my cat is obsessed with a hoodie string, nonstop talking, not napping

[thedreamsynopsis]

my cat poppy is a pretty chill girl. she was never one to be the most playful. shes smart, usually sleeps a good amount and gets very cuddly. only recently she's been having my dad and i in a frenzy.

we've got poppy and felicity, both born in early 2019 and we took them home when they were 5 (poppy) and 6 (felicity)
they got along right away and always were with each other. they always got knackered after entertaining each other as well as a little bit of fetch, tunnels, lasers, etc. neither of them have ever been obsessive. but now poppy is absolutely obsessed with a hoodie string. she lays next to it, says something one after another nonstop until we play with her. but she never gets tired. i've been spending a lot of my time running around with the string and tiring felicity out, but i still have a lot of house chores as well as university to keep up with. as soon as we drop the string, she goes on and on again. she will jump up on my chair to get my attention and then jump right back down and flop next to the string. i'll be in the middle of an online class or doing schoolwork and she will do it every 5 minutes nonstop. i don't think i've seen her properly nap like she used to. she dozes a bit when shes on the floor for a bit but as soon as anyone stands up or comes close to the string, she starts again
she's never ever been THIS obsessive and its really getting to a bad spot. we never yell or do anything nasty to either cats--at the most we'll just do a less cutesy baby voice and normal tone. we've tried to ignore her when shes being bad (she also threatens to jump on places too small for her and knows we dont want her there. like the thing that holds the curtains up, she is too fullgrown for that, no way) but she keeps going. she has always been a really cuddly and loving girl but now she only wants affection for 3 minutes to get our attention because she knows we're softies. she's too smart
my dad and i really dont want to have to go to the vet since things are very working class for us, but we dont know what to do. they're both happy cats and have had no issues. totally normal and no scares. even pretty litter has no changes in colour with them. i see so many things about people getting rid of the toy or medicating the cat but i'm scared to do both. if anyone has dealt with this before and found a way through please please help us out or situation ideas

 

[Margot Lane]

No expert here, but wondering if either or both cats are fixed? Could it be a hyperthyroid issue? Honestly though, cats are pretty high energy at that age. Without prying too much, is it very chaotic at your house, as cats do like routine? Do you know what the situation was like where you got the cats? Do they have a window where they could lookout at something? I am sure you will get more definitive answers here from others, quite soon.

 

[Furballsmom]

What happens if you give her another hoodie string?

 

[thedreamsynopsis]

No expert here, but wondering if either or both cats are fixed? Could it be a hyperthyroid issue? Honestly though, cats are pretty high energy at that age. Without prying too much, is it very chaotic at your house, as cats do like routine? Do you know what the situation was like where you got the cats? Do they have a window where they could lookout at something? I am sure you will get more definitive answers here from others, quite soon.

yeah they're both fixed and quite early on.
the place we got them from was a really loving and supportive cat cafe in my city (i think they are treated better at this one compared to others. these cats have a bigger space to roam)
poppy was born in a litter of 4 and all of them were adopted a month or earlier before we fell in love with her. felicity was a stray they found in semi near city but my sister and i suspect she was maybe found with some siblings. the two of them have been treated really well at the cafe and they were cuddled up with each other and us the first night we got them. they've got several windows of different sizes and a genuinely large indoor area here. (there are coyotes in my neighbourhood and we wouldnt dare risking their health with or without coyotes)
as for chaotic not at all. or at least before thing hoodie string stuff. the two of them get the zoomies and we still play some fetch but used to a lot more. they're usually always getting a good and even balance of rest, food time, play, and attention. its always been like that

 

[thedreamsynopsis]

What happens if you give her another hoodie string?

she treats it the same. even some things like a shoelace she treated the same. if there's something similar enough around, she'll do the same things. still flopping like this near the string because she knows shes cute

 

[Furballsmom]

Oh wow what a little doll but, I meant having two or three or more out at a time? My angel Poppycat wasn't very good with multiple choices lol

 

[susanm9006]

She sounds like a high energy cat that needs tons of stimulation. You might be able to reduce her string obsession by adding some alternate games in, like teaching her to fetch. The lovely thing about that game is that you don’t have to run around, just toss and wait for her to retrieve. I would also look into some food type puzzles as well, where she needs to move levers or open doors to get a treat.

If she is really annoying you with the string, you can try putting it away other than at specific playtimes, and substitute some toys she can at or knock around. If she doesn’t have any cat springs, these are so great for active cats.

 

[Margot Lane]

O my, that photo. She is just a little goofy pants. Clearly this is a cat who wants FUN. I actually don’t think there is a thing wrong! I think she just has you beat, maybe either time or energy wise or both! …wonder if you’d be up for having a goldfish, or possibly a bird feeder, or something she could watch. That might give you a break & keep her occupied.

 

[thedreamsynopsis]

Oh wow what a little doll but, I meant having two or three or more out at a time? My angel Poppycat wasn't very good with multiple choices lol

oh man, i have not tried that yet but i will definitely experiment with it!

 

[thedreamsynopsis]

She sounds like a high energy cat that needs tons of stimulation. You might be able to reduce her string obsession by adding some alternate games in, like teaching her to fetch. The lovely thing about that game is that you don’t have to run around, just toss and wait for her to retrieve. I would also look into some food type puzzles as well, where she needs to move levers or open doors to get a treat.

If she is really annoying you with the string, you can try putting it away other than at specific playtimes, and substitute some toys she can at or knock around. If she doesn’t have any cat springs, these are so great for active cats.

my dad and i are going to test giving her a max 3 times with the string a day for as long as possible. i did run around the house and have felicity (who is normally very active and a lot more playful than poppy) but poppy was still wanting to do more. i tried to show her her favourite toys as well as give her a bit of catnip but it didn't last. fetch has always been a really fun way that she loves to play but she has no interest in it now. i've been home for around 12 hours, playing as much as possible, but she still demands more. its very unlike her. she loves staring out windows and the smell of soap which make her super happy, but it hasn't been working since this hoodie string situation
she's also not very treat savvy or food motivated. she knows when shes hungry and knows when she wants it. but treats have never been her thing since we got her. we've tried several different treats ranging from friskeys to highclass chunks, treat paste and more. she doesn't care at all.
if you have any particular food puzzles or reward striving item to suggest then please let me know!! thank you for everything x

 

[thedreamsynopsis]

O my, that photo. She is just a little goofy pants. Clearly this is a cat who wants FUN. I actually don’t think there is a thing wrong! I think she just has you beat, maybe either time or energy wise or both! …wonder if you’d be up for having a goldfish, or possibly a bird feeder, or something she could watch. That might give you a break & keep her occupied.

that's a really good thought! i did have a betta named tommy who lived a long and good life but was always watched by poppy. i know i have a hummingbird feeder somewhere and i will definitely try what i can and possibly get more bird feeders. thank you!
here is a humorous photo of the two of them

 

[NekoM]

My little guy is exactly the same I got him one of the pet droid things that he’ll chase around and stalk, he’s the only cat I’ve ever known to come back from being neutered completely hyper!