My kitten NEVER plays by himself...Is this normal?

[Moggieslegacy]

In the 3 months I have had my 5 and a 1/2 month old kitten I would be surprised if he has spent 5 minutes playing with a toy or anything without me actively on the other end of it. And even with me actively on the other end he quickly gets bored, rolls his eyes like "Oh not that again" and walks off. The laser pointer was interesting for all of 2 minutes until he figured out the movement originated in my hand and he tackled my hand. Da Bird with Da Bird and without anything on the end is still usually good for about 5 minutes. And he likes wrestling with a Stief stuffed tiger that is the same size as him if I move it like it is alive and chase him with it.

He is an active cat and does badly want to play. He gently tackles my legs in the house and constantly tries to entice me to chase him around the yard and to play hide and seek where he tags me. But I can't do this nearly as much as he wants. I keep buying him cat toys that get less than a minute of his attention before he moves on.

He has access to outside, trees to climb, a pond, bugs, mice and rats which helps keep him entertained but he still seems bored a surprising amount of the time. And I am here with him 24/7.

I thought maybe the inability to play by himself was a Savannah thing, being more social than a regular cat, but after watching videos of an F1 Savannah in action in the in the Atticas Diaries, clearly it's not, and it may be a totally unsavannah thing...

Obviously he would love another kitten to play with, but I am not sure this is a good idea in our situation...

I got him when he was only 9 weeks old. Could this be why he never figured this out, or are some cats (Savannah or non-savannah) just like that? Is this just normal for some cats?

 

[Rafiki]

Rafiki will only play with us or with the other cat. The only time she has played by herself is a puzzle game with treats to be found and even then, Jammu usually joins in.

 

[Moggieslegacy]

Thanks for sharing your experience Rafiki. So I guess this is just an individual personality thing?

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I think most cats prefer to play interactively... my British Shorthair would not play by himself most the time either.

Why don't you think a second cat a good idea? It seems that your SV might enjoy a playmate?

 

[Moggieslegacy]

My reasons for being reluctant to get him a buddy are partly because I am only financially secure enough to be totally sure I can give first rate care to 1 cat. If I had 2 that could become difficult if things changed and there was health problems.

Also, my lifestyle of spending a lot of time outdoors in my yard, or on my porch working with metal casting equipment or sleeping outside on a porch under mosquito netting most of the year, does not work with an indoor cat. For people in a city it would be like permanently keeping a cat in a cage in your apartment while you wandered around free. My living space includes my yard. Indoor /outdoor is the norm for cats in my area and the island I live is mostly very low risk for outdoor cats. Birds mostly stay out of reach in the very tall surrounding forest. And the cats help control the prolific rats that eat entire nests of baby birds. So in this area outdoor cats are usually fine. But I was really nervous that the small amount of Savannah heritage my cat was said to have could create problems with the neighboring cats, indigenous wildlife, or just a liking for dangerous adventures and I am still keeping very close tabs on him. So far it is going well and he even sleeps with me outside at the foot of my bed under the mosquito netting, most of the night and we have worked out a system for him to leave and get back in that doesn't hurt the netting. Even when he hears a mouse in the opposite direction he needs to go to get out. Getting another active cat to keep him entertained could upset what may be a delicate balance though...

I was creating an enclosure around my house that would have included part of my porch. It is 3/4 finished but my kitten became so adamant that he did not want to be locked in the house while I was outside, he became an indoor outdoor cat watching me work, and it now seems redundant to keep him in as he is staying out of trouble and he loves the yard. But I could complete the enclosure and have 2 cats in a cat enclosure that could keep each other company. And some of my neighbors have had 2 outdoor cats and it has been OK.

But getting even one cat is a big commitment I did not take lightly. Maybe I will consider this once he is a year old if he still seems to need a more equal playmate.

I really do want him to have a full and happy life!

 

[Moggieslegacy]

Thinking about this, it maybe the reason Moggie doesn't get into as much trouble as some, or maybe most savannahy cats would, is because he doesn't play by himself, so his goofy kittenish behavior is mostly supervised. Which is a mixed blessing /curse.

 

[John Popp]

Thinking about this, it maybe the reason Moggie doesn't get into as much trouble as some, or maybe most savannahy cats would, is because he doesn't play by himself, so his goofy kittenish behavior is mostly supervised. Which is a mixed blessing /curse.

This stands in contrast to everything I have experienced. Without the other one, the boredom broadens the quest for a new adventure which usually means something gets destroyed.

Waiting a year is ideal for a second cat.

 

[Moggieslegacy]

Even when he was kept entirely in the house Moggie never destroyed anything except flys. It seems destroying something would usually require the imagination to get excited about playing with an inanimate object, something he doesn't seem to do. But I was playing with him a lot, and even when I wasn't with him, I was within sight so it was all about plotting the next door dash to join me outside. And now, between me playing with him, my yard and the rodents living under my house, his environment is probably interesting enough he is never left feeling like he is so bored he wants to climb the walls or drapes or whatever. But I do worry he could start wandering in search of friends, and end up in another cats territory where he gets beat up, or maybe annoying a racoon. The other day I looked up to see a racoon come out of the bushes on one side of the yard and following 2 feet behind it a smaller animal I at first thought was it's baby, only to realize it was my cat trying to get adopted by a racoon who was ignoring him. He wasn't stalking it and his body language was "Oh boy, this almost looks like a cat, I bet it will be my freind" I have never heard of a racoon in these parts hurting any of th neighborhood cats, and they are tame enough they will often try and get fed alongside peoples pets. But most peoples pets ignore them. Moggie wants to hang with them. On the bright side Moggie is fast and when in doubt he runs, and he could easily out run a a crabby racoon, so hopefully he will get it figured out without getting injured. And thankfully there is no skunks or coyotes in these parts. But he would love a playful feline friend....