Helpful Advice For My Crazy Cat Please Lol :)

[Ame19922]

Hey guys, this is my black cat Stephan that I adopted from my vets office. They named him and he knows his name so I didn't change it, but his nickname is bubba that he also knows lol. He is long and muscular and very talkative. He is extremely smart. He knows that scratching on the t.v. or window will make me annoyed and get up and get him some wet cat food. He eats so much but he is extremely active and never gets fat. He is 11 pounds and doesn't look it at all. I have another cat that he terrorizes. He is constantly attacking her when he is unhappy and when I won't feed him 2 or 3 cans of cat food at a time. They always have dry food to eat, but he gets picky and won't eat it no matter what brand I try then he will get to where he will eat it. The vet says he's ok and he has all of his shots. I think he is just extremely bored a lot of times and attacks the other cat because she's a moving target. We have bought moving toys for him but he gets bored with how predictable they are. He loves it when we play with him but he wants it 24/7 and never seems to get tired or he will rest and want to get right back up and play again. I will say I got him when he was 4 months old and right after my other cat had just had surgery and lot her kittens due to malnourishment in the wild. I think she had lost them when I found her. She was hiding in a bush and called out to me for help, but it was too late. She came right up to me and let me pet her and feed her. It took her a minute to get used to being indoors, but now she loves it inside and she constantly wants my attention. I think Stephan might be jealous of her but I try to give him attention too, but he only seems to want it when he wants it and not just anytime I want to pet him. Any thoughts or tips to help me?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I am not sure how to help you. But, I will ask how old Bubba is and if he has been neutered. What does the vet say about how much Bubba wants to eat? Perhaps, he needs all that food in order not to feel hungry, and the hunger is causing his outbursts.

How does the other cat react when Bubba "attacks" her? If she is not all that bothered by it, it is likely just the way things will be between them until Bubba gets older. Also, since you seem to think his behavior might be somewhat tied to boredom, do you have cat trees and climbing posts for him to use? If there are windows that he can access to look out, perhaps you could get a bird feeder or two to place in view of the window(s), that would help to entertain him?

From the first and last pics you posted, it looks like their relationship is fairly OK, as they are comfortable enough to sleep close by to each other.

I know other members on this site will soon respond to your post with some good advice/tips!! Hang in there!!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

First, if Bubba is a very high-energy cat, he's burning a LOT of calories, and is probably hungry all the time. I'd let him eat his fill, but watch his weight carefully. Should he start gaining, cut back a bit. And he may be one of those cats who do better on more, smaller feedings, as well. A few adults just do.

What kind of toys do you play with him using? A wand toy is one of the best, if you are willing to put in the time to play with him. They are utterly unpredictable, because YOU are controlling the action. The trick with them is that you need to mimic the actions of whatever "prey" you are using. Most come with feathers, so you ARE A BIRD! You soar, and swoop, and flutter on the ground for a minute, then take to the air again! If your cat prefers ground prey (some do), then BE A MOUSE! Skitter and scamper and hop and hide. Get him really going, till he lies down and pants, then get him going again! Rinse, repeat, until he just looks at you with a "Just stop, already!" look on his face. Three or four sessions of that will work off a lot of angst.

And don't forget your girl (what is her name, btw?), in separate play sessions! Some good experiences in stalking, hunting, catching and "killing" her prey will do wonders for her confidence, and she won't be nearly as much a target for Bubba!

Welcome to TCS! Your cats are lovely, and I can tell you want the very best for both of them!

 

[Kflowers]

What size are the cans of food you're feeding him? How many calories does each can have?

The Fancy Feast cans are really small. Weryva gas very few calories per can. Cats in their racing around the house years burn calories fast.

From the pictures he and your girl seem to like each other. In my experience cats who don't like each other won't share chairs. At least not willingly.

 

[Kflowers]

When Bubba attacks your girl cat, how does she react? Does she wrestle with him? Girl cats need to practice fighting too, and most enjoy it. Screaming is part of the game. Remember even if she isn't as big as he is, she's armed too. If there is no blood and she doesn't run and hide for ages afterward, they are playing.

Step one - when he messes with the tv, play with him, don't feed him.
Feed him at set times during the day, it's best to divide the hours of the day evenly starting with breakfast when you get up and ending with dinner right before you go to bed. You might want to leave dry food out all the time until he finishes growing. (That's right from his pictures, he looks as though he has a bit of filling out to do, unless he's got a lot of Siamese in him.)

We'll see how that goes before we figure out step 2

 

[Ame19922]

They would sleep together and he would even try to nurse from her when I first got him. I got him when be is 4 months old and now he is 1 year and 8 months old. Callie is the calico cat and she used to attack him when he was 4 months and he would holler and I'd break them up now it's like he's getting payback and he does draw blood. She's got spots all over her when he bites her and she screams and hides from him. She does t take up for herself even though she's bigger. Stephan can get a bad look and it will set him off and I'm sure he's doing it because he's hungry. He's got a bowl of dry food he can eat anytime he just prefers wet cat food. He doesnt drive k a lot of water and I've tried everything to get him to drink. I told the vet and she told me to let him try drinking it from the sink but he just stares and walks off. I can get him to drink sometime if I move the water in front of his face but I'll wake up to him drinking the water in the bathtub. I feed him the friskies wet cat food and there's some he likes and sl.e he doesnt. He does like the chicken and Turkey stew that's 100 percent grain free. I think it's called all natural but they are small cans. He will switch from wet cat food to dry and back and forth when he's eating. He does let allie share while he eats though. It doesnt seem to bother her too bad. She just kind of gets over it but she watches out for him in case he tries again. He will click his mouth like he does with birds before he attacks her. Maybe he will outgrow this stage.

 

[Ame19922]

These are more recent. The first picture is him trying to attack her. She always gets on the ground like that when he does it and he will just jump on her and get her. I use a wand toy and a laser pointer and he loves it. He clicks his mouth and wiggles his butt before he jumps and he's just adorable. He just never wears out lol. He will get in the window and click at the birds he sees when they hang around.

 

[Kflowers]

Whatever amount you're feeding him, add another can a day.

She lies on the ground when he starts his attack so that she can flip over on her back and get him with her teeth and all her claws. Cats do something called rabbit kicking where they use their back legs to kick with machine gun speed. If she is underneath him, face up, rather than him on her back, she is in control.

One of mine, explained to another that she wasn't interested in his advances by ripping a fairly deep scratch from his ribs to almost the far end of him. He understood and left her alone afterwards. Sex isn't worth that. That is the underneath cat being in control.

When I got a dog the cats taught her to take the advantage by lying down and making the clench from underneath the other dogs she played with. It stunned them and they flipped away. Later she taught her friends the move.

 

[FeebysOwner]

The drawing of blood is about the only concerning thing I can glean from all of your posts. Is Bubba/Stephan biting or clawing her? I think that is the main thing that needs to be controlled, especially for Callie's sake.

If adding more food to his diet doesn't stop the blood-drawing behavior, maybe you can try some calming products? I found this article that might be of help with that aspect.

How to Calm Down a Cat: 5 Herbs for Cat Stress Relief | petMD

Other members will likely offer additional calming ideas for you too. Hopefully, you are right, and he grows out of it. But, since Callie won't 'teach' him to stop, it is best to see what you can do to stop him rather than wait to see if he stops on his own when he's older.

You can also use chamomile tea on Callie's hot spots - it has both soothing and healing elements. Just steep a tea bag of chamomile, let it cool, and dab it on her with a cotton swab.

 

[Kflowers]

You might try re-introducing them. Since FeebysOwner is probably right and Callie is unwilling to stand up for herself. It's possible she doesn't know any half way measures and doesn't want to hurt him.

Introducing Cats To Cats

 

[KarenKat]

We have a pretty active cat here too, and I started to learn she was most excited during playtime if she could ambush. We bought her a Ripple Rug, and she can play with that alone or with us using a wand toy. She loves that thing.

We also kept some of the packing paper that Chewy.com uses for shipping, and arranged that on the floor. She's at it all the time dive-bombing toys and diving underneath it. Maybe something like that, combined with more food and also in addition to the interactive play you already do could help stem the boredom?

 

[Kflowers]

Packing paper is the boss! Packing paper makes forts, castles, caves, everything!

 

[Ame19922]

Yes. He loves to get into everything. We got him already neutered from the vet. He is so fast, one minute he is facing Callie and the next he is on her back and she is screaming. She loves him to death though and doesnt try to hurt him back. Sometimes she wants to play fight with him, but he is always so rough with her. If Bubba had his way be would eat a can of Friskies every hour. I got through a 32 pack in about a week. I have gotten the vet to deworm him just in case he had any tape worms, but it's still the same. Some days I want to give him back to the vet but he's gotten used to this house and I love him to death. I just can't handle his energy. I will try to buy the ripple rug, I just bought the 72 inch cat stand from chewy so maybe that will help. He loves anything that rattle and he loves to chase after toys and other things I throw him. He just wont bring them back lol I have to fetch them. He loves new toys the best and can play with one for hours throwing it up into the air and chasing it, but he gets bored after a while. He always knows when something is for him, I thi I that's really funny.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Know what? You might want to have his hormone levels checked. It is far rarer for males to have a bit of that tissue left in them than for females to, but it might be worth looking into, as he is acting VERY tomcattish!

 

[danteshuman]

My punk was terror to his older brother. I would try a few things.

If she is still recovering from surgery I would only let them be together with supervision. If need be, re-introduce them.

Tire him out. Tire him out mentally and physically. I strongly suggest a bird feeder in a tree outside and a bird watching window perch. Maybe even harness walks.

Build up her confidience with 1 on 1 play (lock him out for this.)

Lots of food sources. That way it is one less thing to fight over.

 

[Kflowers]

What has your vet said about your other Callie's non-reaction? If you said, I missed it, sorry.

 

[Ame19922]

I haven't talked to the vet about her not reacting. I'm thinking about changing vets because the one I go to doesn't seem to be very thorough. She doesn't even check their temperature when she exams them. She's only worried when they act like they are rorally uninterested in things and just signs that they are really sick. I will see about checking his hormone levels. I bought a lot of stuff for them to see if it will help. I bought some new food and a water fou tain to try to help. He does seems to get sick with the dry food. Right now I have peace with callie laying down between my legs lol she has taken to doing that recently. I did buy new toys that Bubba loves and I tired him out with a wand toy and laser pointer and that seemed to help a lot.

 

[danteshuman]

Oh another thing I did was give my victim cat a few safe places (no you can not jump your brother when he is on my lap!!!)

I found building up my victim cat's confidience so he fights back is a must. Licking my punk out and playing with my other cat every day, worked.

 

[Kflowers]

A new vet would not be amiss.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Here are some articles that will help you evaluate a new vet, and communicate effectively with them:

How To Choose The Best Veterinarian For My Cat?
Cat Vet Checkup - What To Expect
How To Talk To Your Vet

Should you decide to look for a feline specialist, and this can be a very good thing, this site has a search engine for vets in the USA. Just be sure to enter the "cat only" choice, not "cat friendly."

AAFP | American Association of Feline Practitioners