Need some advice. Please help!

[jawramik]

Everyone's given you some good advice. Unfortunately, as you said, they're just being kittens, so it's really unfortunate that your neighbours can't seem to be more understanding. If you live below people, you're going to have to tolerate some noise from above. That's just a reality. But since you can't do much about your neighbours being sticks in the mud, I'd suggest getting them some cat trees so maybe some of their tearing around can be up and down, rather than all stomping all around on the floor. Give everyone else's ideas a try, too.

If this continues to be a serious problem, as a last resort you could talk to your apartment manager about moving into a ground floor unit (assuming you're allowed to have these cats and your building manager is the understanding sort), but that's pretty drastic and would be very stressful on both you and your kitties. I only mention it because it's the only thing I can think of that hasn't already been suggested.

[Zilla]

First of all your neighbors arnt being very friendly neighbors.... If you live in an apartment complex and dont request top floor then you have to EXPECT some noise... And some people have pets! Big deal??!! Do they have pets??? You know it could be worse and you could have some big mastiff thundering through the house but no you have cats. They are being very mean and not understanding if you ask me and personally I would ignore them. Tell them to request the top floor next lease... Like I said it could be worse you could have huge dogs thundering about or even better you could be throwing loud parties all hours of the night.... They need to get over it....

[marie73]

I don't think the neighbors are being unreasonable. I'd HATE to live below me. If someone had children who started running around at 2:00 a.m., I wouldn't stand for it. I know cats are different, but still. My cats don't do it very often, but I still feel bad for my neighbor. I'm not sure how loud it is, but he can probably hear them.

When you first get home is when they're the most excited, if they're like my girls. So maybe you can try to give them treats on your bed, toss them around and let the cats jump and chase them on the bed. Then give them a BIG meal. Maybe with the excitement of you wearing off, and getting a good meal, they won't run around as much.

They are just being kittens, but I do feel bad for the neighbor. Guessing from the age of the cats, they're all new additions so the neighbor didn't move in knowing there would be cats running around. I know in some places here where noisy children are complained about and can't be controlled, tenants have had to move to another part of the complex. Or out.

[Tyrant]

Thank you all for the friendly and helpful comments!!! It looks like I've joined a very positive community.

As I've said, this is definitely a two sided coin. On the one hand, when you knowingly move into a place where you share walls, a floor, and a ceiling with other people, "noise" is just a part of life. There are some folks out their who are completely inconsiderate and will crank up the music and stomp around to their heart's content. Others, like myself, do their best to keep the noise at a minimum, but unfortunately, even despite my best efforts, it's not always fully in my control.

Health-wise, I'm in no condition to move. Financially, it would be very difficult to pay a company to move for me. Not to mention the stress on the cats, bill transfers, and so on. In short, it really isn't an option.

The floors are carpeted, though they don't seem to provide much resistance to the sound. And they do have cat trees, but that's part of the problem. It's not just the running around. It's jumping off the highest platforms in the house and hitting the floor with a THUD.

I don't have cable, but I'll see if I can find a way to loop a movie in the background to see if the human sounds help. I think the biggest thing is that they just get bored when I'm gone and very excited when I get home. Like I said, though, they're just being kittens and I want them to do as they please and be happy. If it weren't for the neighbors beneath me, I'd let them run around as much as they wanted

[Venusworld21]

We don't have cable either. A lot of movies now have an "automatic" start option built into the dvd, so they play on a loop if we don't turn them off. How to Train Your Dragon is one I can think of offhand. Another option is to get a tv on dvd series and hit "play all." A cd or radio would probably work fine too.

[lyle]

Along the line of deadening the floor. All the large hardware chains as well as Harbor Freight carry large closed cell foam "tiles". Used primarily in workspaces and kids rooms. They are several feet square and interlock. I'd guess that they are about 3/8-1/2 inch thick. I've used them and they look pretty good, easy to lay, don't move around, not very cheap and work very well to deaden sound. You can buy more tiles as you need/can afford and take them with you when you leave.