4 Young Cats Possibly Bored

[Richard2121]

So I have 4 young cats, the youngest is 5 months old and the oldest is almost a year old. They are all males and seemingly get along very well for the most part. They have all been properly introduced (the best we could do with limited space) and have been around each other for quite awhile. The newest addtion, the 5 month old has been with us for a few months now with no issues. We have a smaller apartment (700 square feet) so we have limited space but I have tried to maximize their vertical space by placing a 6 foot cat tree in the living room, and 3 separate window perches on the window facing our backyard with a view of the wooded area (birds, squirrels, rabbits, etc. are always around). I have a few cat scratchers placed around the apartment and each is a different style or texture to appeal to all of my cats. They also have access to 4 larger litter boxes, cleaned daily and placed strategically to maximize living space as well. They also have access to fresh water from water fountains and can drink as much as they choose. I feed them mostly wet food 3-4 times per day with an occasional bed time meal of dry food (Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein). They are also given treats most days if they obey certain "commands" like when I call them out of the bedroom for the night so we can close the door and go to sleep. Last night I heard a lot of running around and ruckus which is pretty normal but it seemed to go on for a long time and it seemed louder than usual. Eventually I heard banging and more running and some tussling of some kind. Then I heard cries, growling and possibly hissing but our bedroom box fan was blocking out my ability to hear clearly. I went out to check on things and I can;t be sure what was happening but Richard (Bengal/siamese mix) was panting and breathing heavily and laying on the kitchen floor trying to catch his breath. The other 3 were roaming around and seemed distraught about something. Maybe it was me who was stressed at that point? But I did noticed some small clumps of cat hair so some must have gotten pulled out or fallen out due to stress. This never happens. My girlfriend and I are gone for about 8 hours each week day for work so I do not know what happens during the day, but I assume it is a lot of sleeping and a small amount of playing. On weekends I we are around relaxing most of the time and I never encounter any fights, etc. They do rough house with each other and play sort of rough sometimes but it certainly does not seem like fighting. So is there a reason to be concerned? Or was this just a coincidence? Any advice on if I need to add something to their environment? This morning all 4 had a good appetite and seemed fine.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
It sounds to me as though you've done a wonderful job of providing for your furbabies!
It could have been another animal, that they heard/smelled/detected, even in the far distance that caused redirected aggression.

If any upset continues, you might look into calming products.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I agree with Furballsmom - it sounds like they have a pretty good environment/set up!! And, it is possible there is a new cat around that is impacting them. Either inside the apartment building or outside wandering around at night.

Hopefully, this was a one-time fluke; but, if it continues to happen, you might want to invest in a baby-cam to place in the area where they spend their time overnight and see if you can find any clues that way - maybe identify the 'instigator' or at least some behavior that might help to determine the cause.

 

[susanm9006]

I am honestly surprised that with four teenagers you don’t hear more of that during the night. They play rough, someone gets too rough and the screaming and hissing starts and then the other cats get spooked or upset. Seems really normal to me. With the different ages they are all figuring out their place in the cat pack and disagreements and power moves are to be expected. My only suggestion is to have an exhausting playtime before bed in the hopes that some or all will sleep through most of the night.

 

[Richard2121]

Thanks everyone! I figured I was being a good cat dad, I worry enough as it is!!

I feel better about things now that I’ve heard some positive feedback. I’ll keep an eye on them this weekend and see if I notice anything “aggressive” or “mean” happening from any of the boys. They are all soooo sweet and we have raised them since they were very young with love and affection and lots of human interaction.

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[susanm9006]

One thing about the clumps of fur - this can happen when two cats are playing and one bunny kicks the other. It doesn’t necessarily need to be from a fight so I wouldn’t get too concerned about finding some. Plus it is spring when you can find clumps just because of increased shedding.

 

[Kflowers]

You might give Rickard a play time by himself, a vigorous one and see how soon he starts panting. Once you do that a couple of times and get a number you could check with your vet to be sure it's okay. If he gets winded after 30 seconds or less, tell your vet and don't bother with a second session.

 

[Willowy]

I am honestly surprised that with four teenagers you don’t hear more of that during the night.

Yes! They're young and male and they are going to play rough!

Are they all neutered?

 

[Richard2121]

Yes! They're young and male and they are going to play rough!

Are they all neutered?

All are neutered! Richard got neutered late at around 8 months because of lingering health issues that needed to be cleared up before we did surgery. But he has been neutered about a month and a half ago and all the others are fixed as well! Two of my boys got into a tussle in front of me tonight and there was hissing/growling from our very quiet and relaxed boy, Koda. He pretty much never hisses and is only vocal with us humans. So it worried me a little but I guess they are maybe just growing into adulthood and still familiarizing themselves with how rough is “too rough”. I didn’t try to break them up and instead allowed them to work it out. I would only step in and distract them if there was risk of actual injury. It was all over within 45 seconds.

 

[Furballsmom]

I think they'll be ok, sometimes it's even just a weather change.
Hang in there, you're doing a terrific job!