The Cat Thread

My girlfriend's parents got our Bengals some leads when they borrowed them last week, apparently they got on OK with it but we just let ours out into the 'meadow' behind our house and run around it with them, hiding behind trees/shrubbery/etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxRFDIiOdGo

I wish we could do that, I live next to a pretty busy A road and although I'm pretty certain the cats wouldn't go anywhere near it my girlfriend doesn't feel the same way.

Oh and they go mad for at least an hour every morning and evening, chasing each other around and scrapping - like in cartoons where there's a ball of fur rolling around bashing into things.

We're lucky we have that out the back, the front is a very busy road which fortunately they don't seem to keen to explore.

Oh and they go mad for at least an hour every morning and evening, chasing each other around and scrapping - like in cartoons where there's a ball of fur rolling around bashing into things

Oh yeah we get that, usually starts about 5am. They have a habit of doing it just as we're getting in to bed in the evening too.

Is there anything I can do to change his behaviour?

+1 for him sounding bored, but he's scratching you and biting you and going for your feet because your reactions (and other people's reactions) make doing these things loads of fun. Avoiding approaching him with bare skin might help a bit, not so much because he'll care about you being covered or not, but because if you've got a layer of protection on then you'll be able to avoid reacting when he goes for you. Right now he's learning that if he hurts you or your friends and family, you all make fun noises and interesting movements to entertain him with. Not reacting to this will be much harder in the night because he'll take you by surprise, but try wrapping your feet in something until the game isn't fun for him anymore.

Supplement making yourself boring with more toys. The fact that he's destroying some of them is a good sign - he's a predator and he's supposed to kill and destroy stuff. Obvs you'll want to give him stuff that you're not that bothered about him destroying. Big cardboard boxes with holes cut in them to make tunnels and the like, for eg - if he sits on one and squashes it or chews it to bits then it's just a box, so it's not a big deal, and at least he's having fun.

Edit: also maybe go back to the shelter you got him from and find out more about the way the place was laid out - you might get some ideas about how to structure your own place to keep him entertained. He'll have got a lot of stimulation there and your house is probably more geared towards entertaining you than entertaining him by way of furniture and the like. The people there might also be able to tell you what specific things he particularly enjoyed using (I'm thinking structural things here, not cat toys).

Hey, thanks for the replies.

He is a flat cat, and doesn't seem very interested in going outside at the moment. He takes tentative steps onto the balcony, and occasionally into the hallway, but will run back in at the slightest weirdness. I could take him into the communal garden but would have to train him to use a harness as you aren't allowed to let them roam free.

Things like boxes I'm surprised I haven't thought of. Going to borrow a lazer pointer from work and see how he reacts to it, and if he likes it get an automated pointer that I'll set to do crazy patterns every so often during the day. Also want to find one of those balls-in-a-tube toys as apparently some cats love those things.

Spoke to the guy at the shelter who I see when I volunteer there and he also suggested getting some 'Pet Remedy' which may calm him down. At the shelter he was just kept in a smallish cage and allowed to wander about in the room for a few minutes several times a day when they cleaned the cage and fed him. He was neutered a few weeks before I took him.

Nothing changed in my home when the behaviour suddenly changed - perhaps this change was from him suddenly feeling more comfortable and safe so not needing my company so much?

If I can keep him busy during the day, might he return to sleeping on my bed at night? Must admit I really miss the cuddles :(

There's a good chance he might. See what happens when you get him nice and tired out, if he's maine coon size then he'll have a lot of energy to be getting rid of :-)

The shelter doesn't sound very stimulating. How old is he? I'm wondering if he maybe had a particular personality that wasn't coming through at the shelter because that environment was more stressful / boring, or maybe more exciting than it sounds to us. Getting him used to a harness sooner rather than later will be best, but you'll need to get him to not use your arms as playthings first or you'll have a hell of a time getting it on and off him.

Shelter said he's something between 2 and 4 years old judging from his teeth, no idea what his history was other than he was abandoned with a rancid leg cast by someone who couldn't pay vet bills. I guess perhaps he had been used to not being able to move around much for so long and is now catching up?

He does let me manipulate him without attacking me sometimes - I can hold him on his back and rub and brush his belly for short periods before he decides to start playing so harness may not be too big an issue. Shall get one soon.

my 8 year old siamese is pretty ill, been at the vets for a day due to kidneys playing up and im told he will probably have to be put down. tis is a sad day, tomorrow they are going to take blood tests and see how they compare with the previous one, i just really really want him to be ok as he is an amazing cat and seeing him today was very fucking sad

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Poor old mog, my cat (James) is also ~8 years old, not that we see him that much anymore.

Jezton, our rescue cat was batty when we got it, it's not as mad now a few years later.

We get random phases of hyper excitement/mad moments, you watch your feet and hands and open the door so he can go out (it can't always be arsed to use the catflap if humans to open doors are about)

The key warning sign is his eyes. If the pupils fully open or he gets a very wide eyed look then he is about to go hyper.
We use feliway (think thats the brand) vet suggested it when we moved house, few squirts around the place for a few days while things calmed down, also handy for transporting, we dosed up the travel box. Fairly cheap and seems to work for our cat.

Ours used to sleep on your head/pillow he now sleeps at bottom of bed and sometimes has a play with your feet, also doubles as a fairly regular alarm clock by batting you on the head when he wants breakfast :)

Very sad, he does look lovely. I've always had a soft spot for Siamese cats as I grew up with two - a chocolate point called Napoleon and a blue point called Mr Blue. Very upsetting when they were eventually put down, but lots of good memories. Good luck with his test results tomorrow.

Patch is sending her Kitty love to her distance and most certain not related brother. She is keeping here paws crossed for him.

Do all cats not go mental with mental eyes at least once a day? Ours do and as far as I can remember I've seen most other cats do it. I just watch them, it's lulz.

In fact it's the only time I like cats, they're boring the rest of the time.

Yeah, mrs_com calls it "saucer eyes". Usually it's if we're both hanging around in the morning. The girl cat goes a bit mad either before or after taking an almighty dump.

'mad hour'. closely followed by 'family hour'.

Shark eyes. Massive pupils and everything needs to be killed.

after taking an almighty dump.

yeah one of mine goes beserk immediately after taking a shit.

TL;DR Adopted an amazing, wonderful cat. A week later he suddenly turned into an unmanageable nightmare, and is getting worse. What do?

You didn't marry him did you?

+1 for Felliway, when I moved in with my partner her cat became aggressive and now he's mellow moggy.

Cat nip?

Heroin?

Jezton,

Two things have changed. 1) the cat is now comfortable with their surroundings and considers the flat their territory. This means it feels like it is in control and that it can call the shots on what it wants to do. 2) It's spring so he may have started changing coat. For some cats this causes them to get a bit hyperactive.

Cat nip and other stuff to calm him down is a good idea but you also need to re-establish a bit of dominance. Once he crosses a line then discipline him. I do this by pinning my cat down by the shoulders (like a vet would to give an injection), batting the cat on the forehead with a finger and using the stern tone of voice to admonish them. It's nothing that will hurt the cat but they'll soon learn that they're being disciplined and you'll get a bit of behaviour modification.

You will need to play with him to burn off a bit of energy though. Try and regularise it a bit. A bit in the morning after breakfast, a bit before dinner and a bit before you go to bed. Definitely get a leash and trips outside sorted. Also, at other times, make sure you do the hugs and cuddles thing so that he sees that as a thing he would want to do. Not too late to keep him shut out of the bedroom at night.

Well this is just torture. My cat has basically trained me and my neighbour as his bitches. The dog is his henchman. I've been letting him out when the weathers fine and he's prowled about the estate, no doubt bringing furry death to all manner of beasts, but tonight is the first night he's not turned up before I go to bed. I know its normal for cats to overnight outside as my folks had cats that did that. This is going to be a long night, I feel like a father waiting for the return of his daughter after the first date.