At my wits end with my weirdo kitty.

[hannahe01]

Hi all. I’d like to preface this by saying I love my cat, I really really do. He’s been with me for two years and I’ve had him since he was around 6 weeks old. He’s my little man. He’s always been a strange cat, but lately he’s been even weirder than his usual. I’m not sure what to do or how to make things better for him and I both. I’ve spent much money on toys, vet visits, diffusers, sprays, you name it. Thousands of dollars and I really can’t spend any more money because clearly throwing money at the situation isn’t working. He’s healthy. His appetite, bloodwork, litter box habits, etc are all pretty great.

he continuously wakes me up at 5 am or earlier every morning. To play. And then I try to play with him and he refuses to play. He has these bursts of energy and gets himself all wound up but won’t play. And if he does actually play it’s for 30 seconds and then he walks away only to come back again and do the same thing. Hes beyond difficult to engage in play and he NEEDS it to blow off steam. But I cannot spend hours of my night anymore trying to get him to burn off energy because I’m officially out of energy. About five months ago we had a play schedule down and he was great. I wasn’t getting woken up at all hours, he was playing regularly, things were great. This change started after we introduced a second cat and that did NOT go well. After three months we had to rehome her (this was in March) and ever since he’s been way different. Not as playful, not affectionate, no longer sleeps on the bed or couch with me, seems stressed and jumpy for no reason. And even borderline aggressive sometimes. I’m so tired you guys. I’m so tired and so drained because I can’t figure out what to do for him. I’ve tried every toy and non-toy you can think of and then some but absolutely nothing I do or have been doing is working. I desperately need to find a solution for this because I feel so disconnected from my buddy. And the lack of sleep is getting to me and affecting my job/relationship. I miss how things were so much. I’m pretty miserable rn. any suggestions would be appreciated

 

[Sylvia Jones]

What happened when you got him a playmate?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Might help to answer/explain the changes in him if we knew more about what all went on during that three months with the second cat. Also, how old was that cat?

 

[hannahe01]

Might help to answer/explain the changes in him if we knew more about what all went on during that three months with the second cat. Also, how old was that cat?

He was extremely stressed when we introduced them. We took it slow and did all the things. He stopped eating for three days and was vomiting when she first arrived. Once they got to the face to face stage he was aggressive and stopped playing, started hiding more, and vocalizing more. He was clearly stressed, so we’re we, so we decided to rehome her. We thought maybe he’s go back to normal and he’s been better than he was for sure but still not 100% like before :/

 

[FeebysOwner]

I realize you are talking 2-3 months since you rehomed her, yes? But, given the impact you say it had on him, it might just be that he is going to take more time for him to get back to normal. You could try cleaning everything that the second cat came into contact with, as he might actually still be able to smell her scent, so it would be somewhat like he has those smells as reminders of her.

Not everything in these articles will apply, but you might find some of it informative and help to devise ways to reduce your cat's current behavior. I would only use the 4th article as a last resort, if you don't find other solutions and only after more time has passed to see if it is just taking additional time for him to 'recover'.
Playing With Your Cat: 10 Things You Need To Know – TheCatSite Articles
Cat Acting Strangely? Here’s What It Could Mean – TheCatSite Articles
Bored Cat? What Cat Owners Need To Know (including 10 Actionable Tips) – TheCatSite Articles
How To Stop My Cat From Waking Me Up At Night (step-by-step Plan) – TheCatSite Articles

 

[Rising With the Moon]

Hi all. I’d like to preface this by saying I love my cat, I really really do. He’s been with me for two years and I’ve had him since he was around 6 weeks old. He’s my little man. He’s always been a strange cat, but lately he’s been even weirder than his usual. I’m not sure what to do or how to make things better for him and I both. I’ve spent much money on toys, vet visits, diffusers, sprays, you name it. Thousands of dollars and I really can’t spend any more money because clearly throwing money at the situation isn’t working. He’s healthy. His appetite, bloodwork, litter box habits, etc are all pretty great.

he continuously wakes me up at 5 am or earlier every morning. To play. And then I try to play with him and he refuses to play. He has these bursts of energy and gets himself all wound up but won’t play. And if he does actually play it’s for 30 seconds and then he walks away only to come back again and do the same thing. Hes beyond difficult to engage in play and he NEEDS it to blow off steam. But I cannot spend hours of my night anymore trying to get him to burn off energy because I’m officially out of energy. About five months ago we had a play schedule down and he was great. I wasn’t getting woken up at all hours, he was playing regularly, things were great. This change started after we introduced a second cat and that did NOT go well. After three months we had to rehome her (this was in March) and ever since he’s been way different. Not as playful, not affectionate, no longer sleeps on the bed or couch with me, seems stressed and jumpy for no reason. And even borderline aggressive sometimes. I’m so tired you guys. I’m so tired and so drained because I can’t figure out what to do for him. I’ve tried every toy and non-toy you can think of and then some but absolutely nothing I do or have been doing is working. I desperately need to find a solution for this because I feel so disconnected from my buddy. And the lack of sleep is getting to me and affecting my job/relationship. I miss how things were so much. I’m pretty miserable rn. any suggestions would be appreciated

I was having issues introducing our new cat to our resident cat recently and found a feline behavioral specialist on Airbnb; he offers one on one sessions. His qualifications and good reviews are on his page, can't think of his name at the moment, but just Google "airbnb cat behavior" if you're interested and he should pop up as one of the first results. I found him to be legit and he continues to provide assistance via email after your session. So if something else crops up you can message him and he'll continue to help you.