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Hi fellow cat lovers,
I have a problem on my hand, that I never thought I'd have. I'd like to call myself a seasoned cat owner, having owned cats over the past 20+ years and also been involved with rescuing, sitting and even helping friends with their cats behavior! For the first time ever, I need help and advice.
I have 2 rescue cats. Moon (the hyper one) is a 2,5 year old tuxedo boy. Barnaby is a 2 year old black kitty. Both from same rescue, up to date with all vaccinations, both neutered . I just took both of them to the vet for a general checkup and also to discuss Moon's hyper behavior. The vet didn't seem to be concerned about the hyper-ness and anxiety I explained that Moon has. He told me they're both in excellent health and shape. He even congratulated me for being a great cat mom the way I was caring for them, including the food I give them.
Moon was always absolutely nuts, but since I got him at 4 months, I didn't think much of it and put it down to kittenhood. I know he had separation anxiety as neighbors heard him cry whenever I left, and since I got a brother for him they have bonded so much, they truly love each other and I love them both. Barnaby is about 6 months younger, and so much calmer.
They have a patio (catio) that I have made into an enclosure to make it safe for them to be outside in the fresh air but not able to escape. Of course they both love being able to lay in the sun and watch geckos and iguanas scurry past. Not to mention all the birds. On the catio, they have a large cat condo, some chairs to lay on, non-toxic plants and cat grass they love to lay underneath or beside. Inside, they have two cat condos, crinkle tunnel, toys, cat toy roller, places to scratch (incl furniture, which I don't mind), artificial grass patch, maze boxes, hiding spots everywhere, full access to the apartment and plenty of space to run (hide/sleep/watch) above my kitchen cabinets, plus my entire double closet. I even have a bird feeder on the fence on my back porch (front patio is the catio).
In the mornings and evenings I set aside playtime where I will play with them (usually with Da Bird - I have to hide it because they both love it so much), give them catnip or silvervine toys - we even play hide and seek.
To me, I feel like I give them enough stimulation - for Barnaby it's enough, but sadly not for Moon.
Moon's personality: he is sweet, funny, affectionate, playful, very loving, always ready to play and very hyper!
Barnabys personality: sweet, funny, affectionate, playful, very loving - mostly up for playtime but he will just go and chill if nothing exciting is going on, and he takes himself for a nap, or to watch birds in the window.
Moon, however, needs excitement ALL the time. This is the problem for me. In the 2 + years I have had Moon, I've not known him to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time (while I am home anyway). I also feel guilty because I wonder if I have spoiled them (they are my babies, my children) - and I want them to have fulfilling lives. Working from home for a long time meant me being home a lot. But now Moon looks to me for play/attention/something (!) -all the time. He will wander around the house whining, meowing, following me, running between my legs- anywhere I go, he has to follow, including me going to the bathroom when he will sit on the basin (opposite the toilet) trying to climb the wall sniffing, searching and knocking things over. If I go to the kitchen, he's already jumped up on the counter and is already between my arms before I have even opened the cabinet doors- and then he immediately jumps inside to explore all shelves. If I am home, and they're indoors, Moon will wander around for hours on end, and "search" for whatever he is looking for. Sometimes I just glance over if he's chilling on the couch, and if I even glance over and have eye contact with him, he'll get up and run to me. I wonder if he associates me with fun stuff and that is why? Have I maybe given him/them TOO MUCH attention? I didn't think it was possible, but forgive me if I am wrong.
If I ignore him while he is following me around, he sometimes starts chewing (impulsively) on things - including cables. I have had to hide cables and plugs because of this as I recently found my security camera cable almost chewed through completely. Needless to say, I freaked out. He also chews plastic (I explained this to the vet as well) - it's not happened in a while, but he got hold of a fishing lure once (no hook- just the wiggly fish looking attachment) and I found him chewing on it and took it off him. I then found pieces of the pink glitter fishing lure in his poop in the litter box. And every time he sees an iguana, he loses his mind. He can easily go a whole day awake, just waiting for it to come back. Even if I close the blinds (vertical blinds), he just slinks in between to get a view.
When Barnaby wants to play, he will tell me by giving me a long meow, and long eye contact. Moon will always without fail jump in and take over, which makes it hard to be fair as I don't want to shut Moon out, and they have fun playing together, but Moon always takes over and gets to play the most. Barnaby lets him, and just watches. I have to place toys in front of Barnaby, and hold Moon back a bit in order to allow Barnaby to have his turn. I am guessing this is pretty normal, but I feel like Moon gets a lot more attention and playtime, so I feel bad for Barnaby, who also deserves the same amount of playtime.
They get all the love and cuddles they want, always. Barnaby sleeps with me in the bed, and Moon by a window (if the blinds are shut he will barge through anyway so he can see outside.) It's like he's on day AND night watch. Even in the daytime he will sleep by a window, and never fully fall asleep - any noise (esp from outside) and he's wide awake again.
In the evenings, Moon is practically in my lap. That is his favorite time to get belly rubs, head scratches, thigh/paw massage - he loves being petted and I think it relaxes him a little, but not for long.
When they are outside on the catio, and if Moon hasn't seen a lizard in a while, he starts howling. It's a really strange howl, never heard a cat howl like that. I know he's not in pain, I know it's not a mating call - it's just him wanting the lizards to come back.
Every morning I get up, he is ready for me. We have a morning routine and they're allowed on the patio while I work out (so I can watch them the whole time). I usually work in the day, sometimes from home. I know routines are important so I stick to our routines 99% of the time. I don't mind their 3am Olympic Games practices either - lots of things get knocked over and my forehead is usually a great launch pad for them. I truly don't mind this. It's the daytime non-stop following me and the whining, as if he is bored, even with all the things to do inside - if I sit down and get up to get something, and Moon is laying down, he will immediately get up and follow. Barnaby naps like normal. If I get up and he's laying down, he might just look up, then fall back asleep, whereas Moon is wide awake and hyper - almost anxious. I just want to tell him "Moon, just rest, you don't have to get up when i do" - but, like a loyal dog, he will get up and follow me around. Don't get me wrong, of course I love the fact that he loves his mommy. It just gets too much for me because he is always in my face. He has already walked over the keyboard 3 times as I am typing this, and chewed on the corner of my laptop, then pulled the charger cable out with his tail from walking back and forth underneath my legs, meowing for attention.
My question is - how can I make him relax more? I have the Feliway diffuser already. A friend of mine suggested CBD or another type of calming drops. I had a CBD oil drop bottle for cats, but it was almost impossible to get him to swallow it and I hate restraining him. He also won't touch it if it's in his food or water (very picky eater)
Maybe he will calm down as he gets older? I hope so.
I don't know what to do - or not do- to get him to just chill a little bit more.
Any experience with hyper, extremely high energy cats - please comment and advise me on what else I can try are welcomed.
And if you've read this whole post (sorry it is long) - thank you so much.
Love & purrs,
Moon & Barnaby's mommy xox
Edited just now to say, the moment I posted this, and got up from my seat, Moon ran to me (from another room) straight away, long whiney meow and straight to the patio door to be let out. He's been circling me since. The only thing I can do is just ignore him. I chose not to have human children because they're far too much work, but Moon is like having a toddler)
I have a problem on my hand, that I never thought I'd have. I'd like to call myself a seasoned cat owner, having owned cats over the past 20+ years and also been involved with rescuing, sitting and even helping friends with their cats behavior! For the first time ever, I need help and advice.
I have 2 rescue cats. Moon (the hyper one) is a 2,5 year old tuxedo boy. Barnaby is a 2 year old black kitty. Both from same rescue, up to date with all vaccinations, both neutered . I just took both of them to the vet for a general checkup and also to discuss Moon's hyper behavior. The vet didn't seem to be concerned about the hyper-ness and anxiety I explained that Moon has. He told me they're both in excellent health and shape. He even congratulated me for being a great cat mom the way I was caring for them, including the food I give them.
Moon was always absolutely nuts, but since I got him at 4 months, I didn't think much of it and put it down to kittenhood. I know he had separation anxiety as neighbors heard him cry whenever I left, and since I got a brother for him they have bonded so much, they truly love each other and I love them both. Barnaby is about 6 months younger, and so much calmer.
They have a patio (catio) that I have made into an enclosure to make it safe for them to be outside in the fresh air but not able to escape. Of course they both love being able to lay in the sun and watch geckos and iguanas scurry past. Not to mention all the birds. On the catio, they have a large cat condo, some chairs to lay on, non-toxic plants and cat grass they love to lay underneath or beside. Inside, they have two cat condos, crinkle tunnel, toys, cat toy roller, places to scratch (incl furniture, which I don't mind), artificial grass patch, maze boxes, hiding spots everywhere, full access to the apartment and plenty of space to run (hide/sleep/watch) above my kitchen cabinets, plus my entire double closet. I even have a bird feeder on the fence on my back porch (front patio is the catio).
In the mornings and evenings I set aside playtime where I will play with them (usually with Da Bird - I have to hide it because they both love it so much), give them catnip or silvervine toys - we even play hide and seek.
To me, I feel like I give them enough stimulation - for Barnaby it's enough, but sadly not for Moon.
Moon's personality: he is sweet, funny, affectionate, playful, very loving, always ready to play and very hyper!
Barnabys personality: sweet, funny, affectionate, playful, very loving - mostly up for playtime but he will just go and chill if nothing exciting is going on, and he takes himself for a nap, or to watch birds in the window.
Moon, however, needs excitement ALL the time. This is the problem for me. In the 2 + years I have had Moon, I've not known him to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time (while I am home anyway). I also feel guilty because I wonder if I have spoiled them (they are my babies, my children) - and I want them to have fulfilling lives. Working from home for a long time meant me being home a lot. But now Moon looks to me for play/attention/something (!) -all the time. He will wander around the house whining, meowing, following me, running between my legs- anywhere I go, he has to follow, including me going to the bathroom when he will sit on the basin (opposite the toilet) trying to climb the wall sniffing, searching and knocking things over. If I go to the kitchen, he's already jumped up on the counter and is already between my arms before I have even opened the cabinet doors- and then he immediately jumps inside to explore all shelves. If I am home, and they're indoors, Moon will wander around for hours on end, and "search" for whatever he is looking for. Sometimes I just glance over if he's chilling on the couch, and if I even glance over and have eye contact with him, he'll get up and run to me. I wonder if he associates me with fun stuff and that is why? Have I maybe given him/them TOO MUCH attention? I didn't think it was possible, but forgive me if I am wrong.
If I ignore him while he is following me around, he sometimes starts chewing (impulsively) on things - including cables. I have had to hide cables and plugs because of this as I recently found my security camera cable almost chewed through completely. Needless to say, I freaked out. He also chews plastic (I explained this to the vet as well) - it's not happened in a while, but he got hold of a fishing lure once (no hook- just the wiggly fish looking attachment) and I found him chewing on it and took it off him. I then found pieces of the pink glitter fishing lure in his poop in the litter box. And every time he sees an iguana, he loses his mind. He can easily go a whole day awake, just waiting for it to come back. Even if I close the blinds (vertical blinds), he just slinks in between to get a view.
When Barnaby wants to play, he will tell me by giving me a long meow, and long eye contact. Moon will always without fail jump in and take over, which makes it hard to be fair as I don't want to shut Moon out, and they have fun playing together, but Moon always takes over and gets to play the most. Barnaby lets him, and just watches. I have to place toys in front of Barnaby, and hold Moon back a bit in order to allow Barnaby to have his turn. I am guessing this is pretty normal, but I feel like Moon gets a lot more attention and playtime, so I feel bad for Barnaby, who also deserves the same amount of playtime.
They get all the love and cuddles they want, always. Barnaby sleeps with me in the bed, and Moon by a window (if the blinds are shut he will barge through anyway so he can see outside.) It's like he's on day AND night watch. Even in the daytime he will sleep by a window, and never fully fall asleep - any noise (esp from outside) and he's wide awake again.
In the evenings, Moon is practically in my lap. That is his favorite time to get belly rubs, head scratches, thigh/paw massage - he loves being petted and I think it relaxes him a little, but not for long.
When they are outside on the catio, and if Moon hasn't seen a lizard in a while, he starts howling. It's a really strange howl, never heard a cat howl like that. I know he's not in pain, I know it's not a mating call - it's just him wanting the lizards to come back.
Every morning I get up, he is ready for me. We have a morning routine and they're allowed on the patio while I work out (so I can watch them the whole time). I usually work in the day, sometimes from home. I know routines are important so I stick to our routines 99% of the time. I don't mind their 3am Olympic Games practices either - lots of things get knocked over and my forehead is usually a great launch pad for them. I truly don't mind this. It's the daytime non-stop following me and the whining, as if he is bored, even with all the things to do inside - if I sit down and get up to get something, and Moon is laying down, he will immediately get up and follow. Barnaby naps like normal. If I get up and he's laying down, he might just look up, then fall back asleep, whereas Moon is wide awake and hyper - almost anxious. I just want to tell him "Moon, just rest, you don't have to get up when i do" - but, like a loyal dog, he will get up and follow me around. Don't get me wrong, of course I love the fact that he loves his mommy. It just gets too much for me because he is always in my face. He has already walked over the keyboard 3 times as I am typing this, and chewed on the corner of my laptop, then pulled the charger cable out with his tail from walking back and forth underneath my legs, meowing for attention.
My question is - how can I make him relax more? I have the Feliway diffuser already. A friend of mine suggested CBD or another type of calming drops. I had a CBD oil drop bottle for cats, but it was almost impossible to get him to swallow it and I hate restraining him. He also won't touch it if it's in his food or water (very picky eater)
Maybe he will calm down as he gets older? I hope so.
I don't know what to do - or not do- to get him to just chill a little bit more.
Any experience with hyper, extremely high energy cats - please comment and advise me on what else I can try are welcomed.
And if you've read this whole post (sorry it is long) - thank you so much.
Love & purrs,
Moon & Barnaby's mommy xox
Edited just now to say, the moment I posted this, and got up from my seat, Moon ran to me (from another room) straight away, long whiney meow and straight to the patio door to be let out. He's been circling me since. The only thing I can do is just ignore him. I chose not to have human children because they're far too much work, but Moon is like having a toddler)
