Cat is driving me insane

[cbuscat]

I am at my wit's end and I don't know what to do. I have a cat with extreme excessive vocalization problems. He won't stop meowing and he won't leave me alone. I can't get 10 straight minutes of peace and quiet in my own home. Can't watch a TV show, can't play a video game, can't read a book without being constantly interrupted by this cat.

Here's what my home situation is like: 2 male cats, brothers, 1.5 years old. They graze on grain free dry food throughout the day and split 1 can of wet food in the morning. They have a water fountain that filters their water which I clean and refill regularly. The litter box is also cleaned daily. They have loads of toys, a scratching post, a cat condo, and I play with them multiple times daily but it's never enough. This cat comes in my room and meows at me until I pay attention to him. I play with him until he gets tired and just sits there, then I go back to my room and 5 minutes later he's meowing at me again. I took him to the vet and they couldn't find any health problems.

I just want to be able to enjoy my own life without having to devote 90% of my free time to playing with and petting this cat. I've tried ignoring the attention-seeking behavior for weeks to stamp it out and it just gets worse and worse and worse. I try to play with him to wear him out but it never works. I want my life back. I feel like I'm a slave to this cat and now matter what I do or how hard I try I can't make him happy. Does anyone have really good toy recommendations? Something where he can keep himself busy preferably. I love him and I don't want to give him up, but he is becoming a major stressor in my life.

 

[yayi]

Does he get along with his brother? A pair of cats keep themselves occupied with play and stuff so I was wondering if the reason for him to be so vocal and clingy is because his brother is bullying or ignoring him. 

 

[cbuscat]

I think he gets along with his brother, but sometimes they do fight. They will lay together and clean each other. But sometimes I will see his brother just come up and bite him for no reason, starting a 5-minute long fight. As far as I can tell his vocalization is unrelated to the fights.

 

[turks rule!]

Does he and his brother have a routine throughout the day? I see that they have dry food to graze on, so I assume no set meal times?
I say this as when my cat was a kitten he was very demanding and the only way I could have periods of peace and ensure that he got some sleep was to establish a strict routine.
All animals enjoy a routine (I work with horses and they are no different!) it is reassuring and especially where food is concerned gives them something to look forward to.
My cat has four small meals a day and he knows exactly when each one is due!

I feel your pain when your cat is demanding to be entertained all the time-my cat was just the same when he was younger! I bought expensive toys and most have been ignored. The only expensive toy that has been worth every penny is a floor to ceiling climbing tower.

Does your boy like to chase and run fast? Plastic bottle caps can be skidded across a hard floor for him to chase. A plastic drinking straw in the bathtub keeps my cat entertained for ages - even better if it is filled with water for my bath and he can fish it out. Going into a different room or upstairs? Trail a wand toy with an elastic cord and a feather on the end on the floor behind you. Large paper shopping bags with the handles cut provide endless fun. I could go on and on. I have had to be very inventive!!!

I do playtime in a very involved way, then meal time. Then and It didn't take very long, my cat got the hint that it was nap time!! When he was a kitten at one o clock sharp he was shut in the kitchen where his bed was and the door did not open again until four.

Do your boys have access to outdoors?

 

[cbuscat]

I would say they have somewhat of a routine. On weekdays, I wake up at the same time every day and give them their can of wet food around 6:00am. I now realize this is a mistake because I am unable to sleep later than 6:00am on weekends since they will meow outside my door until I get up. Other than that, there are no set meal times. I have a routine with the problem cat where after I shower, he will meow at me for a while, then he gets all cuddly and I will either pet him or brush him for 5-10 minutes and he goes purr crazy. Again, this routine isn't maintained on the weekend because I want to wake up and take a shower later.

They both love to chase and run fast (both are males). Maybe I will try to set feeding and play times as part of a regular schedule. He's meowing at me right now as I type this and given that he's already had wet food, I'm not sure what he wants.

 

[cbuscat]

Nothing is working. He won't shut up. I'm going insane!!! I'm trying to play with him and give him attention, but he just sits there! I get out the string toy and he just sits there. I get out the laser and he just sits there. I throw crinkly balls and jingling toys and HE JUST SITS THERE. But then I try to go back to my room and do what I want to do, he follows me and starts meowing. NOTHING WORKS. He has fresh food, fresh water, freshly scooped litter. LEAVE ME ALONE CAT. I pet him and he walks away. I've been around cats my whole life and I've never had a cat like this. I'm about to break down and cry. I can't live like this. 

 

[jcat]

He's castrated, right? Do you talk to him? Our last cat was extremely vocal, and half the time he was meowing he just wanted to have a conversation. He settled down after about 5 or 10 minutes of "chat". Does he have perches in windows so that he can watch the outdoors?

 

[mr wendall]

cbuscat,

He may be under duress or have some discomfort and this is his only way of getting your attention. You said that his brother sometimes "bully" him and will bite him and stuff. Constant meowing is definitely his way of trying to get your attention, the question you may want to ask yourself is WHY is he trying to get your attention. I hope everything is okay with him but I really think you should take him to your Vet just to make sure there is nothing wrong with him health wise.

 

[turks rule!]

Grrrrr, just spent ages replying and it wiped for no reason. So will keep it brief.

I assume that he is neutered and up to date with flea, worm and vaccination treatments? Have you checked him for bites( from other cat) ear probs that you can see,claw and pad probs and if his gums are red and inflamed?

You say that the other cat is a bully. Take time to really watch them and see how they interact. They do not need to be physically fighting for it to be all out warfare between them. The dominant one could simply block the others path, to cause a lot of distress. Stareing contests which can take place over hours from one end of a room to another are a big sign of bad feeling between them and causes the weaker one yet more distress.

You say that they are free fed. Is one cat blocking the other from eating? They need regardless of issues to be fed far away from each other- another good reason for timed feeding in a set routine. They will be too interested in their own meals to bother each other and you can watch them and resolve disputes in the beginning.

If you have the same toys for him, he will be bored. I assume your cats are indoors only? Unfortunately for you if they are, they need a lot more stimulus than people imagine. Do they have lots of high up perches? Windows where they can see things? I say this as when my cat moved in as a small kitten, we lived in an apartment seven floors high. A floor to ceiling tower enabled him to see a little more of the outside world.

We had a large apartment but like you, my then kitten drove me insane. A strict routine helped- don't forget this can be relaxed over the weekend, just not feeding times. I harnessed trained him very quickly and to be honest it solved all my problems. I am not sure if you want to go down this route, so you must be prepared to engage his interest in play more.

Play, food, sleep. It rained heavily today and my Frenchman didn't want to be out in it for long. I knew then that I would have to provide the stimulus for him to burn off enough energy before he could sleep. A new game was to put a nut in an empty Kleenex box( he likes nuts with the shell on) that kept him going for a while. I had the Sunday newspapers so decided to tape pages together to make a tunnel and he loved that! I did all this while watching a cooking show that I wanted to see.

Because I want to keep my cat safe, I choose to keep him indoors and harness walk him twice a day. When I work, I have to get up at 5.30 to enable me to do so. I choose to do this rather than let him outdoors on his own because we live on a busy road. It is my choice to do this. I know that my cat would rather go out on his own. I am not a slave to him because we have a routine that he is happy and content with. However because of my choices, I understand that I have to spend more time inventing new stimulus and thus exercising him than I would if he could go out on his own.