Need help with hyper cat!

[OllieandBean]

My cat Oliver is 1-1/2 years old and has always been very energetic. I love him and he lives with me and his kitty brother, Beanie.
Every night, when I try to sleep, he panics. He opens up my china closet and climbs in, climbs on tables and chairs so he cat bat at mirrors and pictures on the wall and slams at them (which I am sure my neighbors in the apt building I live in enjoy) and does this until I wake up. I've removed mirrors from the wall at night, moved furniture around, but its like I have to remove and move everything every night. Its difficult. He freaks out. He starts screaming his head off at 7 a.m. even though i don't have to get up until 8 and all night, he plays loudly in the litter box, tossing litter around and scratching the walls. I love love love my Ollie, but I need to know how to deal with him. Beanie and I never get a full night's sleep with all of this going on. I have tried spray bottles with water, but he just opens his mouth to drink it. I need some training tools. I would never ever get rid of him- I just need to learn how to train him.
HELP!!!

[lvpets2002]

:) First Welcome to Pet Talk you & your babies.. Enjoy the talks & pictures.. MMmm lets think about this one.. My wittle Misti {I thought is very hyper} but I do think yours is outdoing her.. Have you had this baby checked out by a Vet?? There could be a brain disorder, dont know.. Have you tried putting this baby in the bathroom for the evening with its litter & food/water to see if that would settle things down a bit?? ** Hey Lets Call Out For Some More PT Cat Helpers To Advise US ok.. **

[catmandu]

The Kitten Trio can be hyper, but certainly not to this extent.
I will ask my Friends at Animal Welfare for advice, you may have to get your Vet to prescribe something to calm Ollie down.
A Cat that hyper may have had something traumatic happen to him, and hes acting out his anxieties.
We certainly hope you can calm Ollie down.

[kimlovescats]

I dare say you have one Nawtee boy on your hands! :eek: ;) I would say get a playmate for him, but you already have another kitty. I assume he is neutered as well? Does your other cat play with him at all, or is he a very laid back non-playful kitty? I guess you "could" consider getting a young kitten and see if it would tire him out some. Other than that, I know a few members here have used different sprays and medicines to calm their kitties, but I've never tried any myself.

Last resort, talk to your vet and be sure there isn't medically wrong, or get a prescription for something to calm him. Good luck!

Kim

[Laura's Babies]

Are you gone during the day? Sounds like he needs something to do to wear him out before bedtime. Play with him, HAY, get a laser light and play with him until he is wore out! They love those lights and will chase them for hours!

He still has a lot of kitten energy in him from the sound of it. My Giz will explore when the lights go out at night so I have to have my bedroom Giz proffed or she will keep me awake playing. She has a rather large basket of toys in the living room and I will get up in the morning and they are scattered all over where she played with them at night..

Also, you may want to look into getting some calming spray or something to calm him down until he (hopefully) outgrows this. I would remove the pictures off the walls until he forgets about them being playtoys. He is waking you up because it works! Chester use to wake me up every morning... It took me less than three times to put him out and shut the bedroom door and he stopped that... Even if he sits there and crys and it keeps you awake, do that until he learns... you are awake anyway, right?

[jenluckenbach]

Hmmm. Difficult one. Cats are naturally nocturnal. So being active at night is NORMAL.

First question...is he locked (closed) OUT of your bedroom at night? Could that be what makes him "panic"?

Is he this active during the day?

Is he allowed outside?

Maybe his internal clock needs a bit of resetting. Make him play HARD before the time YOU want to go to sleep. Then feed him so his full belly will make him sleepy (combined with his play time, he should be tired out).

As asked earlier, if he is not neutered, do so. Should help to calm him down some.

Also, a vet might be able to suggest a sedative for bedtime, especially if nothing else works.

[Catty1]

Any news on your wild boy?

[callingallcats]

Do not despair. Your Ollie may be a perfect candidate to be onTV, Should you desire the help of our expert panel of vets and cat behaviorist,please contact us at [email protected]. We would love to help.

[cassiesmom]

Hmm... Ollie sounds very similar to how my kitty was for awhile. I agree with the other writers who suggested a vet eval, a play session and some food. If there is nothing medically wrong, could it be that he's hungry or thirsty? Could you feed him a little at bedtime, especially after playing? Then, maybe an early morning portion so he will let you sleep until the usual hour. Let us know how he does, please!

[Kittyluver!!]

this is kind of mean but the doc said get a spray bottle and if he gets too hyper then spray his feet...he'll lay down like an angel. but when you put him out he'll go crazy. I know from experience..... :D lol

[Freedom]

Hm. I read and re-read your message. It almost sounds like he is afraid of the dark!!! He gets worries and makes noise until you wake up. And what do you do when you wake up? Ibet you turn a light on! And he calms down?

What do you know about his background? Was he a stray? maybe something happened to him during the dark. But if you got him from a friend and he has always been cared for, well, that rules out trauma causing a fright.

Lots of questions have been asked, if he is neutered, if he goes outdoors, if he is like this in daylight/ day time, what does he do during the day. does he have a playmate (yes), does he have toys to keep him busy when you are out, is he trying to bond with you, or to get the lights on?

Seems like we all want more info!

[Catty1]

Try a night light! Or two. Plug them into the wall.

[OllieandBean]

I just googled "How to calm a hyper cat" and THIS old post that I did came up from years ago!!! I completely forgot about this! I read the responses, which were great.
Things got a bit better for a while- or perhaps I just adjusted. But things are a bit crazy again. To respond to those below, Oliver isn't afraid of the dark, I play laser light with him and feed him until he is about to pop. When I put him in the bathroom so I can sleep, he runs at the door full speed- FOR HOURS. My boyfriend has recently moved in with his cat and I am slowly introducing Oliver and Bean to it. But Oliver is now keeping us both up. I think I need to do the one thing on here I haven't tried- ask the vet for some sort of sedative for night time. It's just really outrageous. While I am at work, he sleeps, so I can't keep him up all day. When he isn't going crazy, he is very loving to me.
Thanks, everyone!

[KitCat]

Besides tiring him out before your bedtime so he won't want to play, you can reset his clock to your hours. Wake him up during the day when you're at home. If you can get him to play then, that would help too.

My cat is older, but even he loves his wooly mouse on a string fishing pole. He likes the small bell on it also because it has a high pitch like a mouse. You can also use dog squeak toys but make sure you hide the noisy toys at night. Also make sure the toys are sturdy.

If you think that in nature, cats catch prey a couple times a day, and a young cat is in training to do that. Work with his natural prey urges to keep him active when you're awake to use up his kitten energy and to bond with him.

Also this is a good time to teach him to walk on a leash, and do other tricks. In nature, the cat has to use his problem solving skills to catch prey and eat. He will enjoy the mental stimulation.

Cats can understand words, if you always use the same ones. Science says they can have the vocabulary of a 2 year old. (Anyone who doesn't believe that, say "tuna" and your cat will come running!).

Playing, working, petting, and praise will promote bonding which will make him want to please you.

[CatsMeow]

:) first welcome to pet talk you & your babies.. Enjoy the talks & pictures.. Mmmm lets think about this one.. My wittle misti {i thought is very hyper} but i do think yours is outdoing her.. Have you had this baby checked out by a vet?? There could be a brain disorder, dont know.. Have you tried putting this baby in the bathroom for the evening with its litter & food/water to see if that would settle things down a bit?? ** hey lets call out for some more pt cat helpers to advise us ok.. **

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