Cat Problems - Restless Tom Cat

by Tony
(Poole, England)

I have cat problems with my 12 month old tom cat (neutered). He loves the outdoors but won't sit still for a minute! He's over garden fences, over shed roofs etc. whenever he gets the chance. Other young cats in the neighbourhood seem to be more settled.

Will he settle down?


Reply from Liz (Editor): I can really empathize with these cat problems, being the proud owner of a 22 month old neutered male who's been the most hypeactive cat I've ever owned... and probably ever seen...

At 12 month old, your cat is still really very young. This cat years to human years calculator shows how old cats would be if they were human. At 12 months old, your cat is about 15 in human years.

Human 15 year old lads have endless energy, and your cat is just the same. I've owned and looked after lots of young cats of both sexes, and I've observed young male cats (neutered or otherwise) are nearly always more hyperactive than their female counterparts. Also, all cats have different personalities, and some (yours and mine!) are more active than others.

I'm convinced your cat will calm down. If he's like mine, it will start to happen at about 18 months. But even then, he's still pretty young (late teens / early twenties), so he'll still be energetic - but hopefully more manageable!

Best of luck and thank you for your question.