I'm officially at my wit's end, so I made an account here to ask for advice. I have a 5 yr old tortie who has been super hyperactive and vocal lately. She's always been energetic for an adult cat, but the last couple weeks have been much worse. She's alone until 5 pm 3 days a week , and I understand that means pent up energy (though this schedule has been the same for months, so I'm not sure what has changed). That's why she has many toys she can play with while I'm gone, and as soon as I'm home, I try to dedicate at least the next hour to playing with her (though it's usually much longer). I also try to play with her all day on the days I'm home all day. The problem is, I'm pretty sure she just sleeps while I'm gone. And then when I try to play with her, nothing holds her attention for long before she's off with the zoomies or being destructive. If it was only for that first hour, that'd be one thing. But the hyperactivity lasts all night. From 5 pm to midnight when I finally give up and go to bed. I cycle through toys that whole time, trying to hold her attention and get the energy out in a healthy way. She has every toy imaginable at this point. I've read lists of toys for active cats and tried them all. Nothing works. She has the da bird thing, several ball-in-track pusher things, cat towers/posts, mice, balls, springs, tunnels, several automated toys, the ripple rug, etc etc. I've put toys away for a while in hopes that reintroducing them later will reignite her interest. Nope. She half-heartedly plays for a minute than runs off to destroy something else. I'm just not sure what to do at this point.
I'd like to get another cat to help burn her energy, but she hates other cats. She's super aggressive with all cats, and I'd fear for the other cat. And I have too small of an apartment to keep 2 cats separated for long enough for her to get used to them. I've also tried the feliway calming stuff. It seems to help a bit, but not enough.
I did wonder about a hyperthyroid problem, but she has no other symptoms and she's still a bit young for that. And I take her to yearly vet appointments and they've always said she's very healthy.
So any suggestions?
I'd like to get another cat to help burn her energy, but she hates other cats. She's super aggressive with all cats, and I'd fear for the other cat. And I have too small of an apartment to keep 2 cats separated for long enough for her to get used to them. I've also tried the feliway calming stuff. It seems to help a bit, but not enough.
I did wonder about a hyperthyroid problem, but she has no other symptoms and she's still a bit young for that. And I take her to yearly vet appointments and they've always said she's very healthy.
So any suggestions?