When Do Cats Calm Down – What You Should Know!

Cats are known for being high-energy and loving pets. Sometimes that energy can be a bit much, and it might not seem like your cat will ever calm down. Rest assured, all cats go through this phase but they eventually do grow out of it. So let’s focus on the core question, when do cats calm down?

Cats calm down at one year of age. Neutering can also help a young cat calm down significantly. Most cats calm down as they get older and have more experience and less curiosity with their home environment.

Much like adults grow and become wiser, so do cats. The phase of intense energy and play tends to happen less and less the older cats get. Next, we’ll share some helpful tips to help keep a cat calm, especially if it’s older and has already been neutered. We’ll also share some other considerations to help you navigate life with a hyper cat!

Do Cats Mellow With Age

Yes, cats mellow with age. With age comes experience, so the things that once sparked your cats interest may not have that sort of impact anymore. This is why cats always need a new toy, more exciting treats, and sometimes a change in scenery to keep their energy and spirits high.

Older cats are also more likely to experience different health issues too. Things that come with old age in cats include:

• Weaker muscles
• Lack of enthusiasm for the same entertainment
• Illnesses
• Lack of energy

All of those factors can impact how calm your cat is. In most cases, people see their cat have a significant change in their behavior around the 4 to 5-year mark. Cats are at a point where they’re in their prime but are well on their way to the senior years. In a cat’s senior years, there’s less energy to go around, so they spend a good deal of time conserving what they do have.

Cat Behavior By Age

While it’s known that cats calm down with age, it’s always helpful to see what the expectations can be from kitten to adult. Below is a helpful chart breaking down a cats behavior by various stages. This will give you a clear idea of what to expect with your cat.

Age	Behavior
Kitten	Curious and playful. Mostly exploring during its first 6 months of life
Junior	Testing the boundaries at this age. Very hyper and willing to cause trouble. Hard to train at this age. Usually exhibits more biting and scratching. 6 months to 2 years old of age.
Prime Years	Between ages 2 – 5, your cat is in its prime years. Behaviors are milder than the junior years, very active but on the verge of calm. Still the possibility of random bursts of energy.
Mature Adult	Age range 6 – 10 years old. The cat is fully matured. Your cat will become less active and more content with resting. Weight gain may start to occur which has a significant impact on their energy.
Senior	Very lethargic, less energy overall, and mellow. Less jumping, scratching, clawing in general, but the cat is still capable of doing so.
Elderly	At this point, the cat is past its best years. It is considered elderly and lacks the ability to move efficiently. Weight gain will lead to lethargy. Your cat will be 12 – 15 years old at this point.

Why Is My Cat So Hyper All The Time

Your cat is hyper all the time because they are bored and lack stimulation.

This is going to be the case with almost any cat whether it’s a kitten or adult. Boredom is a real thing with pets, and so it’s important to fill their time with fun activities, games, and attention to help limit that hyperactivity.

For cats, some of what you’ll notice is them bouncing off of walls, taking leaps of faith, scratching furniture, and running around at blazing speeds. This is all normal behavior, and a way for cats to get rid of their excess energy.

For some cat owners, it may seem like their pet never slows down. If that is the case consider the following:

• Does your cat need a companion
• How much playtime does your cat get each day
• Do you reward your cat for good behavior
• Does the behavior happen in relation to certain actions or times of the day
• The age of the cat, how old is it
• Has your cat been neutered

At least one of those factors should answer your question to why your cat is always hyper. The most important factors on that list are of course the age of the cat, whether it’s been neutered, and if you can associate some of their behaviors with certain routines.

Cats are creatures of habit, so especially with the associated behaviors, you’ll be able to figure out certain things, or times or the day your cat acts hyper, and then from there, you can make a change to see if that stops it.

Also, it’s important to be realistic with your expectations. A cat who is lonely without a companion while you work all day is bound to be hyper when you arrive home because they want your attention. Likewise, a young cat is still learning about its environment, exploring, and being curious, so they are going to naturally be hyper and excited.

Hyper cats are not necessarily the worst thing in the world. This does not mean your cat has a behavior problem, but rather they have a stimulation problem. Below we’ll share some ways you can help your cat calm down if the behavior is getting out of hand.

How Do You Calm Down A Hyper Cat

The best way to calm down a hyper cat is to provide a treat. The treat can distract your cat from whatever they are doing, and allow you to redirect their energy elsewhere. Eating tends to make cats full and in many cases, they want to rest and let that food digest after eating. Accompany any treats or food with a bowl of water and you can immediately calm a cat.

Below are a few additional ways to calm down a hyper cat:

Provide Ample Playtime

The biggest culprit when it comes to a hyper cat is lack of playtime. With todays 9 to 5 work schedule, it’s hard to fit pets in, but we have to in order to keep them happy.

The best solution is to set aside playtime for your cat. For most cats this will need to be 15 – 20 minutes of play. This does not have to be intense unless you want it to be.

Simple games you can play include:

• Tossing the ball
• Laser light chase
• Hide and seek

All your cat cares about is being stimulated. Eventually they’ll stop playing with you when they’ve had enough, and should remain calm for the rest of the evening.

Place Your Cat In One Room

While it’s important to let your cat roam the home, sometimes it’s necessary to limit their space, especially during really hyper episodes.

Placing a cat in one room can be a good way to help them calm down. Most of the time what your cat will do is run off all of their energy in that single space. So expect to hear them jumping off the walls, scratching and howling to be let out.

To limit that, it’s recommended to stay in the room with them so they don’t feel nervous or afraid of what’s on the other side of the door. Remember, the goal is to limit hyper behavior, not stress your cat out!

Get Your Cat An Automatic Toy

Listen, we’re all busy and spending time with our pets can be tough after a long work day. Thankfully solutions like automatic toys come in to save the day. Automatic toys include all kinds of features such as lasers, motorized toys, toys with timers and more.

The robot mouse toys work really well, but be sure to mix it up. Even a seasoned cat will become bored with a motorized toy if the movements it makes become too predictable. Adding some catnip to the toy helps, but there has to be a balance here.

With that said, our suggestion is to mix in automatic playtime with manual playtime. Cats have to be kept on their feet because once something becomes expected for them, that’s when they get bored. Boredom leads to a cat that’s not calm!

Let Your Cat Outdoors

Most cats that get bored and have difficulty calming down are the indoor ones. Indoor-only cats are great, but not if you can’t keep them stimulated. So, the next logical thing you can do is start giving your cat an opportunity to go outside.

When a cat goes outside they’re able to feel the wind, the sun, and explore all that’s out there. For some indoor cats, this might be a scary experience at first, so it’s recommended to use a harness and leash or to take them out in a kennel and let them work themselves outside on their own.

Alternatively, if you worry that your cat may run away, then opening a few windows works just as well. Even taking your cat onto the porch is a nice change of scenery from the four walls of a room.

This method works really well if you have an active outdoor environment. The outdoors provides plenty of things to get your cats attention. They will spend most of their time trying to figure out what’s going on with the birds and bugs than running around.

Get Your Cat Into A Scheduled Routine

Cats are creatures of habit, and routines really do matter. They are particularly challenging to train, especially compared to a dog, however routines do work.

If a cat can expect playtime or a treat at certain times of the day, they’ll change their behavior as such. If you can anticipate when your cat is set to jump around and run all over the home, then start setting things up to combat that.

A routine for your cat can be as simple as training them to find certain toys or treats at specific locations of the home at the same time every day. Or maybe you can build a bed time routine where they get a handful of treats and then you place them into the kennel for the evening.

Whatever it may be, experiment with this. Each cat is different, but the more you do something, the more they expect it to happen.

Ignore Your Cat

Sometimes the best way to calm down a cat is to just ignore it. It’s a harsh way to about things, but it can be very effective.

The first few times you ignore your cat, they are likely to let off more and more energy, likely meowing constantly. However, the more you ignore them, the less they’ll meow demanding your attention.

In turn, your cat will tone down on the running and jumping because they know you won’t respond to that either. Be careful with this strategy though, because the next likely behavior is biting or scratching.

Instead, give them something to keep them preoccupied so that you don’t have to be the next thing they go to. Your cat will learn to be more independent when they are bored and will seek out those alternative forms of entertainment.

This technically falls under the category of “allow them to do it”, but it really can be effective. It’s important to put in perspective just how hyper your cat is too.

If it’s a short 5 – 10 minute burst of energy, then you ought to just let them do it. If it’s prolonged like 20 – 30 minutes, then it’s time to handle the situation much differently.

Other Considerations

While most hyperactivity in cats can be dealt with through changing their routine and environment, sometimes other solutions are necessary.

Taking Your Cat To A Specialist

Animal behaviorists specialists might be able to help you deal with a cat that won’t let go of it’s hyper tendencies. Whether it’s administering medicines or helping you develop a plan for success, they can help you get things under control if your cat is causing noticeable problems at home due to its behavior.