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Will My Cat Calm Down With Age? What You Should Know!

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If you have a cat in the home, then it’s no surprise that he or she doesn’t just sit and nap all day. They have periods of hyperactivity that may have you asking the question, will my cat calm down with age?

The answer to that is usually yes, but not always. Cats start calming down around 1 year of age. There are a number of factors that play into this, however, so it’s good to know the reasons that your cat may still be a bit rambunctious well past a year into their life.

In this article, we’ll discuss why your cat may be hyper all of a sudden, how to calm your cat down so you can get a good night’s rest, and what particular cat breeds are known to be more active than others. 

At What Age Will Cats Calm Down?

Most cats should calm down after about a year as a kitten. However, this is not always the case as certain factors such as stimulus and age at when your cat gets neutered or spayed will also play a vital role in when your cat calms down.

A cat that has been neutered or spayed will usually calm down within a few weeks after the procedure has been done. It’s important to note that they will not calm down immediately after this type of surgery is done.

Also, the amount of stimulus your cat partakes in can also have an effect on whether or not they will calm down sooner. 

For example, if you play laser tag with your cat too late at night, this may excite them and keep them in a playful mood well past your bedtime.

Having other cats in your home, specifically boisterous kittens will also play a role in whether your cat calms down easier since kittens are hyper by nature and will surely activate dormant hyperactivity in an older cat.

Why Is My Cat So Hyper All of a Sudden

If your cat was calm but then all of a sudden they seem to be going on a rampage, there is no need to worry. This is what most cats do and it’s called the zoomies. 

Not only is this behavior completely normal, but it’s also very entertaining to watch. In fact, when your cat all of a sudden gets the zoomies, it could actually brighten your mood as it’s very hard not to laugh. 

There could also be a sudden event that has caused your cat it’s suddenly heightened hyperactivity such as a mouse, a housefly, or any other type of stimulus that has caused your cat to become excited instantaneously.

How Do You Calm Down a Hyper Cat?

Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to calm down a hyperactive cat. Not all of these methods will work for every cat, so it’s a good idea to try a few things out before just giving up. 

One way to calm down a hyper cat is to make sure they are getting plenty of playtime during the day. Do they have enough toys to play with? 

Cats need plenty of variety when it comes to toys. Cats, like humans, can easily become bored when they play with the same things day in and day out. 

I recommend having a decent amount of crinkly balls, squeaky mice, and interactive toys like lasers. And make sure you include yourself in some of that playtime.

Playing with your cats on a regular basis, especially during the early afternoon, could help your cat calm down at night instead of participating in the zoomies at 3 AM. 

You could also try giving your cat hemp oil that has been specially formulated for cats and dogs. Hemp oil has been proven to help with pet anxiety and it’s completely safe as well. 

There are also a few herbs that you can give your cat. Some of these include Valerian, Chamomile, Hops, and the infamous Catnip, which we’ll discuss more below.

With all that being said, I would avoid giving your cat a calming collar or generic calming spray. These usually don’t work very well in my experience, and you’ll just be wasting your money.

How Do I Calm My Cat Down After a Fight?

Calming your cat down after a fight will take a different tactic than simply playing with them or using a calm-down spray. The first thing to do is to separate the two cats as quickly as you can. 

If your cats are smack dab in the middle of fighting, then this could actually be dangerous for you. They will tear up your arm and anything else that tries to get in their way. I know this from personal experience, unfortunately.

Make sure you put the two cats in separate rooms so they can calm down a bit. It might help if you went into the room and pet them while you calmly talked to them in a soft voice. 

While you are doing this, it’s important to look for any injuries that might have happened. Start with your cat’s face. That’s usually where the brunt of the damage is when they’ve taken part in a catfight. 

After you’ve calmed down both your cats, then the next step is to reintroduce the two very subtly, and only after you know for a fact that they have calmed down.

What if your cat got into a fight with another animal that isn’t a cat? Well, in this scenario, bring your cat into a safer place, look for any injuries, and take your cat to a veterinarian if need be. 

The reason for this is that if it got into a fight with a wild animal, then you want to make sure that they are free of rabies or any other diseases that can be caused by an animal bite. 

Will Catnip Calm My Cat?

Catnip does have some calming benefits for some cats. The best type of catnip to give your cat if your trying to calm it down is from an actual catnip plant, because of its freshness and potency.

Catnip can be used to either calm down your cat while it’s being hyperactive or you can give your cat some catnip right before you know of a stressful event that’s about to take place, such as a visit to the veterinarian.

It’s important to note that not all cats react to catnip in the same way. I have a cat that rolls around in catnip and acts crazy while doing it. In this example, catnip does not calm her down but instead induces her hyperness.

But then, I have another cat that will eat off the catnip plant and then go directly to his cat bed and take a really long nap afterward. 

For some cats, catnip has absolutely no effect on them at all. I find this to be pretty rare, however, as usually, it’s the quality of the catnip itself that seems to be the issue. 

If your cat doesn’t react to catnip at first, try using different brands and types before ruling it out completely.

What Is the Most Hyper Cat Breed?

When it comes to hyperactivity in cats, not all have the same amount of hyperness in them. 

While environmental factors do play somewhat of a role in cat craziness, the type of breed your cat is will often play a larger role in this feline phenomenon.

Below is a small list of the most active domestic cat breeds. These are in no particular order, but each of these breeds is known to be pretty active. 

  1. Japanese Bobtail
  2. Birman
  3. Siamese
  4. Manx
  5. Abyssinian

Final Thoughts

So will your cat calm down with age? In most cases, yes it will. But as we always say here at Planet Feline, it really depends. 

Your cat might either have too much stimulus or not enough and this causes the infamous 3 am zoomies to occur. It’ll also depend on what breed your cat is as well.

I, personally, like having hyper cats because it gives me plenty of cheap entertainment when life seems dull. Having a hyper cat also helps with human anxiety and depression, because a hyper cat is usually a funny one.