Happy Cat Month: The Teenage Years

When it comes to the developmental stages of a cat’s life, they are not too terribly different than us. They start out as cute, cuddly kittens, develop into rambunctious youths, become lazy teenagers, then become lazy adults, and finally, senior citizens who need some extra care and attention at times. During each phase of the cat’s life, it is important that their owner recognizes their wants and needs for the mutual happiness of feline and human. Now, lets get to the purpose of this blog: the kitty teenage years.

Like our teenage counterparts, teenage cats are going through a whirlwind of emotions. Gone are the days of exploring the new world and learning what they can and can’t get away with. They are still going to try to get away with things, but now, when they get caught and scolded, it is going to mean so much more than when they were kittens. Think about when you were a teenager and did something your parents didn’t like. You were reprimanded and had felt one of two ways about the situation: sorry and hoping for forgiveness or resentment. Teenage cats are the same way. The most important thing to keep in mind is that just like teenage humans, teenage cats need guidance to help them become a well-rounded adult cat.

Instead of taking preventative action as you would a kitten, teenage cats are only going to learn by trial and error. For example, if you don’t want a kitten crawling into and all over the shirt boxes you are trying to wrap for Christmas, you simply put the kitten in another room and close the door. You aren’t going to do that every time you wrap a gift for the entire span of your cat’s life, so what are you to do? As the cat progresses to the teenage phase of life, you’re going to pick the cat up when it crawls into the box. You will need to let the behavior happen so that you can reprimand it, and trust us, you are going to have to reprimand the same behavior numerous times for it to set in. The obvious reason you don’t want the cat in the box in the first place is because you don’t want cat hair all over your gift. Did you know that Pet Caress makes products to reduce shedding in cats and dogs? Check them out here!

Just like human teenagers, cats are going to try their luck to see just how far they can go. Giving your cat guidance during the teenage phase is the best bet for both of you – your cat will learn, and you will learn a lot about your cat’s personality. The teenage phase isn’t a long one for cats, only about four to six months, so make sure you do a lot of guiding during this time, and you will have a very well-rounded cat.