My Kitten's strange behaviour

[Lizzyliz78]

I have a 9 week old male kitten. He's a great cat ..... most of the time. Recently I've noticed something very strange with his behaviour. I've had cats all my life since I was a little girl, so I'm pretty much intune with what to expect out of them. I will also mention I have a 3 year old male as well. Cleo (the kitten) loves to play with his toy mice or any kid of paper ball. At times he will play alone which is fine but within the last couple weeks he has been hissing while playing alone....I've NEVER witnessed this with any kitten I've owned. Along with the hissing, it looks like he's panting but, there isnt any reason for him to do it....when he starts "panting" he goes crazy....I call him the "Devil Cat" when this starts cause he will jump really high into the air about 5 times in a row then bolt to another room, jump around again and bolt to another room....this is when the hissing starts. At first I thought he was panting cause he was tired from running crazy or he was hot, but the panting will start before the "Devil Cat" episodes. As soon as the panting starts I know he will start going crazy any second after. Does anyone else know what is going on with him....??? Or have you seen this with other kittens.....??? Another "issue" I wanted to ask about was why the kitten walks behind my 3 year old cat and bite his legs as he walks or if he's sitting on the bed etc....I've tried getting the kitten to stop biting my older cats legs but nothing works, even the cat turning around and biting the kitten hasnt stopped him either.....I honestly thought the kitten would have learned what he can do and what he cant do when it comes to the other cat, but he hasnt. What can I do......???

[chico2]

Lizzy,I believe your first step is a vet,panting is not usually a good sign in a cat,but can be for several reasons.
His Zoomies etc..IMO,is just kitten-behavior..

[Lizzyliz78]

Thanks for the reply, Cleo has already been to the vet when I first got him and he had routine bloodwork and a physical done and everything came back perfect. The panting and hissing only happen when he's about to go wild with his toy mice....he doesnt pant when just relaxing which is why I found it very strange that he did it only before he started to play....and hissing while he's playing and even spit today which was another first. Other than that he's a normal kitten, and VERY loving cause he purrs whenever he comes around to cuddle or when he's trying to wake me up with kisses and purring, pushing his nose into my face

[sugarcatmom]

He could just be very excited, and that's how he expresses his excitement. Is your other cat around when he does this? Perhaps he's defending his "catch" against anyone who might try to steal it from him. The best defense is a good offense, after all. One of my kittens used to growl the most hilarious (and surprisingly loud) kitten growl when he snagged a highly desirable toy, and he'd run off with it to enjoy the fruits of his labour away from his littermates (an exercise in futility). He was also the runt of the litter, so a bit of small-man-syndrome was probably a factor. If your little guy is otherwise healthy, I wouldn't worry about too much.

One other thing, do these toys have catnip in them? Usually catnip doesn't effect kittens much if they're under 6 months, but that isn't always the case. Maybe he just can't handle his drugs yet.

[luvsmallfurries]

My first thought when I read this was possibly a mild case of hyperesthesia syndrome?

http://www.petplace.com/cats/feline-...sia/page1.aspx

The spazzy behavior fits. It doesn't always present with the classic "rolling skin" or tail biting. Not at all common to see it in a kitten though. And I've not seen or heard of panting being a symptom. But it's a weird condition so who knows. What breed is your kitten? Oriental breeds (Siamese, Himalayan, et.) are prone to this. I'd be seeing the vet about the panting for sure.

The leg biting is just a cat thing, particularly with kittens. My two chew on each other's ankles all the time. It usually results in the "bitten" giving the "biter" a bit of a smack down then they go back to pretending to ignore each other. Try redirecting the baby with a toy, feather on a stick, anything to get his attention.

[penschul]

Originally Posted by Lizzyliz78

I have a 9 week old male kitten. He's a great cat ..... most of the time. Recently I've noticed something very strange with his behaviour. I've had cats all my life since I was a little girl, so I'm pretty much intune with what to expect out of them. I will also mention I have a 3 year old male as well. Cleo (the kitten) loves to play with his toy mice or any kid of paper ball. At times he will play alone which is fine but within the last couple weeks he has been hissing while playing alone....I've NEVER witnessed this with any kitten I've owned. Along with the hissing, it looks like he's panting but, there isnt any reason for him to do it....when he starts "panting" he goes crazy....I call him the "Devil Cat" when this starts cause he will jump really high into the air about 5 times in a row then bolt to another room, jump around again and bolt to another room....this is when the hissing starts. At first I thought he was panting cause he was tired from running crazy or he was hot, but the panting will start before the "Devil Cat" episodes. As soon as the panting starts I know he will start going crazy any second after. Does anyone else know what is going on with him....??? Or have you seen this with other kittens.....??? Another "issue" I wanted to ask about was why the kitten walks behind my 3 year old cat and bite his legs as he walks or if he's sitting on the bed etc....I've tried getting the kitten to stop biting my older cats legs but nothing works, even the cat turning around and biting the kitten hasnt stopped him either.....I honestly thought the kitten would have learned what he can do and what he cant do when it comes to the other cat, but he hasnt. What can I do......???

Hi Lizzy, I know it's been nearly a year since you posted, but I had to write and tell you that regarding Cleo's behavior, I completely understand because my 6 month old male Maine Coon kitten, Griffin, is doing the EXACT same thing!!!! Please tell me you figured out what caused Cleo to do this, or that he's no longer having those "Devil Cat episodes - because Griffy is wearing me and my other two cats (my 8yr old Zoey and my 2yr old Nikka) out on a daily basis!! But just like yours, Griffy is a sweet, loving, affectionate and ADORABLE baby who LOVES his sisters. I adopted him from a shelter at 4 months and I think he never learned how to properly socialize. He is ALL PLAY, ALL THE TIME with the girls, and is always nipping at and biting them as if to entice them to play. The panting and hissing while playing alone in "Devil" mode is common, and concerns me, too - but my vet also said he seems fine health wise. Did you ever find anything out? Does anyone else out there know anything about this kind of behavior in kittens? PLEASE HELP! I will never give him up, I adore him, but I do need advice. Thank you! - Penny