Help with crazy kitten!!!

I'm new here and would appreciate any suggestions, thoughts, or advice. I've read through several threads, which has already given me a lot of good information, but I wanted to "rant" for a bit about the dealings with my little guy, Tobey.

I have a two and half year old female cat, Mary Lou. She has been with me through about 5 moves now and I will never part with her. I spoil this cat and love her to death.

I decided back in the Fall to get her a companion because I'm gone from home so much and I worried that she was lonely and bored. When I was relocating from Davis back to San Jose, she was left alone so much, and it broke my heart.

However, the companion "child" has turned out problematic. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't introduce them properly or if he is just super active and she's not so much.

I got Tobey when he was 10-12 weeks and he's about 6 months now. I know kittens are active, but this guy is crazy! I cannot tire him, even when I try. He will flop down, but then he'll start yowling. The yowling is really what I'm bothered with currently. I think he's just a vocal cat, so I try to "talk" back to him and give him attention, but he yowls so much. These aren't cute soft meows, but very loud yowls. I live in a studio apartment and have neighbors, who I'm sure do not appreciate his antics.

I worry that he's stressed out because I started a new job 2 months ago and am away from home a lot more than I used to be. I end up devoting my entire evening to trying to play with him and keep him calm and it seems to help somwhat, but he still yowls. He wakes up before I do, and I have to crate him or I cannot go back to sleep. I've begun taking him to the park and out in the car, so he gets variety, but I worry that makes him worse. He has a lot of toys, two cat posts, food, and windows to look out. Still, I canot do enough to get him to stop yowling.

On top of that, he does chase my female and sometimes won't let up. She's usually ok with him and even looks for him when I kennel him, but every day, multiple times, he pounces on her, she hisses, growls, and spits at him, they run around, and he won't let up. He gets bits of her furr in his mouth and I think he got a scratch on his nose once.

I have no clue if they like each other and are just bored or my space is too little for two cats. I used to have a balcony and Mary Lou sat out there for hours, but this apartment doesn't have a balcony. I plan to move in the summer, if not earlier, but I don't know if I can just "wait" this out. It's been going on for month. I've researched and tried every "trick" I've been told and he still yowls and seems bored. No matter how much attention, how much I play with him, he yowls. He's a lot better when I spend 3+ hours with him, but that's hard, when you work 9 hour days.

He was going to the shelter, but I just couldn't do it. I'm trying so hard to make it work, but I really want to do what is best for the cat. He's a doll and I just love him, but he's crazy!

You have almost an identical situation that I do. Ling will be 2 yrs old in May, Charlie's 6 months old. They do the same things. He likes to instigate the wrestling matches, chase Ling, and just be the typical "baby brother"

They were introduced slowly (we got him at 4 months of age). Just that they are 2 different personalitys. Males usually are more outgoing to start with and if your female is quiet, that's why you notice the differences.

I'm assuming both are spayed/neutered - if not get them done now. IMO 6 - 12 months is the teenage stage where they all are little brats at times. I'm sure things will settle down in the next 6 months.

In the meantime just separate them if they get too rough (break up the fight) and provide them with plenty of attention. And be sure to keep all nails clipped!

Sounds like your little boy has some siamese or oriental background with the talking and activity

Well, that was everything I was going to say! If he's not neutered, it will probably help the yowling. He should settle down some after he gets through being a teenager! Just don't let his antagonizing her become a habit/pattern that he won't be growing out of . I put my bottle baby foster kitten in the bathroom for a cool down/time out period when she would do me that way. It helped; she would at be distracted and forget what she was doing before she went in there- if she didn't, she went back in for a few more minutes until she got over wanting to take my hide off and would go find something else to do (often supplied in her line of sight by me) . Just don't get him a toy out and start playing with him when he is aggravating your other cat, otherwise, he will start to associate attacking her with mom getting the toy out for him

Thirding the motion -- our St. John is almost eight months old now, and he's starting to mellow out a bit... but for awhile there, we had a lot of the same problems you're dealing with. If you can just stick it out awhile longer, things should improve.

Meanwhile... have you tried leaving some nice low-key classical music playing for him? Sometimes they get intrigued listening to that and quiet down a bit...

I leave a radio on and I also read in my research that he may like music with a beat. I could try classical, but so far he doesn't seem to react at all to music or the TV. He does enjoy the computer sometimes.

He is neutered and has been for since early December. I've never had a cat yowl like he does. My apartment is pretty small, so sometimes I think it just might be frustration. I definetly think he has some oriental breed in him because he loves to talk! Sometimes, I think he talks just to hear himself.

Since you mentioned he's an Oriental breed, that could explain a lot of the "chattiness." And as he matures, and grows into adulthood (most calm down considerably at around 1.5 years old), especially since he's neutered, he'll lose a lot of those "kitten crazies." I guess the best response I can give you, is that it just takes a lot of time. Be sure to offer him AT LEAST an hour of exhaustive and interactive playtime...it may get some of the wiggles out of him, but as you're learning, kittens are tireless. I have yet to meet a kitten that wasn't fairly nutty-acting...but rest assured, even the battiest kittens CALM DOWN a lot with age. Hang in there...it gets better, and Tobey will learn how to be a gentleman (and hopefully a more QUIET gentleman) with Mary Lou.

I went through the same thing with my Hannah when we first got her. She's now almost 2 and she's settled down A LOT. She still terrorizes my 11 yo from time to time, but it's not a daily, all-day occurance. I also would put her in "time out" for short periods of time when she (Hannah) would terrorize my older cat. This gave them both a break and I could love on my older cat. Hang in there!! It'll get better!

One other thing, do you have a cat tree or play structure for him? That might help.

Stephanie