# kitten not playing ... what should i?



## mrkitty (May 11, 2005)

my 7 weeks old kitten does not seem interested in playing with anything........... even if a i sit with it to play , it does not react very well to moving objects, whther a ball or something attached to a string which i swing ... it just tries to catch it with its feet once or twice and then walks away.... it does not seem to run after moving balls or other things......however it is always interested in eating and is very loving and comes to sit with me....... the other kitten i have is very playful.... at first they both used to play together running after each other but since my other kitten got ill, they have stopped playing.... and they are always sitting or eating with less or no activity..... 

my kitten ( the one im asking about ) was never interested in moving objects from the very begining.. it just stares and then walks away without trying to catch it....... the other kitten when i got it first, it used to find its own toys and play with it and continously was running here and thre........if it could no find anything to play , it used to fight with the curtains...... but this thing was never thre in this kitten... 

im worried wat has happened to my kitty and wat shud i do to make it playful ...???


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

When was this kitten taken from its mother?


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## mrkitty (May 11, 2005)

At the age of 5.5 weeks


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

I'm guessing this mother cat did not have a chance to finish teaching this kitten what it needs to know. One of the things is how to hunt. And kitten play is basically practicing hunting skills.


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## mrkitty (May 11, 2005)

so any suggestions on what can i do ...... or will the kitten remain like this forever.....???


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## mrkitty (May 11, 2005)

i fear if the kitty remains like this , then in the future it will have health problems because of less activity........??


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## spamlet (Mar 14, 2005)

Have you tried toys with cat nip in them? Cats are naturally drawn towards catnip and then they experience crazy behaviour! Another trick might be to throw cat treats for her and see if she runs after them. I skid cat treats across our wood floor and the cats skid everywhere! Also, try playing that isn't quick and obvious; this can intimidate some cats. Rather try placing a mouse on a string in front of her, hide round a corner and slowly slowly begin to move the mouse, this may get her to play. It may be that she's just nervous, introduce small little games gradually.  And don't give up trying!


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## spamlet (Mar 14, 2005)

Oh another thing is that what you consider toys for the cat, she may not! Screwed up bits of paper and foil are my cats fave! When my cats were kittens I got a huge cardboard box and threw in loads of torn up bits of paper and then hid kitten treats inside...hope this helps!


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## mrkitty (May 11, 2005)

What is catnip and where i could find them :?:


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## spamlet (Mar 14, 2005)

catnip is a natural product that can be found in many cat toys and cat treats, that sends them a bit loopy! Where do you live? You should be able to find it in any large pet store. We have cat nip bubbles that the cats just go crazy for!


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## Zalensia (Aug 25, 2003)

The kitten may well ignore the catnip.
My guys didnt go for catnip until about a year old. I think that long cause I used it several times when they were kittens and they took no notice, but did at around that age onwards.


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## Jockette (Feb 2, 2005)

maybe try a laser pointer? even my cat, that is not so playful, gets this excited look when he sees the little red dot moving. Curiousity might just get the kitten just to follow it... and go from there?
I got one from the dollar store


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## nikako (Apr 28, 2005)

Laser pointers may be fun, but they also are a vision risk for your cat.

Cats' eyes are much more sensitive to light than humans' eyes. 

Even _reflected_ laser light can be intense enough to damage your cat's eyes. 

Please be *very careful* with laser pointers around your cat!

I bought a laser pointer intending to use it as a cat toy, but after I read this I decided it wasn't worth the risk.


As for the catnip... 

Apparently, many kittens don't react to catnip until they're about 5 or 6 months old.


I wouldn't worry too much about the not playing with toys thing... 

This kitten plays with your other kitten, right? 

My pair, Nika & Niko, are litter-mates, and for the first 4 or 5 months, only Niko reacted much to toylike stuff... Nika couldn't have cared less. 

Then, one day, Nika started fetching just like Niko did, 
and now they both have their 

"_Toys? What toys? We don't need no stinkin' toys!_" days, 

as well as "_WwwwwrrrrrrowwwWWWWW!!! Let's go crazy with this Ping Pong ball!!!_" days. 

That's cats for ya!


Rick


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## mrkitty (May 11, 2005)

well nikako the problem is that at first both my kittens used to play with each other but since my other kitten got ill, (although she has recovered now ) , they r not playing with each other......... the other kitten is now ignoring this kitty and whenver she goes towards her , she moves away frm thre ........ i dont know wat has happened and y they r not playing iwth each other ...............


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## nikako (Apr 28, 2005)

Give them a little time.

My pair (littermates and sisters) got along great and played together all of the time... until they came back from the vet's after being spayed. 

Suddenly, they didn't know each other, and when they saw each other, would only hiss and growl. 

That went on for about a week, and now they know each other again... everything's cool.

Your kittens just need a little readjusting time. 

Wait a bit, and see.

In the meantime, keep playing with both of them, as equally as possible, and within view of each other. For kittens, playing is contagious. 


Keep us posted!


Rick


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## mrkitty (May 11, 2005)

well the other kitty plays with toys but not so much as it used to play in the begining.... so ill try keep playing with it and i hope this one comes and joins sumday.... :roll:


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## nabeel (May 5, 2005)

well i also hav a similar kind of a problem with my kittens............... one of my kittens is always seeking human attention and does not play... it just eats and sleeps all day and tries to be as close to humans as possible and finds ways to sit on the lap...... she is not at all interested in toys and now both the kittens have stopped playing with each other..

although they do not hiss or growl on each other, but it just seems that they r ignoring each other , especially my persian kitten ( she is full of attitude and does not even look at my other kitten ) .... i am concerned wat has happened to my kittens ?????

is it possible tht my kitten who always try to seek human attention is suffering from some disease or physical illness, which makes her lazy or is it some other problem ???????????? but she was never interested in toy stuff from the start like mrkitty's kitten........ any suggestions for me....

wat is da breed of the kitten u have mr kitty??? mine is a himalayan/siamese cross...


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## nikako (Apr 28, 2005)

Every cat has a different purr-sonality.

Some cats are more athletic than others, just as some are dedicated couch-potatoes. Some are born clowns...

... but for some cats, playing is just too undignified. 

*"Humph!"*

If your cat is eating regularly, and seems otherwise healthy, I wouldn't worry...

You just have to learn to enjoy your cats' company on _their_ terms. :? 8)


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## nabeel (May 5, 2005)

well i totally agree with u nikako tht every cat has a different purr-sonality ......but the only thing which worries me is that mine is just a kitten and kittens are supposed to be very active and playful ... not dull ...


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## Vanessatx (May 12, 2005)

I think you should try to get the kitty that used to play start playing again, maybe that way the other one might join. If not...I dunno, thats hard. I've never seen a kitty that doesn't play except one time but the way they kept that kitty was cruel and I didn't blame her for not wanting to play


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