# Super hyperactive cat... Help!!!!



## wilykitty (Jan 20, 2014)

Hi everyone!

I'm new here and I came seeking advice about my cat. I'm a relatively new cat owner, so I have much to learn, but I also know I have a very "special" kitty who is unlike other cats.

To introduce my cat: she is a ginger/white cat who is around a few months shy of 2 years old. She was a feral/street cat who was adopted as a kitten by an acquaintance and then I adopted her at around 5 months of age. I have no idea what breed she is but her face is a bit pointy/triangular and her ears are bigger than average so I assume she may be a Siamese or Oriental Shorthair mix.

I love my cat and she can be super sweet but she is just absolutely crazy come 10pm-ish. Runs around like a racehorse, loves to play the "knock everything down off the table and watch it fall" game and meow meow meows incessantly. We absolutely CANNOT have her sleep with us in the room as we would get no sleep with her running around, meowing and knocking things over. It's like we can't have any objects anywhere in the room because she will just love to push everything down. When she's in what we call "super feral mode" she runs on top of the back of the computer chair (which is utterly destroyed by the way) and digs her nails and meows at the top of her lungs except it sounds more like an awful howl than a meow. It's funny to describe but it kind of gives me anxiety just thinking about it. She also LOVES shredding paper. Many a handout/notebook from school has been shredded to bits. No paper is safe, but sometimes she likes chew other things, like my hair, or right now she's going for my headphone cord. Oh yea, sometimes when we're sitting on the computer chair she goes below and SWATS AND HUNTS US LIKE WE'RE A GIANT MOUSE. It hurts.

Because we can't have her in the room at night, I fear we are beginning an increasingly dysfunctional relationship where we try to trick her into going outside so we can shut the door or my dear partner tries to "catch" her and put her outside. It's a sad state of affairs. She's a fast learner and knows its nighttime and knows when this "game" commences. She runs under the bed and she is wary of our tricks. Lately I've just been serving her canned food, then I brush my teeth and run in the bedroom and shut the door. After that NO ONE CAN LEAVE THE BEDROOM. Too bad we have to pee or if I "miscalculated" and my partner hadn't brushed his teeth yet. It's like we're held hostage by our own cat! If we open the door to leave she will run inside full speed straight under the bed and it will be the biggest pain to try to trick her to get her out (again she is learning our tricks). I don't like having this relationship with her. Both my partner and I would love to have her sleep with us, but she doesn't sleep, and we won't sleep either.

It's really frustrating.

We watched a lot of those My Cat From **** episodes. We got her the biggest cat tree we could find and we brought Da Bird with us on the plane from the US so we could play with her (we live in Asia now). Nothing seems to be enough. I just played Da Bird for 35 minutes with her. She was panting and laying on her side and did not want to play anymore, as prescribed by Jackson. And then she rested for 20 minutes. Yay 20 min of peace. And now she's back to shredding paper and whining and swatting me. Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

I just don't have this kind of energy or time to give her whatever it is that she needs which I'm assuming is fierce play time for at least 4 hours straight every day.

Fun bonus info: my partner is allergic to her so he's been suffering taking Zyrtec and whatnot. When she gets hyper and runs around I think it makes his allergies a lot worse. :sad:

Sorry this is long. Thank you for reading and thank you in advance for any words of wisdom you can offer.


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

I realize you stated that your cat is different, but this is a good watch anyway. From the master himself.

Q&A: How to Make Your Cats Let You Sleep | Jackson Galaxy


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

Never mind... looks like you already follow JG's advice with no success.


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## wilykitty (Jan 20, 2014)

Thanks for your swift reply! We did indeed try what Jackson suggested and it didn't work but it is true we didn't do it for 2 weeks straight. I suppose we could try again for a longer period but I don't have a lot of hope.

It wouldn't solve the issue of how crazy she is in the evening which is when we're the most tired and also doing work for school.

Another part of the issue is that most of the day we are gone for school and she just sleeps when we're not home. So it makes sense that she would not want to sleep again at night. But I don't know what to do about her not sleeping during the day.


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## NebraskaCat (Jan 15, 2013)

Has this behavior been going on the entire time you've had her, almost 1.5 years, or is it a recent change?


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## wilykitty (Jan 20, 2014)

The behavior has been going on since we've had her. It was worse when she was younger because she wouldn't even sleep very much during the day.

She doesn't have any in-between modes. She's either asleep or in race-horse of destruction mode. When she was younger it was race-horse at night and during the day. I don't even know how we managed.


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## Bill the Cat Guy (Dec 25, 2013)

Maybe if you could find another hyperactive cat they would play together and she would be less destructive.


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## wilykitty (Jan 20, 2014)

We are open to adopting another cat, but here are some possible issues:

1. They'll both run around being destructive so instead of 1 racehorse I'll have 2 racehorses.

2. I have no way to properly introduce the new cat. I'm supposed to have a spare room for the new cat? We don't have any spare rooms in my apartment.

3. They might not get along.

4. It may worsen my partner's allergies.


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

Did you also happen to follow the strict feeding time regimens that JG suggested?

Switching to strict feeding times really made a difference for me 5 years ago.


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## wilykitty (Jan 20, 2014)

Well we free feed her dry kibble, but she doesn't really like dry kibble and holds out for the wet stuff. She munches on her kibble if she's really hungry otherwise I feed her wet canned food at night, after Da Bird. She meows for the wet stuff.

Can strict feeding time regimens be done with dry food as well? Or only wet food?


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## Heather72754 (Nov 1, 2013)

Wet food is really best for her anyway, so if she doesn't really like dry food to begin with then I would recommend switching her over to all wet. Many people say that a fairly heavy feeding of wet food right before bed can help a cat to settle down a bit more.


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## Speechie (Dec 2, 2013)

It almost sounds like your kitty has days and nights mixed up because she is asleep all day. 
I work during the day, so in the AM when I wake I give Pazu a good 15 mins play session, let him out on the screened in porch to bird watch. 
Then when I come home, I wake him up, play chase with him, get him nutty, and try to wear him out. 10 PM seems to be the witching hour here, lol. He'll race around, then settle down. I also get him running and then give catnip 30 mins before my bedtime, hoping for a soporific effect. 
Maybe try something similar for a few weeks AND leave the bedroom door open at night recognizing it may take a few sleepless nights to reset your cats rhythm? Maybe taking melatonin for the first few nights so YOU fall asleep despite any noise? just brainstorming for you! 
Also, Feliway plug in for your bedroom, to create a safe relaxed sleepy place?


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

Heather72754 said:


> Wet food is really best for her anyway, so if she doesn't really like dry food to begin with then I would recommend switching her over to all wet. Many people say that a fairly heavy feeding of wet food right before bed can help a cat to settle down a bit more.


+1


If you can pick out two times per day to feed her, and stick to them as close to the minute as possible, you will see results.

Reducing (or completely removing is very best) any corn based foods may help considerably, too. Try one can, or three days worth of grain frees won't make a difference. But after a month you'd be quite surprised.

Cheaper than getting another cat. ;-)


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Trimming her nails or having a groomer do it will help with some of your issues.


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## wilykitty (Jan 20, 2014)

Thanks for the suggestions regarding the wet food. I guess I can donate the rest of the kibble.

Oh and yes I think I would definitely need to switch cat food. I've been feeding her Applaws wet food which she goes CRAZY for but I'm reading now it's not a "complete" wet food.

I don't have a ton of brands of wet cat food available to me in Asia. I think there is Applaws, Nature's Variety Instinct and Wellness and Wellness Core. We used to feed her the latter three but now she turns her nose up. She also likes Sheba but I don't believe that is a complete wet food as well? The other brands available to me are Whiskas, Fancy Feast and Burp (which is a local brand, similar to Whiskas etc.)

Are any of the above a better choice for her especially if she will be wet-only?


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## wilykitty (Jan 20, 2014)

I don't think she responds to catnip but what is a feliway plug?


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## wilykitty (Jan 20, 2014)

marie73 said:


> Trimming her nails or having a groomer do it will help with some of your issues.


You joke! Oh dear I have not had the courage it would take to trim her nails! She does NOT like anything bodily done to her. She complains if she's picked up and kissed (which we do anyway) and every month when we have to put the vile of Advocate on her it's a terror. It obviously doesn't hurt her but she always knows when we're nearing her with the vile (somehow, maybe the smell?) and gets quite quite testy. We haven't been able to put a collar on her because she just melts into a violent puddle until she gets it off/gets her teeth stuck in it and I have to rescue her.

Oh yes, and I also bought her a kitty harness. I would LOVE to be able to take her for a walk and I think she would like it also... but bodily things. I don't even know where I would start.

The worst thing about all this is that I think she thinks I'm trying to harm her. How many months of Advocate before she gets the picture I'm just out to harm her?


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

wilykitty said:


> *I don't have a ton of brands of wet cat food available to me in Asia*. I think there is Applaws, Nature's Variety Instinct and Wellness and Wellness Core. We used to feed her the latter three but now she turns her nose up. She also likes Sheba but I don't believe that is a complete wet food as well? The other brands available to me are Whiskas, Fancy Feast and *Burp* (which is a local brand, similar to Whiskas etc.)


You are wrong, there are tons of wet food available, namely Firstmate, Avoderm, Merrick, Evo, Addiction, Fussie Cat, Holistic Select, Wellness etc etc. If you feed Burp, then I know where you are from. 

I feed Burp too, but with added taurine and multivit chews. Burp is not anywhere near Fancy Feast or Whiskas, its real shredded chicken meat or fish meat, no by-product or flavourings/colorings, with 6% carb, 56% calorie per 100gm. If your kitty likes sheba, I suppose she likes chunky/shredded meat and not pate. You can try Addiction, the non pate ones, Wellness have non pate ones too, the new Fussie Cat Chicken range (a whole lot of them). I feed Burp Chicken & Chicken Liver, I don't buy the tuna based ones. Applaws have nothing added, so it may not be complete, but Burp, Fussie Cat have vits and taurine added.

If your kitty eats Applaws w/o any vomitting issue, then your choices are plenty. My kitty vomits on Fussie Cat, Sheba, Applaws, Wishbone and a couple other brands that contains gravy.


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## wilykitty (Jan 20, 2014)

snowy said:


> You are wrong, there are tons of wet food available, namely Firstmate, Avoderm, Merrick, Evo, Addiction, Fussie Cat, Holistic Select, Wellness etc etc. If you feed Burp, then I know where you are from.


Where do you get these? I have never once seen these cat foods.



snowy said:


> I feed Burp too, but with added taurine and multivit chews. Burp is not anywhere near Fancy Feast or Whiskas, its real shredded chicken meat or fish meat, no by-product or flavourings/colorings, with 6% carb, 56% calorie per 100gm. If your kitty likes sheba, I suppose she likes chunky/shredded meat and not pate. You can try Addiction, the non pate ones, Wellness have non pate ones too, the new Fussie Cat Chicken range (a whole lot of them). I feed Burp Chicken & Chicken Liver, I don't buy the tuna based ones. Applaws have nothing added, so it may not be complete, but Burp, Fussie Cat have vits and taurine added.


Sorry, didn't mean to offend Burp and its makers. :roll:

I've fed her Wellness before and now she turns her nose up at it. Why do you only buy Burp Chicken & Chicken Liver and not tuna? My cat seems to only like the fish-based foods.

I suppose she can get used to whatever I just give her. I'll hear about it lol.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

> Where do you get these? I have never once seen these cat foods.


Check these few site:
1) https://www.polypet.com.sg/index.php?route=product/category&path=60_82_85
2) Pet Lovers Centre :: Products
3) Cats - Canned Formula - Pet Food



wilykitty said:


> Why do you only buy Burp Chicken & Chicken Liver and not tuna? My cat seems to only like the fish-based foods.


I restrict fish food to 1 3oz can a week, some of them here only give once a month. I won't go into detail except a brief mention (you can do a search here), tuna is high in mercury and tuna can be addictive.

Sorry for going off topic, but I can't offer any help with regards to hyperactive kitties.


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## wilykitty (Jan 20, 2014)

snowy said:


> Check these few site:
> 1) https://www.polypet.com.sg/index.php?route=product/category&path=60_82_85
> 2) Pet Lovers Centre :: Products
> 3) Cats - Canned Formula - Pet Food


Thanks for the links. I'm guess you order? I haven't seen all these brands in my local Pet Lovers.




snowy said:


> I restrict fish food to 1 3oz can a week, some of them here only give once a month. I won't go into detail except a brief mention (you can do a search here), tuna is high in mercury and tuna can be addictive.
> 
> Sorry for going off topic, but I can't offer any help with regards to hyperactive kitties.


It's okay lol. Thanks for the food advice! I'll search more into the tuna mercury thing.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

wilykitty said:


> Thanks for the links. I'm guess you order? I haven't seen all these brands in my local Pet Lovers.


Oh, sorry for going off topic again. I forgot Burp is also available in Mxxx, if you live there, then yes you may not have that brands available.


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## wilykitty (Jan 20, 2014)

Kitty-The-Cat said:


> 1.5 years still isn't that old. When my cat was that old she was still quite playful and a bit hyper/kitten-ish at times, even though she looked full grown. If it was, say, 3 years old I'd start wondering, but 1.5 years is still a bit young and not totally out of kitten mode.


This is comforting.


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## wilykitty (Jan 20, 2014)

Is there any other advice?

I just don't think we can handle her. We've thought about rehoming her but honestly we're just afraid that whomever takes her will change their mind once they see her behavior and take her to a shelter.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

One of the best books I've read lately is call "The cat who cried for help" by Dr. Michael Dodman. He advocates a mild medication in some cases - and frankly your case sounds ripe for consideration. I would talk to my vet about this. Here is the link for the book and another link for the meds that he prescribed: 

The Cat Who Cried for Help: Attitudes, Emotions, and the Psychology of Cats: Nicholas Dodman: 9780553104530: Amazon.com: Books



Anti-anxiety Medication for Cats


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## wilykitty (Jan 20, 2014)

Thanks, I will look into these


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## liloddball (Feb 2, 2014)

Have you thought about installing kitty shelves and ramps? That way it keeps her from jumping up onto your tables etc and knocking things over. Not just investing in a cat tree but make it like a kitty jungle gym for her in there so she's getting plenty of exercise that doesn't involve wrecking havoc on your things. You could arrange the shelf pathway along the areas she most likes to venture.


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## wilykitty (Jan 20, 2014)

I'm renting and the walls are made of concrete, so shelves are not an option.


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## wilykitty (Jan 20, 2014)

So my cat is 1 month past 2 years old now, and still as hyper as ever. I made a huge mistake taking pity on her meowing at our bedroom door at 7am this weekend; I let her in and she proceeded to run around the room, run on top of the office chair-dig-her-nails-in-and-yowl (her signature), she scratched my legs, she bit my legs, started eating things on the table, pawing things on the table, knocking things over. BASICALLY no more sleep. The previous evening we played Dabird with her for more than an hour. Still only has two modes, asleep and unbearable.

I am extremely frustrated with her. If all cats are like this then they are the worst pet possible, maybe second worst to snakes.

We are relocating internationally in a few months and are seriously debating whether we should take her with us. I'm leaning towards no because I just don't think we can handle her and I do not see her behavior improving in any way and I'm absolutely fed up.

I'm wondering if we should just let her go back on the street. She may have a higher chance of survival there than if we try to re-home her... and she ends up at a shelter.


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## sweetcuddles (Jun 30, 2013)

snowy: tuna is not that high in mercury. It has a moderate amount of mercury. But is not as high as shark, and I think mackerel.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

No, not as high as shark and mackerel but that's in relation to humans. The amount of mercury in 1 can of tuna is going to build up a lot faster (if fed regularly) in a 10 lb cat than in a 120lb human.

It *IS* a factor in feeding cats and shouldnt be overlooked.


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## sweetcuddles (Jun 30, 2013)

I would not let her back out on the streets. The streets are more dangerous than finding a good home. Anyway, before you do give her up, may I suggest more toys for her. It seems that the reason why she is destructive is because there are only very few toys for her to occupy herself with. I have a small little box of toys for Skittles to play with if she gets bored and I am not around or available for her to play with. Try getting more toys for her to play with, that way she won't be destructive and she just might let you sleep at night, as she can entertain herself without having to wake you up every night.


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## wilykitty (Jan 20, 2014)

The toys I've gotten her tend to collect dust (she seems only interested in things that are moving?) with the exception of dabird. She also loves chewing paper and knocking things down (human things). ::shrug:: I guess I can get her more toys.


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## sweetcuddles (Jun 30, 2013)

There are cat toys that move, like mice that move along the floor that you wind up or something.


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