Mean little kitty.

[poise]

I've had my 8 month-old male kitty for 6 months. Last 2 months he had been attacking my hand as it were a female and would become iritated when I wouldn't let him jump it so I had him neutered 2-3 weeks ago.

After that he has stopped jumping my hand. But the last couple of days he has started waking me up in the morning around 5 or 6 am (and I go to bed around midnight or later) by pulling on my hair and I always shrug him off. If I don't get out of bed on my own around 7 am he starts biting and clawing my hand. I try to shrug him of but he just jumps back. If I hide my hands he looks at me iritated and makes a puf noise and starts madly running around the house, my face, jumping on furniture, acting as a race car.

He doesn't go out since I live in an apartmant in a street with lot of traffic and he hasn't got playmates. We usually play together and usually with my hands in some way but he never acted out like this not even before getting fixed. He used to always have these mad phases when he would run thru the house meowing in a peculiar way but he and we would usually play hunter-prey then and he would love it. But this doesn't seem like a game as he looks really provoked when attacking my hand and I would be sleeping before he attacks. My hands are all clawed up. I don't understand what changed.. When he wanted to play he would always let you know by bringing you his piece of string and he still does this.

It's like his wake up alarm for me but it really isn't all that nice and it isn't like I sleep through the morning or something...


Why is he acting this way and what do I do?

 

[lucylittlekitty]

My cat went through the same thing. Young cats have a ton of energy and just want you to play at 5 am haha. I will play with mine until hes laying on his side panting, then feed him all right before I go to sleep. This usually wares him out enough to let me sleep. You also don't want to respond to him when he is doing this, even bad responses like pushing him off will reinforce that he gets attention from you if he wakes you up. I would try ignoring it, if it gets unbearable set him outside your room without talking to him or responding at all and shut the door. If his running around keeps you up try earplugs. after a week or so he will understand that he can't bother you when you are sleeping.

As for why it started after you fixed him, I think he probably feels insecure and anxious after his vet trip and he is trying to get attention from you because of that. Like when kids act out with a sitter because they are anxious mom and dad are gone. If you play with him and praise him during the  day it should reasure him and he won't be as violent and needy

From this point on don't use just your hands at all to play with him, use toys and cat polls and such, Cat's play together with their claws and teeth (mine go at it all the time) they don't realize they are hurting us. and if you use your hand as a play thing he will think it's always ok to jump and swat at it.

Good luck!

 

[poise]

Thank you for the advice. I think it's maybe because he goes to sleep at the same time I do and he needs less sleep because he sleeps during the day so when Mom wakes up at 7 and goes to work at 7.20 he is ready for playtime. I just thought that he was waking me up to give him food or that he's pissed at me for some reason. Might be I need to make him tired some more.

We don't have a cat poll anymore because he almost ate the mouse on the last one, I thought of buying him a new one but I'm afraid he'll chew it off again and get sick from eating at it?
So we play with string, balls... He loves to play fetch but now most of the time he runs around for 5 minutes and then drops to the ground. I pet him and go about my business and 5minutes he's demanding attention again xD
I've probably never thought about it being a time-out till now

I always cover my hands during the night but he comes and scratches at the pillow trying to find it. If I move he leaps.
I can't put him in the next room because both his bowl and his toilet are in my room (facing opposite sides of a very big desk) but I'll try taking him over to the other side od the room ignoring him all the while and going back to sleep.

Funny story: his scratcher post is by the window next to my bed so one time I got woke up by his feet in my face - he literally jumped from the poll with all 4 paws straight on my face. What a wake up call that was!

 

[lucylittlekitty]

Be carful with the string, my friends cat ate a string and had to have surgery. It can not in their digestive track.

I have the same worries as you, My youngest eats everything! I got them "Da Bird" cat pole and I only take it out when I am playing with them, it also has a feather on the end so it's harder for them to eat.

Try getting a cat pole and keeping it up and away when you are not using it with him, play with him right before bed, really get him running and jumping and keep going until he is laying on his side or panting, then feed him and go to sleep, this should ware him out a bit.

Also depending on the set up of your appartment you can try moving his box and food to a bathroom or other room that he can sleep in at night until he gets the hang if understanding not to bug you. My friend has two older cats and they have what they cal "kitty bed time" where they put them in the spare room with food, water, litter box and toys. Otherwise they romp around the house and wake them all up.

It's really about finding what is right for you and your cat, I'm a sucker for sleeping with mine so I had to train them to not bother me at night, but its ok for them to come up and sleep on the bed with me. Some people don't need or want to sleep with their cats and they are just as happy in a kitty bed time room, just make sure it's not like a jail and you don't leave him in there for longer then while you sleep, if you go that rout try to keep it on a schedule. (Play at 6, feed at 6:15, kitty room by 6:30 and then you let him out at the same time every morning or night depending on when you work.) if its predictable for them they are more comfortable.

 

[poise]

No it's like the string on the cat poll just not elastic and with a rubber end, so no worries. He doesn't seem interested in eating at it just catching it and chewing the rubber part but he can't chew a piece of it off so it's harmless.

Also, we have a really small and crammed bathrom and left and right from it our my and my parents bedrooms. Other rooms are the kitchen and the living room so I literally have no other room to put the litter box or food bowl where it wouldn't get in the way or stink up the whole apartmant. The balcony is not an option because my friend's cat and my neighbour's cat from the upstairs apartment fell from their balconies.

And plus, mine rarely shows affection so sleeping on my feet makes my... night?

 

[di and bob]

I agree though, it's excess energy that is making him act this way, he needs some age on him, then he'll lay there like a lump and sleep 20 hrs a day!

 My cat is an indoor/outdoor and when it is too cold for him to stay out long he is always up in the middle of the night, tearing around, jumping on us, and knocking things off the table on purpose. He usually starts at 3;30 AM and I put the pillow over my head, it's everyone for themselves!

 

[bluebird gal]

Our cat Si does the same thing.  It was driving me crazy for a few nights, but I would get up, set him outside the bedroom door because nothing else worked.  LOL

I did learn from here though - and that's what I practice now - we play hard through the house with multiple toys until I see him curl up on the tile to cool off.  Then he gets his last wet meal of the day and he's out like a light.  He's still up around 5-5:30 am, but I'm generally up at that time too so all of our schedules are finally coming together after a month of having him with us.