Rough and Tumble Playtime (Quarantine Troubles)

[cessena]

So I brought Apollo home about 2.5 months ago. He's a young, big, flamepoint siamese. He wasn't neutered until a week or so before he came home with me and before that he was a stray.

The issue I'm having is he really loves to play, and now that I am home he seems to think I can just play with him all morning. Any time I am not waving a toy for him he is jumping up on my shoulder or clawing at or attacking any part of me he can grab. (Like literally right now he his doing this.) There is an automatic laser pointer going and another toy in the other room for him but obviously the human ones are more fun.

I'm happy to play with him for part of every day, but I can't literally play with him for hours while I am supposed to be working. And I"m worried he wont do well when I go back to the office full time. He loves running around and jumping until he is panting and exhausted. And I try to do that for him every day but it's just not enough. Vega (my resident cat) will play with him for a while, but neither one of us have his kind of endurance. I think it's possible he's a bit younger than they said, and still has some kittenish energy.

He does have ball toys and automatic toys that he will play with on his own. And I"m going to see if I can get a bird feeder or something else to be kitty TV. (I'm in the city so there isn't much wildlife.)

Any suggestions for things that might wear him out? Has anyone had luck with those cat hamster wheel things? I was thinking I might try one of those but they are pricey.

 

[danteshuman]

Hi & welcome to the world of siamese!!! Siamese cats are super clingy, active/hyper & Intelligent/get destructive when bored. I think of them as the kids with ADD in the cat You need to tire out their minds to calm the sweet angels


I suggest a few things:
1) if he attacks you hiss or do a very high pitched oooowwww then Either ignore him for 15 minutes (refuse to even look at him!)Or kick the best out for 15 minutes. You calmly pick him up and place him outside the room, closing the door. Leave him in there for 15 minutes. Do this every single time you get the slightest hint of fang or claw! He needs to learn toys not hands. Plus being siamese, being locked away from the room his human is in is the worst thing ever!
Dante knew what god to your room!’ Meant though I just chased him with a water bottle or clapping until he was in his room. I suggest the calmly picking he up method.

2) play with him every morning before your work time for 15-30 minutes. Then feed him and go to work. I would try to stick to your normal schedule, so keep feeding him & ‘leaving’ for work when you normally do.

3) congrats you have one interactive toy! You need 20 more like kids they can never have enough! I suggest you buy one or two every month. Also be sure to rotate them at least once a week (for him I would do twice a week & only leave the battery operated ones out for a few hours.) After 2 weeks it is a new toy! You can make your own cheap interactive toys (which include treat puzzles.)

4)If you choose to, you can wrestle with him through the same thick blanket ..... just be sure to let him win mine sulks if he looses.

5) I strongly suggest you give him outside time in the form of a catio or harness time for 30-90 minutes every day! Outside time is like Ritalin for hyper cats. I can not suggest outsidd time enough! Meanwhile set up a bird watching window with a bird bath or fountain (if you can) & some bird feeders (preferably in a tree within his view.) Put a petsafe screen or lattice in front of the screen so you can open the window before you go to work.

For what it is worth Dante was the best cat ever and only had some siamese in him (his nails on a chalkboard scream meow had to be retrained!) Outside time kept my other cat and me from going insane.


Jackie (who Is a lynx point) is a sweetheart and if he gets his outside time he is calm. He is on my lap or sleeping near me half the day or more. He is super attached to me. I adopted him after DAnte died because I knew he was a easily stressed hyper goof ball & I couldn’t bear for him to be returned again. Dante had already trained me on how to deal with hyper cats.

BTW Jacki knows up/high 10, sit and is perfecting his spin. I’m buying him a clicker to see if his training will work better. Also Jackie loves going for rides on my walker with a seat. Training your flame point will help keep his mind occupied to. I love meezer s & meezer mixes. Hyper cats can be a pain but once you know how to keep your little devils occupied then they turn into little angrls

 

[cessena]

Thank you for the great suggestions! I have been lazily leaving pretty much all the toys out and just switching which get played with, but you're right I should switch them out so they don't get bored with them. I have a bunch of wands and other toys. But yeah I was just about to order a few more. He's ripped up all the feather toys pretty quickly.

I do have a balcony, I'm just not sure how stimulating it would be for him to be out there, we have a pretty loud road and no wildlife, but if I can get him used to a harness I might try taking him out there in the summer. (It's too cold right now.) I do have a clicker and he's definitely learned his name and what "dinnertime" means without much effort, so I may try to teach him a few more things.

He is such a sweet boy when he's calm, right now he's sleeping in the window and will give me kisses and snuggles. I am lucky that while he is very "Talkative" it's all sweet mrrrrrrs and mrooows for the most part. Very cute.

 

[danteshuman]

My favorite cheap interactive toy is packing paper from chewy. Sometimes I spray it with catnip. I hide a toy under it. Move around where I will place it.

Putting a ball or toy in an empty box. Putting his favorite rabbit fur mouse in a box with tissue paper.

catnip bubbles.

The cat dancer, 2$ on chewy or amazon & they go nuts for it!!!

teach him to play fetch with his favorite toy that he can easily puck up & carry.

chewy sells these balls that roll with a small stick/wand that has feathers attached to it. They sell tons of interactive toys!

lastly I would hang a few bird feeders & set up a bird bath on your balcony. Let him watch the birds through the window or s teen in the summer. If you take him for walks, expect him to demand daily walks year round. Jacki gets tons of outside time because I’m home. I. Stick him in his harness & attach his 24ft leash to it. He finds a good spot in the bushes and hunts while I read. When he gets tangled up, I untangle him. Plus he gets a short walk (10-15 minutes) around my apartment building every day (walking hurts me.) Kitties love fresh air!

they have cat videos on youtube

 

[danteshuman]

They also have at games for tablets.