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My Cat is Wrecking my LIFE!!!

post #1 of 31
9/29/10 at 2:25pm
Thread Starter 
I'm having a problem. My cat goes through stages where he wakes me up meowing & stepping on me while I'm sleeping. Basically he intentionally tries to wake me up. Sometimes up to 6 times throughout the night.

I don't know what to do. He's a bit spoiled because he's an indoor cat. On top of waking me up typically he whines while I'm eating, watching tv etc. I bet him all of the time, he sits on my lap. He loves attention but daily he just wants to whine about absolutely nothing in general. I like its his evil plan to annoy me. He's an indoor cat because the area I live in is not safe for cats to be outside.

I own a business and I have not slept well for weeks. Its been lasting for years on and off but this time is just too much.

(He also has some othe bizare habits in which you wouldn't believe me if you heard it)

What can I do about this? I'm just so tired.......
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post #2 of 31
9/29/10 at 2:41pm
Have you tried talking to him? Sometimes they just want an answer, acknowledgment. This is what they do instinctively with those they love, their pack/family.
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post #3 of 31
9/29/10 at 2:50pm
You might try exercising the heck out of him before bedtime. Worse case scenario would be to close the bedroom door, but then he would likely scream his head off.

Maybe find a cuddle toy that he would love up to and not you.
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post #4 of 31
9/29/10 at 3:14pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Have you tried talking to him? Sometimes they just want an answer, acknowledgment. This is what they do instinctively with those they love, their pack/family.
If your kidding, its seriously not funny....well a little, ahaha. I'm sorry to say my cat "chinaman" lacks in verbel communication. If he's whining a lot for the most part he wants attention while I am sleeping, but if I'm eating or watching tv I welcome him to sit beside me since he loves to be pet, but he does seems to run away when I get close. Almost like a game.

Quote:
You might try exercising the heck out of him before bedtime. Worse case scenario would be to close the bedroom door, but then he would likely scream his head off.
Exercising would work but I just don't have an hr before bed to actually dedicate myself to like that. I wonder..would a wooden and carpet fortress tree thing would help.
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post #5 of 31
9/29/10 at 3:30pm
Does he have enough food? Water? Litter?

Sometimes they are alarming you that something is wrong with their situation.

But again, sometimes it's just being lonely.

Don't have room for another cat in your house, do ya? Another cat could keep him occupied for a while.
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post #6 of 31
9/29/10 at 3:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GrAveTzT View Post
Exercising would work but I just don't have an hr before bed to actually dedicate myself to like that. I wonder..would a wooden and carpet fortress tree thing would help.
Cat tree would help... You don't need to play an hour with them, but as a pet owner, you should dedicate some time with him... (Only with him, full attention). I am sure you do have 15 minutes a day to spare, and that can make a big difference. Try a toy like Da Bird - make him run, jump, really push and interact with him.

Something else that can make a difference is getting him a playmate - another cat... He will be entertained and the companionship another cat can give is really really great!
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post #7 of 31
9/29/10 at 3:38pm
Go get a laser pointer. You can sit on the couch while he runs around. I haven't seen a single person yet that isn't also entertained by a cat chasing the laser dot, so it wouldn't be boring for you either.
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post #8 of 31
9/29/10 at 3:40pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Does he have enough food? Water? Litter?
Sometimes they are alarming you that something is wrong with their situation.
But again, sometimes it's just being lonely.
Don't have room for another cat in your house, do ya? Another cat could keep him occupied for a while
-He's always got his Orijen Cat food(best in the world).
-Water for sure.
-Litter oh yeah. Its cleaned properly.
-he also has his brother Hyrum they both grew up together. We have the two cats. for the most part they get along well.

I do give a lot of attention but its never enough. If I need to eat he's whining, if I need to workout he's whining, if I need to sleep, yes. He's being him!.

I will probably make some huge cat tree with a bunch of carpeted shelfs on my wall but I doubt it'll help. He's got so many toys it isn't funny. I regularly play with him using a pool cue with a string attached to a feather. Feathers are his favorite.
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post #9 of 31
9/29/10 at 3:46pm
Do you think you could overload him on attention? Sometimes I find if you pet or play too much with a cat they tend to get a bit bored with the person who's giving that attention to them. Perhaps you could spend a few days just being really annoyingly lovey and playing with him and just wear him out?

Just a thought. Usually when you want a cat, they can't be found, but when you need to get stuff done, they're there to help you.

I would be lost without my helpers, though.
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post #10 of 31
9/29/10 at 3:47pm
Does he have Siamese in him?
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post #11 of 31
9/29/10 at 3:53pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Go get a laser pointer. You can sit on the couch while he runs around. I haven't seen a single person yet that isn't also entertained by a cat chasing the laser dot, so it wouldn't be boring for you either.
I have about 10 all in stock in my house. Its another favorite toy.

Quote:
Do you think you could overload him on attention? Sometimes I find if you pet or play too much with a cat they tend to get a bit bored with the person who's giving that attention to them. Perhaps you could spend a few days just being really annoyingly lovey and playing with him and just wear him out?

Just a thought. Usually when you want a cat, they can't be found, but when you need to get stuff done, they're there to help you
I'll have to try that too because I remember it worked on past Girlfriends I had as well!
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post #12 of 31
9/29/10 at 3:53pm
I have a couple that take more attention and meow/whine about it, too, and there's 7 cats in my house - no one is lonely. It may just be how he is. Playing with him till he's tired enough to nap simply gives you a reprieve.

Do you have any windows set up for the cats to look out of? If not, add some window perches or slide a small table under a window where they'll be able to see birds and neighbor watch. (my cats favorite activity is spying on the neighbors )
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post #13 of 31
9/29/10 at 4:02pm
Thread Starter 
I have a bi-level home so there's at least 6 windows. The other cat seems to enjoy that the more than Mr. Chinaman who enjoys making sure everything I do is difficult.
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post #14 of 31
9/29/10 at 4:13pm
That's not really his intention, you know. He's just bonded with you - I called them "stuck up butt kitties". My husband has one, who I'm pretty sure is in the living room right now laying on his lap making it more difficult for him to play his game.

I think something just doesn't disconnect in these cats brains. It's like they're still stuck in a kitten mentality and you're their mother so they must follow you around everywhere. Other cats at least gain some independence.
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post #15 of 31
9/29/10 at 4:27pm
Thread Starter 
but he kind of whines far away then when I call him he gets ready to run away.
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post #16 of 31
9/29/10 at 4:30pm
http://www.thecatsite.com/Behavior/1...t-Crazies.html
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post #17 of 31
9/29/10 at 4:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GrAveTzT View Post
but he kind of whines far away then when I call him he gets ready to run away.
My Tanna does that, too, she'll meow and meow at me then scamper off when I try to lean over and pet her. It's not necessarily that she wants petting, but that she wants my attention focused on her.

Have you ever, in frustration, raised your voice or reprimanded him when he does this? (note: I'm not judging you if you have)
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post #18 of 31
9/29/10 at 4:39pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Have you ever, in frustration, raised your voice or reprimanded him when he does this?
Yes I HAVE. Not often but it does happen.
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post #19 of 31
9/29/10 at 4:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GrAveTzT View Post
Yes I HAVE. Not often but it does happen.
There you go. You've probably sent a mixed message there and now he runs off because he's not sure what you're doing (that or he's just being a cat ). Make him come to you when he starts the whining for attention - wiggle your fingers and call him or pat the couch/chair/bed.

It sounds a bit like you're both frustrated because the other isn't understanding what it being "said".
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post #20 of 31
9/29/10 at 4:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GrAveTzT View Post
but he kind of whines far away then when I call him he gets ready to run away.
Are you attempting to approach him when you call him? If he is whining from far away, try answering him instead of calling him.

Quote:
Originally Posted by GrAveTzT View Post
If your kidding, its seriously not funny....well a little, ahaha. I'm sorry to say my cat "chinaman" lacks in verbel communication. If he's whining a lot for the most part he wants attention while I am sleeping, but if I'm eating or watching tv I welcome him to sit beside me since he loves to be pet, but he does seems to run away when I get close. Almost like a game.
I wasn't kidding......Just because he doesn't speak human, doesn't change the fact that you don't speak cat.
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post #21 of 31
9/29/10 at 7:20pm
Is he neutered?

Otherwise, I'd close the bedroom door at night and possibly get earplugs. When my Scarlett was alive, I always had to have the bedroom door closed because she often decided to walk over/sit on my head at night, or find a plastic bag in the room to rustle (I can't stand that sound).

Do you have a basement or something that you can put him in when he's really driving you crazy when you're awake?
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post #22 of 31
9/29/10 at 7:52pm
How old is your cat? Is he still a kitten? My cat has found ways to entertain herself.
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post #23 of 31
9/29/10 at 10:41pm
Another cat in the house, if he gets along with him/her, will keep him decently occupied and they can chase and wrestle each other all day wearing each other out.

At night, you need to close the bedroom and put a Multivet SSSCAT in front of the door so that he doesn't approach it and whine or scratch.

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post #24 of 31
9/30/10 at 9:42am
Thread Starter 
Both cats are neutered and about 7yrs old.

I tried the tire him out for 3hrs but it didn't work. He still did it last night.
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post #25 of 31
9/30/10 at 9:52am
I have two females cats about 6 years old. Tulip has been a whiner ever since i got her. She's usually whining for food even though she has an automatic feeder so I really have very little to do with her food. When I approach her she usually runs away (heading for her food dish because she thinks I'm going to feed her). When the cats slept in my bedroom with me, Tulip used to wake me up every morning around 5, she'd go away not too long after. Since my b/f and I moved into our new house, we haven't been letting them in the bedroom (especially at night). She still whines at the door occasionally but if we ignore it, she goes away pretty quickly.

By b/f tells her to be quiet sometimes. He says if we don't let the dog bark, why do we let the cat whine. I have to explain to him that it's because she's a cat and she's going to do what she wants regardless of what we tell her to do

I think if you stopped letting your cats in your room at night, they might cry loudly for the first few nights but eventually they'd get used to it. Especially if you provide them with a nice comfy place to sleep somewhere else in the house. Good luck!
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post #26 of 31
9/30/10 at 11:23am
One thing that seems to work well with my cats is I take catnip and sprinkle it all over their cat tree about a half hour before bed. Make sure its not RIGHT before you go to bed though or they'll keep you up with their initial racing all over the house. After the initial racing, they get so caught up in the "drugs", playing with each other, rubbing/scratching all over the tree, etc that it buys me a good 4 hours at least before they start thinking about where I went. At that point the "catnip crash" makes them sleepy enough all they want to do is curl up on my legs and sleep

Of course, this strategy is entirely dependent on how your cats handle catnip, as it could easily backfire and have them sprinting around and bugging you all night
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post #27 of 31
9/30/10 at 11:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kittiei View Post
He says if we don't let the dog bark, why do we let the cat whine. I have to explain to him that it's because she's a cat and she's going to do what she wants regardless of what we tell her to do
I think cats quickly grasp the concept of ActionA produces instant ResultA.

I only have to put the Ssscat on something for about a week before they figure out that jumping on that specific counter produces a negative result.

The trick is just figuring out a no-brainer way that the cat can understand the association and that its negative.

If she wants attention, saying something loudly back is likely more reward than anything. Ditto on if bored and doing something gets the instant response of action and a chase game where you try to catch her. What fuN!

Squirt bottle... not so fun.
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post #28 of 31
9/30/10 at 12:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducman69 View Post
I think cats quickly grasp the concept of ActionA produces instant ResultA.

I only have to put the Ssscat on something for about a week before they figure out that jumping on that specific counter produces a negative result.

The trick is just figuring out a no-brainer way that the cat can understand the association and that its negative.

If she wants attention, saying something loudly back is likely more reward than anything. Ditto on if bored and doing something gets the instant response of action and a chase game where you try to catch her. What fuN!

Squirt bottle... not so fun.

Lol, that's true. My cats are pretty good at listening and they know when they're somewhere they shouldn't be and jump down as soon as the see I've noticed them I'm pretty good at ignoring the whining too, I think maybe I need to train the b/f to ignore it rather than trying to train the cat to be quiet
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post #29 of 31
9/30/10 at 4:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by GrAveTzT View Post
Both cats are neutered and about 7yrs old.

I tried the tire him out for 3hrs but it didn't work. He still did it last night.
Did you end the play session with a high protein meal as suggested in the article to which hissy provided a link?

When Flowerbelle starts trouncing and pawing on me at night, I blow a short, sharp puff of air directly in her face, pull the sheet over my head, and then ignore her. She goes through cycles, and it can take a few days to a week for her to stop bothering me, and then I usually get a several month reprieve.
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post #30 of 31
10/1/10 at 8:42am
I have at least two emotions here - I feel sorry for you, been there, still doing that - but the situation is also kind of funny ...

Fine example of who the "Boss" really is, huh!

By now you may be realizing a new definition of your "life".

We now have Eight - two with special needs (one diagnosed as FIV, one with FeLV), and my life hasn't been "wrecked" - it's just taken a different turn.
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