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If you’re a first-time owner of a spunky, lovable kitty, you are probably learning step by step. So, if your kitten is nearing 5 months old, you might want to get prepared beforehand, so you know what to expect. Each month brings about tremendous changes, but you will learn to grow with your cat.
Stay with us while we explore the exciting life of a 5-month-old kitten and what you can and should do as the owner during this stage.
What’s a 5-Month-Old Kitten Like?
Having a 5-month-old kitten can be very challenging! While navigating these behaviors, you might be surprised at how your cat is acting. We will go over what is normal, what is not, and when to see a vet below.
Diet
You will need to be very attentive with their diet at this age. Your kitten is growing quickly and learning as they do. Their diet should be precisely what they need to accommodate their growing bodies. When you are shopping around for cat food, it is important to understand what you’re looking for.
Ideally, it’s best to feed a kitten recipe at this age, as kitten foods are designed with different nutrition than foods for adult cats. Pay attention to the feeding instructions on the packaging, as it will help guide you as to how much food to feed your kitten based on their weight.
There are a lot of options for kitten food out there. If you’re having trouble finding one for your kitten, speak to a veterinarian for recommendations that are high-quality, healthy, and within your price range. You can do this online, thanks to veterinary telehealth services.
If you need to speak with a vet but can't get to one, head over to PangoVet. It's an online service where you can talk to a vet online and get the advice you need for your pet — all at an affordable price!
Size
A kitten at 5 months old should weigh roughly 5 pounds. Some might be slightly bigger or smaller and still be considered perfectly healthy. If you have any questions about your kitten’s growth, see your veterinarian.
Sleep
Your kitten will likely take naps throughout the day that are a few hours long. In fact, 5-month-old kittens can sleep for as much as 18 hours a day! Cats are crepuscular creatures, so your kitten is likely to be most active during the early morning and late evening. That means they might be keeping you up or waking you up early. Either way, having plenty of toys and activities to keep them entertained can keep them from bothering you and will help to tucker them out.
Activity Level and Exercise
A 5-month-old kitten is going to be extremely active! In fact, they might be more active at this time than they have been up to date. You might think you’re not going to get through it, but trust us, this too shall pass.
Your 5-month-old kitten will want plenty of exercise! In fact, some of their favorite things to do right now are likely bouncing off your walls and dragging their claws down your curtains. You’ll likely be trying to discourage some of these behaviors and instead focus their energy on other forms of exercise to cut down on the destruction.
You may enlist the help of interactive toys and one-on-one time to help keep them mentally stimulated and entertained. Not only will this help provide them plenty of exercise, it can also help cut down on some of the destruction of your belongings.
Behavior
Your kitten’s behavior can change drastically from moment to moment when they are this age. They can tucker themselves out and take a nap, waking up wound for sound and ready to go. They may also play a little aggressively as they are trying to figure out social cues and what’s okay and not okay for them to do.
This is also the time that some kittens are becoming sexually mature which comes with its own behavioral changes. Be on the lookout for aggression towards other cats, increased vocalization, and mate seeking behaviors.
If your kitten is becoming overly aggressive, you can teach them some manners through positive reinforcement. Rather than punishing them for biting or scratching, stop playing with them and walk away when the behaviors become too much. Reward a mild manners with lots of praise, treats, or loves. Eventually your kitten will get the jist.
The 5 Tips for Your 5-Month Old Cat
Are you wondering how you can interact with your feline at 5 months old? Here are some areas you can focus on.
1. Never Stop Bonding
This is a crucial time in your kitten’s overall development. You should be bonding with them continually to build that relationship. You might play, cuddle, speak in a soothing voice, or all of the above! These are all incredible ways to get to know your cat and watch them develop as the days pass.
When your kitten fully develops, you two will have a best friend bond with no doubt! They will thrive on your companionship, and the two of you will learn how to interact with one another in a way that suits you both.
2. Have Lots of Toys
Don’t find yourself short of entertainment. Your cat is going to require lots of things to do, and it is your job to make sure they have enrichment. At this age, they’re going to be interested in a variety of activities, and they won’t really be picky about when they engage in play. Rotate these toys out every couple of days so that your kitten always has something “new” to play with.
Their predatory instincts will be on sharp alert, so they might want to pounce, jump, and attack anything that they find moving. You might find hair ties, paper clips, and a plethora of other small items that get pushed underneath your couches, refrigerators, or stoves. Do your best to keep these small items out of reach of your kitten as some will go as far as swallowing them which can lead to intestinal obstructions.
To keep their interest peaked, you should offer puzzles and other entertainment forms to satisfy your kitties. Keep in mind that some cats respond very well to catnip, and others don’t have a reaction. If you haven’t tested out catnip yet, this might be a good time to do so.
Looking for toys that will cater to the many needs of your cat? The Hepper Hi-lo Cat Scratcher is one of our favorite cat products that is sure to encourage your cat to get active. Its clever three-angle design offers multiple ways for your cat to climb, stretch, and exercise. Made of a sturdy plywood base and a replacement cardboard insert, this scratcher is an option that cats can enjoy for years to come. If your cat requires a little encouragement for self-play, the Hepper Catnip Mice Toy Set is a fantastic choice for their instinctual needs. Made with natural, bite-resistant hessian fabric and filled with organic catnip. Cats can satisfy their natural prey instincts while getting the physical activity they need to thrive.
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Hepper Hi-Lo Cat Scratcher |
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Hepper Catnip Mice Toy Set |
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At Catster, we've admired Hepper for many years, and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company!
3. Keep Your Kitten Stimulated
Don’t let your kitten get bored. Often, people find that having two kittens actually alleviates a lot of the responsibility. If two kittens are together, their energy levels will match quite well, giving them both an equal outlet. However, if you don’t have another kitten in the home, you can keep them engaged in other ways.
Kittens will likely be destructive if left to their own devices for too long. You will always want to have a way to keep them contained when no one is home and keep anything that they might get into out of their reach when no one is around to supervise.
4. Be Sure to Keep Up with Routine Vet Visits
Your kitten is going to get to know their vet very well in the first year of life. They’re going to have to go for routine shots, general checkups, spay or neuter surgery, and microchipping. At 5 months, you should be already thinking about scheduling their spay or neuter.
Getting your cat fixed before they reach sexual maturity is always a good idea to avoid unwanted pregnancy and behavior-related changes.
If you have any concerns or curiosities about your cat or their health, we recommend you contact your vet directly.
5. Consider Pet Insurance
Do you have an insurance plan for your cat yet? If not, it’s certainly something we recommend looking into. Even though you might think that it’s unnecessary, there are several perks to be gained from getting insurance for your cat. At 5 months old, they likely don’t have any diagnosed health conditions.
However, the older they get, the greater chance one could develop. If your cat has a preexisting condition, it may be near impossible to get a policy that will cover the costs for it. If your cat has no known medical conditions at the time of enrollment, they will be covered for everything you choose to put on your policy.
Some people just choose emergency-related illnesses, conditions, or injuries. Other people want wellness care plans that cover general vet visits as well. You can get as intricate or as simple as you want, but the coverage is still so comforting.
Most insurance companies charge around $20 to $30 per month. You can also bundle plans with yours if you have insurance through companies like Nationwide or Progressive.
In Conclusion
So now you understand a little more in-depth what to expect when your kitten is 5 months old. Trust us, these days will fly past you, and you will barely remember what it was like to deal with a furry juvenile delinquent living in your household.
Remember, if you haven’t done so yet, make an appointment for your cat to get fixed. We don’t need any unplanned litters!
Featured Image Credit: Masarik, Shutterstock
