2013-11-15T22:49:11Z")
…busted. ---
**Author:** ![goldmund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a4c791/32.png) [@goldmund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goldmund)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-does-a-crazy-kitten-start-to-calm-down/673877/30 "2013-11-16T00:00:54Z")
All but three of you violating the cardinal rule of cat threads? For shame. [These two](http://imgur.com/C3PGOUJ) moved in a year ago, age 8 weeks. They _mostly_ calmed down about 6 months in. There’s still a daily stampede, chasing each other up and down the hallway. Usually at around 5:30am. I go to work at 9 and live half a mile away. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2013, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-does-a-crazy-kitten-start-to-calm-down/673877/31 "2013-11-16T00:27:50Z")
> [@goldmund](#): > > All but three of you violating the cardinal rule of cat threads? For shame. > > [These two](http://imgur.com/C3PGOUJ) moved in a year ago, age 8 weeks. They _mostly_ calmed down about 6 months in. There’s still a daily stampede, chasing each other up and down the hallway. Usually at around 5:30am. I go to work at 9 and live half a mile away. :smack: Hmmm…that two-headed cat should be supporting you. What good is a two-headed cat if it’s not bringing in money? Have you explained this to [del] them[/del] it? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2013, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-does-a-crazy-kitten-start-to-calm-down/673877/32 "2013-11-16T02:16:49Z")
Our youngest, Hermes, is three now. We’re still waiting for him to calm down. of course, before we had him, Hestia was our _chat lunatique_, and she’s calmed down now. Although it might just seem that way by comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2013, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-does-a-crazy-kitten-start-to-calm-down/673877/33 "2013-11-16T03:20:45Z")
My 7 year old cat is still a holy terror when he wants to be. Very affectionate, but a complete little shit when he puts his mind to it. Barreling through the house jumping from floor, to the top of his kitty condo, to the table and then more laps around the house. ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2013, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-does-a-crazy-kitten-start-to-calm-down/673877/34 "2013-11-16T03:55:49Z")
In my experience, the kitten nuttiness is calmed down considerably by like 6 months. Not totally, but when you have a 6-month-old next to a two-month-old, you can see the difference. Also, [this thing](http://store.petsafe.net/frolicat-dart) is a lifesaver for me sometimes. Yesterday, when I was trying to clean cages, one of my [little darlings](http://i.imgur.com/yFTjA9c.jpg) was very insistently trying to climb on my head, which tends to slow progress. Her [brother](http://i.imgur.com/PfxzHQ2.jpg) was bothering my boss and another one I don’t have a picture of (wait no, [yes I do](http://i.imgur.com/EfywZqs.jpg), but he’s grown a bit since then- the little black and white one) was chasing my hands. I finally pulled that thing out and it was like parking thirty kittens in front of the TV. There was suddenly peace. I use it sparingly because I’d rather they interact with people or each other, but it’s great when they’re all full of beans and I have work to do. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2013, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-does-a-crazy-kitten-start-to-calm-down/673877/35 "2013-11-16T04:12:05Z")
> [@goldmund](#): > > All but three of you violating the cardinal rule of cat threads? For shame. > > [These two](http://imgur.com/C3PGOUJ) moved in a year ago, age 8 weeks. They _mostly_ calmed down about 6 months in. There’s still a daily stampede, chasing each other up and down the hallway. Usually at around 5:30am. I go to work at 9 and live half a mile away. :smack: That’s a whole lotta fuzzy! > [@SurrenderDorothy](#): > > \Yesterday, when I was trying to clean cages, one of my [little darlings](http://i.imgur.com/yFTjA9c.jpg) was very insistently trying to climb on my head, which tends to slow progress.\ It’s amazing how helpful cats are - mine “helps” us with absolutely everything we do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-age-does-a-crazy-kitten-start-to-calm-down/673877.md?page=1)