Misbehaving.

[karleem]

So my two boys are getting ridiculous. At night when I am trying to sleep, both my male cats start getting hyper and Bounce off the walls! I know that cats are nocturnal, so they are more active at night but they push things off any flat surface they can find and have nearly broken a few cups and plates. I don't know what to do with them. I discipline constantly. But it seem as though it isn't working.

 

[oneandahalfcats]

So my two boys are getting ridiculous. At night when I am trying to sleep, both my male cats start getting hyper and Bounce off the walls! I know that cats are nocturnal, so they are more active at night but they push things off any flat surface they can find and have nearly broken a few cups and plates. I don't know what to do with them. I discipline constantly. But it seem as though it isn't working.

Hi there,

Its not clear what kind of discipline you are employing but any physical discipline or rough handling is not the right approach as this will only confuse them, and/or make them rebel even more. By the sounds of it, your cats are doing what comes naturally, and so to scold them for this just creates confusion and they may end up withdrawing from and fearing you, which you don't want. What you want to do is try and redirect their energy more positively, not oppress it.

The pushing of items off of surfaces is something most cats have done at one time or another. This can be infuriating if its something that is special to you, but the cat doesn't know this, and is most likely just trying to get your attention about something. Either they want to be fed, or they are bored, or may be not feeling well.

Here are a few suggestions that I would make :

1. Put away any valuables, laptops, mice, jewelery, dishes on the counter, anything that you don't want the cats to play with. 

2. Ensure that your cats are on a schedule when you feed. Cats are very routine creatures and so feeding them at the same time every day helps to make them feel more secure in that they come to rely on getting fed at a certain time.

3. Sometimes reserving the last feeding of the day before you go to bed, can have the effect of making kitties sleepy.

4. Take some time during the day for one-on-one play with your cats. Get some wands with the birds attached and make some time for play before bed-time. This will help to tucker them out.

5. Provide scratching posts with some type of cat toy attached so that when they go to scratch, they also might be inclined to interact with the toy. Anything that will encourage activity during the day.

6. Provide a few different cat beds, a good-sized low-rise basket with a cosy blanket that your cats can snuggle into which will encourage sleep.

7. If you have a guestroom or separate small room that you can put the cats in at night, this might be the best solution. Make sure that they have everything they need : litter box, water, toys.

If your cats are still quite young, this nightly activity is normal. But take some consolation that this will lessen over time.

Hope this helps .. Best of luck!

 

 

[karleem]

They are about six months old at this point and they have toys and scratching post but they insist in scratching my chair. And I will play with them all the time before bed and it just keeps than hyper. The feeding ritual is for the most part consistent but I think they are trying to get my attention. They are very social.