Cat advice needed - my cat is insane and driving me up the wall.

[StellaBlue]

He's only about 10-12 months old, neutered, indoors only (I live in an urban area and fear him getting hit by a car or kidnapped - he's very very adorable).

I am out in the mornings, and often in the afternoons. I have to put him in the bedroom to eat dinner, or else he torments me during my entire meal by trying to sneak his paws onto my plate, lie on the table, stick his head in my glass, etc.

Then he sleeps a lot, of course. But when I am ready to go to bed, at about 11pm-1am, he's WIDE FUCKING AWAKE, jumping on me, attacking my feet as they move under the covers, crawling all over my bookshelf headboard, trying to drink my bedside water, biting my hair, etc.

What should I do?

He knows what NO means, but is very sneaky and determined to do what he wants as soon as you turn your back. I don't want to be mean to him and make him mean back. He already tries to bite me all the time, affectionately.

I need to get to sleep earlier. I spend at least an hour EVERY NIGHT battling with him.

[grasswire]

1. this cat needs a playmate

You need to get another cat. Perhaps one just a slight bit older with a calm demeanor. If your cat played all day with a pal, he might sleep all night. There are five cats in this household, and every one of them goes to bed when the humans do and sleeps all the whole night.

AND/OR, do you know about Feliway? It's a synthesized hormone recommended by veterinarians and behaviorists that calms cats. It doesn't dope them or anything like that, just makes them calm and happy. It comes in both a spray bottle and a plug-in vaporizer like a Glade plug-in thing. You can buy it from the vet or from better pet supply stores.

[grasswire]

2. and another thought...

....he REALLY sounds bored. Be sure you have some toys for him, and spend some time playing with him each day.

[Sanity Claws]

22. I second this recommendation

I had a hyperactive kitten who was a bit much for me too. About two weeks later, I adopted an older (about 5 years old), very calm neutered tom cat. He let the kitten bite him, jump on him everything. He even followed the kitten around.
This has turned out to be an excellent arrangement for the kitten (now a big cat and bonded to the other boy), the older cat who had been at the shelter for a while, and for me.

[greyl]

3. Feed him right before you eat

to reduce the dinner time problems.

Other than that, it sounds like he may need some stimulation/attention.

[Indy_Dem_Defender]

4. it he's trying to

steal food off your plate, just go to a dollar store and by a little squirt gun, and any time he tries to get on the table shoot him, it's harmless but it breaks the habit quickly. My cat use to do this, till I started this up and it only took a week to break him of this habit. Now the most the cat will do is sit on a chair and watch me, if I'm eating.

[deucemagnet]

5. A 20-minute play session before bed...

...might help him to settle down around bedtime.

[Iris]

26. yes. Get one of those fishing line toys - they'll do flips for as long as

you let them.

There's a pet care show on NPR and someone called in with this problem. The vet said to get them really tired before you go to bed.

[Dangerously Amused]

6. Sounds very much like my Ralphie.

With respect to the sleeping issue... the closer he got to mealtime, the more rambunctious he became. It was a real problem when I fed him first thing in the morning because he would start getting lively a few hours before, and wake me up by playing on the bed, biting at my feet under the covers, etc. Grrr! But I had much better success when I fed him right before bedtime. Then his full belly seemed to calm him down and he would just go right to sleep along with the rest of us.

I'm also a big fan of the "get him a playmate" idea.


Good luck.

[Writer]

7. Three words:

Battery operated watergun

[LisaL]

8. He is a freaking cat. What do you expect?

He sounds bored. You could get another one for him to play with.

[noonwitch]

11. Yeah, that's pretty typical cat behavior

My little kitty is 10 years old, but still likes to attack my feet when I'm sleeping. I'm used to it, but sometimes I wake up with scratches that I have no idea how I got.

[LisaL]

16. Since I have a persian, all that thing does is sleep.

[radfringe]

9. a buddy would help

cats are nocturnal by nature, so the night time play is not unusual.
He's still young, he'll calm down in a few months.

But a buddy would help keep him amused during the day and tire him out.

another suggestion: Does he like catnip? If so, give him some before you crawl into bed.

We have fresh catnip in our garden and have 5 cats - the 3 youngest periodically go on a "rampage" in the evening - a generous helping of fresh catnip usually calms them down...

[Southsideirish]

15. Good idea but be careful as another cat could definitley make things

worse as they OFTEN get into a territorial thing and it could get ugly - and messy. Been there, done that.

[radfringe]

19. get younger one

of opposite gender... very seldom have territorial problems then

[StellaBlue]

10. Thanks for the input guys!

To clarify, I get off work at 1 and am usually home for at least 4-5 hours in the afternoon/evening, during which he gets as much attention as I can give in between housework, etc. He has tons of toys (he really only likes to play alone with the round thing with the track for the ping pong ball, that goes round and round). I try to play with him before I get ready for bed, to tire him out, but he's usually happily dozing on the sofa by about 10pm. Then as soon as I get in bed, BANG!, he's all over the place. I can't get another cat because I am allergic to cats! haha. This is the ONLY cat I have ever met that I'm not allergic to! Which is why I have him, I couldn't resist. He's very sweet, but just getting too rambunctious/playing rough. I am going to get him one of those sticks with stuff dangling on it, that's freestanding, because I did have an arcylic stick with a toy on the end, which you had to dangle yourself, and he LOVED that, until he broke it. He also has a cat condo, which he ignores, and I have floor-to-ceiling windows that he likes to sit in, not surprisingly. Thanks for the reminder about the cat nip - I do have some!

:hi:

[Throckmorton]

12. Ah Yes, the midnight frenzies

When Bob and Andrew were about that age they would go nuts every night around that time. Our solution, more all the breakable and shut the bedroom door.

Now that they are 7, they are just furry lumps most of the time.

[_testify_]

18. Bob and Andrew?

Is your name Mark by chance?

[Love Bug]

13. Feed him right before you go to bed

This is advice I got from my vet years ago. Because it is in a cat's nature to eat, poop, then sleep, take advantage of that by feeding them right before you go to bed. Also, keep a squirt bottle around for discipline. A few shots of that will discourage most cats from bad behavior! My cats are well acquainted with The Avenging Squirt Bottle of Justice!

[LaurenG]

14. Yep and shut him out while you sleep

Cats are nocturnal and they will not be denied their right to play with you while you sleep. Mine lays on my head and purrs me awake several times a night, unless I shut them out.

[Arugula Latte]

17. He isstill young and will almost certainly mellow with age.

The toe pounding stuff tends to stop. Just hang in there, I guess, is my advice (if it's really not possible for you to get another kitty, that is).

Good luck! :hi:

[applegrove]

20. Kittens will go to the ends of the earth to play. At that age.. all you

can do is sit back and enjoy it. Or make sure you have another cat.. so the kitten can exhaust them.

Oh my. Kittens. Pure love. Keep them inside. Not worth it unless you are in a very suburban garden neighbourhood. Cause if you loose a cat to a car.. it hurts. Alot. You are so smart. Inside, inside.. and another cat to play with.

[cedahlia]

21. Such a little sweetheart

;-)

We have a young girl kitty who is finally growing out of the always-ON kitten stage. When she was in that non-stop-fun-party-mischief mode, we closed the door to our bedroom at night, so we could actually get some sleep. I don't know if that is an option for you, but it worked well for us. I don't think this is a mean thing to do, and eventually you might not even have to do this any more (our girl is still frisky, but she has mellowed out tremendously over the past few months, and if she does hop on the bed at night, she goes right to sleep!)

I, too, would also recommend adopting a second cat, if that is feasible for you and your family. You said that the cat you now have is the "only cat you're not allergic to." But there probably are in fact other cats out there who you might not be allergic to. For example, my brother always had a highly allergic reaction to my grandparent's orange tabby cat, but my cats (and some of his friends' cats) have never bothered him. I don't really understand why a person could have an allergic reaction to one cat, but not another, but it if you found one allergy-friendly cat, I bet there's another furry guy out there who is a good match for you! Anyway, as others have said, having a rambunctuous playmate could do wonders for working off all that seemingly endless supply of kitten-energy!

Best of luck to you! :)

[StellaBlue]

28. Thanks!

I am 27 and this is the ONLY cat I have EVER met that I am not pretty seriously allergic to. It's weeeeiiiiird.

[Beware the Beast Man]

23. He needs to play.

Set about 30 minutes in the evening (preferably right after sundown) to play with him. He's understimulated from the sound of it.

[politicat]

24. Cats in pairs. Always.

They don't do as well in odd numbers (though when you get above 4, they handle each other better.)

Also, remember, he's a teenager. Of course he's up all night and busy all day and wants to do everything you're doing. You're his prom queen, and he's adoring you.

[riona]

25. Something from Cat Fanciers

"Cats will often display behavior commonly called "elevenses," since it seems to occur most often around 11PM. This consists of the cat's eyes dilating, its tail poofing out, and alternating between hopping sideways and racing all over the house. Your cat wants to play. Take it up on the challenge. Chase after it, play hide and seek. This can also be useful; playing with a cat just before bedtime reduces the chances of your cat wanting to play with you at 3AM."

[hyphenate]

27. A playmate would be good

Preferrably someone his own age.

However, if you want to only deal with the one, you need to wear him out a bit. About an hour or so before bedtime, play with him. Do things, like having him chase things or shine a light on the wall and let him chase that. Anything you want to do will help him burn some energy. Then he'll sleep with you a lot better. But he sees you as his companion and he will always be after you unless you give him someone of his own to look after.