Either The Cats Go Or My Wife Goes....help!

[danteshuman]

You are right, you can't prevent everything. Mine are vaccinated against: FVRCP, Rabies & FIV ... Though before kittens are let out it is essential they have their FVRCP first. Especially since it prevents Panleukopenia. I would want to know my guys were safe from that before letting them out. I'm sure their vet can help them determine which vaccines are needed.

 

[explorador]

We got two Bengal kittens about a year and a half ago for our daughters.

The age of the cats is not clear to me. You got them straight from... anyway what I mean is please make clear their age, it is important data.

If they are young then this is very normal, they will burn a lot of energies. Bengal cats are amazing, love them, have special memories about them. I'm afraid there are very little things to do, seems to me your house is not too big, do you have enough windows? windows that allow them to look moving things? people? do you receive visits? I'm not up for sound proof rooms, is not even a solution, I always try the best for the best, meaning everyone is comfortable.

I mentioned stuff above because I've been there. One rescued bengal (from a place with a big forest) and another cat, the got along pretty well. For some time they used to play at night making a mess, or at least making a lot of sound while running around, this is pretty normal. It will slowly go down, but not away entirely...

1. Neuter the cats inmedeately. It works better if they never reach adulthood, the sonner the better, it helps to avoid developing some behavior believe it or not.

2. Have one sleeping with someone inmediately. To create bonds, and this will help to make it easier to go back to bed years later. If they are young and you let the cats sleep somewhere else the cats will not create the habit (this doesn't mean they will sleep with you always).

3. Toys, tree and boxes. My cats in that scenario played with toys, with me, with all the family etc, but they also played very well with each other. I built an artificial tree so they could play, it was a bomb! and they loved it. I also put boxes in some places, so, they played, run and also hide and seek. The boxes made a big difference. And yes the tree did too. They played less and less with the other toys.

4. Visits, daytime interaction. There is discussion about this, cats sleep up to 16 hours per day, yet you can manage to keep them awake and they MIGHT change habits... like staying more time awake during the day than at night. This can only be achieved if they have enough things around that catch their interest like visits, people they can interact with. In my case both cats managed to adapt to day life very well, it took time.

5. Go back to bed with you. Both cats slept with me when they were very young, one was younger than the other (both rescued), the thing is all doors were open all day so they could move around (cats hate closed doors). When they were making too much noise I had the little one to go back to sleeping with me, that was only possible because the habit was there, I did that when he was very young. I closed the door so they communicated a bit sometimes at night, but this solved the problem. After a while both were free again with no problem.

But my house was big, and no, they weren't noisy, they adapted. Every cat is different. I asked you about windows because besides people visiting the house and ME always with them, tv time, dinner, hide and seek etc, "they also watched tv together", both were at the window watching birds, people, children, etc. Both had things around catching their interest.

I shared all the data I could. Yet I know some cats never stop being fully nocturnal, it really helps working hard when they are very, very young. The younger the better.

Had a set of 4 cats on a smaller house with no problem, but then again they are all different. Don't underestimate the boxes, search on youtube Marmalade and Cole, there are nice night videos of them playing around but they are not noisy, my cats were very similar in behavior, so provide more stuff so they can play.

 

[Ceracera]

There are sound activated anti-bark products that emit a high frequency pitch only cats and dogs can hear. Or automatic sprayers to prevent the cats from going near the door.

 

[FunnyFaceFamily]

If you are worried about them destroying expensive toys. My 6 Arabian maus love cardboard boxes of all sizes, particularly smallish ones like those for a crate of 12 cartons of juice, empty toilet or kitchen paper rolls, catnip filler toys, children's building blocks, my bedroom rug, and cat balls, oh and I Christmas tree decorations I still keep finding after they stole them from our tree in December (it's now march!) Good luck.

 

[Etarre]

Dog toys are often much sturdier than cat toys, and some of the rubber ones intended for large dog breeds might work as kickeroo-type toys and hold up better.

I have an alarm clock that mimics the sunrise to wake me up. There is also an audible alarm, but the light reliably wakes me up every morning, and this could be an additional option for your wife.

If earplugs don't work, there are also 'sleep machines' available that put out white noise or soothing noises that could be helpful.

(Can you tell I've done a lot of research into sleep aids?)

 

[Willowy]

I need my sleep, so only one cat is allowed in the bedroom (she's elderly and doesn't pounce on me while I'm trying to sleep). And if anyone howled all night I'd definitely have to do something about it, because really, I NEED my sleep! So I totally understand your wife's problem here.

The kitties do need some good hard play sessions right before bed, wear them out. Kids are good at this. And if that doesn't fix things, yep, a nice big kennel on the other side of the house (maybe even in the garage if the garage is temp-controlled). As long as they get enough attention and exercise during the day, they'll adapt to their bedtime situation. A fan or white noise machine should cover whatever noises she can still hear.

 

[ailish]

If you are worried about them destroying expensive toys. My 6 Arabian maus love cardboard boxes of all sizes, particularly smallish ones like those for a crate of 12 cartons of juice, empty toilet or kitchen paper rolls, catnip filler toys, children's building blocks, my bedroom rug, and cat balls, oh and I Christmas tree decorations I still keep finding after they stole them from our tree in December (it's now march!) Good luck.

Heh! The only toys my cat likes are those little mice with tails. Particularly green and purple ones. I buy them from time to time, but they always disappear. About a month ago I go under my bed with a flashlight for something and there's about 10 green and purple mice all stashed in this one spot. I left them there figuring when she wanted one she could go get it, but apparently once stashed they cannot be retrieved, only added to.

 

[FlawlessImperfection]

They are your daughter's cats. I vote they should be sleeping with your daughters. Also your daughters should be keeping a litter box in their room, cleaning the litter boxes, feeding them. If it is age appropriate they can harness train your little night time devils. If not, you can. A daily walk should help with all that energy that breed is famous for. It might even be better if two people (like your daughters) walk them so they can explore separately. Pets take work. It is why parents often use pets to teach children responsibility. Unfortunately you got 2 cats that are from a high energy breed. It took my hyper punk 7 & 1/2 years to calm down. I'm not sure how long Bengals take to calm down into a more sedate pace. Still at 10 years old Dante the punk, still has his daily moments. About an hour before I go to sleep each night I play with him so I can sleep. (He has been downgraded to punk, when he was a kitten he was a little terrorist )

Hear hear! I agree completely with you. Kids need to take care of their pets, it important for so many beneficial reasons. I think most importantly at the moment, Mom’s sanity and sleep. Bengals are crazy’s, for sure! Wearing them out takes hard work, good luck and good sleep

 

[FunnyFaceFamily]

Heh! The only toys my cat likes are those little mice with tails. Particularly green and purple ones. I buy them from time to time, but they always disappear. About a month ago I go under my bed with a flashlight for something and there's about 10 green and purple mice all stashed in this one spot. I left them there figuring when she wanted one she could go get it, but apparently once stashed they cannot be retrieved, only added to.

Hahaha!! Yes it's the same with Christmas decorations that get stashed behind the sofas! Can only be played with again if a human moves them out out their hiding spot!!

 

[FlawlessImperfection]

Hi everyone,

We got two Bengal kittens about a year and a half ago for our daughters. The cats are sisters from the same litter. The cats are very sweet and our daughters love them to death.

So here is my problem. They don't let us sleep at night. We thought they would start to outgrow this, but they haven't.

If we let them in our room at night they will sleep for a while, but then there comes a point where they are running around like lunatics, playing, knocking things over, clawing our feet through the sheets, etc. Clearly they are not ready to sleep with us.

For now, we keep them locked out of our room. The problem with this is that they meow on and off all night long and bang on the door because they want to come in the room, and it keeps my wife awake. My daughters and I can sleep through a marching band, so it's not a problem for us. But for my wife, it's become a huge problem.

It has been so bad lately that she really wants to give the cats away. I told her we can't because our daughters will be devastated. So now my wife wants to leave and go stay somewhere else until we get this resolved.

I don't want to give the cats away, but I don't want my wife to leave either (although I would choose the cats over my wife - don't tell her that).

I have tried playing with them to tire them out, feeding them, spraying them with water when they start meowing, but nothing seems to work. These rascals just keep coming back for more! I even had to change the door knobs because they figured out how to open the doors!

If anyone has any suggestions I would appreciate it very much.

Thanks!

I probably post this video too often, but it’s helped us SLEEP, so here it for you! They will run until they pass out, and the kids love “cat fishing”! They can help wear them out and get lots of giggles for themselves before bed Good luck!!!
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[kitty chew]

Get rid of your wife! ( joking) might be a little drastic! Can you put a cat run anywhere? My cats have one up the side of our house. Bit expensive, but a really good idea for active cats. My cats have plenty of space, things to jump on, and a nice garden to dig in. I'm lucky my husband built it for me.

 

[JT'w/3]

Some great ideas! Thank you everyone!

Ok, I am definitely going to make sure our daughters start playing with them more. Where we live, taking them outside is not an option.

I also need to find a place to buy really strong toys for them. Every single toy I get them is completely destroyed within a day or two. And I had some really strong toys. These are not your average cats. They are tigers. I got them toys from a Bengal website and they even destroyed those. The woman on the phone sounded shocked when I told her the toys were done in 2 days. So I need to investigate this some more.

I tried the ear plug suggestion a while ago, but my wife is scared she won't hear her alarm in the morning. And since she is the first one out in the morning, we can't have that or she will be late for work.

The screen is a good idea. I am going to have to think about how I can do that. If it's not really high I know they will climb up and over it. There is nothing they won't climb. They are fearless. So I need something that goes up to the ceiling which could be tricky.

The last thing I thought of is trying to sound proof the bedroom door. Will need to create a really tight seal so that the meowing is not as loud. This might be my best bet to start with.

The screen and kennel idea could be next. But in the meantime I am getting more toys and the girls have to play with them when they get home from school every day.

Thanks again to all who responded!

Check out the attached picture of a screen I've used in the past and am currently using for might fighting boyz. I brace it between the walls with heavy objects like chairs etc. and make sure my tricky boyz can push or pull the screen doors. When they were little and naughty I'd put cardboard on the bottom (I did this for introductions etc.) and then they couldn't climb up the screen. For your rambunctious kitties you might need card 3/4ft up the screens? Just an idea...good luck