My Cat Has Been Acting Different Lately

[ThePortMan]

He has a lot of energy, which is good to see as he's an older guy at 14. He's in very good shape, but he's typically a little less active than he used to be. Now, it's like he's a kitten again.

Sometimes, he messed with unplugged phone chargers for as long as I knew him. I didn't think anything of it since he just rolled around, but he never chewed on it. So, I didn't think much of it.

Then, this morning, my computer's mouse did not fit in my computer. I was surprised to see a very large tooth mark on it. I had to push hard on the metal jack to repair it and make it possible for the mouse jack to fit in my computer again.

My cat must have bit into it with a huge amount of force. I was worried he could hurt himself if he was attempting to chew on metal objects like this. I also was worried that he could chew on a cord, so I unplugged everything when I wasn't there to watch him.

Why do you think he did this? I can't imagine chomping on a metal object like that, and it baffles me why he did it..... and did it with such force that he dented it. Why? And how can I make sure that he doesn't do it again? Aside from removing cords, which I have done.

However, he's been rooting around near the edge of the carpet for some reason. He was very engaged in this, but I also was really curious what was going on. Then, he was looking around in a low shelf and scratching around a folder where I keep old banking statements. He usually just sleeps and asks for treats, but now he's been very curious about all these things. I wonder why? And he's so energetic all of a sudden, like when he was really young.

 

[Kieka]

I would schedule a vet appointment and specifically ask for a T-4 thyroid test but a higher level blood test would be called for too just to be able to identify if it is something else. Increase restlessness and activity are both signs of it; usually people describe it as the cats are behaving "weird" or act like they are taking a stimulant but behaving like a kitten would also fit that bill. It doesn't sound like he has many of the other indicators but it could be early stages; which would be a good thing. Given his age he is a prime candidate for hyperthyroidism and catching it early would mean early and less invasive treatment options.

I always say it is best to check possible medical issues instead of assuming it is something behavioral. Hopefully I am wrong. If it is simply behavioral it could be boredom or something along those lines but I'd rather stick with advice to rule out medical before delving into possible behavioral causes.

 

[Brian007]

I'm tending to agree with Kieka about hyperthyroidism. If it is then he'd probably have to take regular medicine for life rather than anything invasive. It's a highly treatable condition.

My cats will all chew through cables, they especially love my laptop charger (and the end connector). I put up two sets of new fairy lights at Christmas and they were both chewed through in a flash. Keeping leads out of his way is basically the only sure way of dealing with it. But you could also try rubbing citrus juice onto the wires as cats don't like it.

You could get him a new toy, like a Da Bird, to use up some of his new-found kitten energy. And it would help you to recement your friendship.

Please take him to the vet asap and update us on his well-being. What's his name, by the way?

 

[ThePortMan]

He does seem to be acting normally today luckily. He was just acting different yesterday, but today he just seems like his usual self and is sound asleep right now actually. So, maybe it was just kind of a fluke, but thanks for the info. If he starts acting weird again, I'll definitely take him to the vet.