Why Is My 6 Month Old Boy Jumping At Walls/doors

[Anquish]

Hi Guys,

He's started jumping at the doors, around the edges and up walls as high as he can.. At first it wasn't often but over the last fortnight it's becoming obsessive.. He's jumped at the door 10 times in the last 5 mins! It seems really stress.. Help! What's wrong with him/does he want?

 

[Benjamin Franklin (Benji)]

Are there any shadows he’s jumping at and are the doors closed?

 

[di and bob]

Is he just getting rid of excess energy? My cats get what I call the "crazies" where they just tear around the house like mad, tail fluffed and eyes wild. Or does he seem panicked and trying to escape from something? Does he actually run into things and try to hide after he does this, or does he just act like nothing happened? He may want out, and this is his way of telling you,but why so important? A mystery we'll have to unravel!

 

[maggiedemi]

Hi. Is he neutered? Is it the door to the outdoors that he's jumping at?

 

[Anquish]

No he doesn't seem as if he's running from anything, or hiding.. Just going mental! No not particularly the doors leading outside, all doors, closet doors.. Sometimes walls.. He hasn't been desexed yet no... Just goes ballistic jumping 4 foot in the air screaming round and then after a while blonks down with us and goes to sleep haha

 

[maggiedemi]

Are you going to get him neutered soon? That will probably help calm him down.

 

[danteshuman]

I had those long bar door handles at my first house. My bud Dante figured out how to open doors..... so of course I indulge him and my new bedroom door handle is a bar to. Sometimes cats jump after spiders, moths or shadows. Have you tried playing with a laser pointer then giving him a small toy to kill at the end of the play? My hyper punk chases his tail sometimes. When he was young he used to chase his tail in the bathtub all the time! Almost every other day. Play helps him burn off his energy in other ways.

Yes neutering him will calm him down.

 

[Spyro87]

Sounds exactly like what Merlin does right before he uses his litter tray hahaha.
For some reason, he will go absolutely bonkers for a good 5-10mins, tearing round the house then casually step into his litter tray to poo! xD
We just smirk and watch him now laughing and feeling grateful my kids don't rush around like that announcing their need to poo in such a manic way hahaha.

In your case though, I would agree with others, he is likely so crazy due to being intact still. Neutering will definitely calm him down, but obviously it's not something everyone wishes to do.
If neutering isn't something you wish to go ahead with, I'm pretty sure with age and maturity he will grow out of it. In the meantime it might be worth trying a distraction technique? I find a laser pointer gets my cats attention when he's doing anything he shouldn't be - that pesky red dot is always more enticing than anything else he could find to mess with!! (unless its edible! Then -nothing- stops Merlin the food fiend!!)

 

[Anquish]

My 6 month old boy has developed over the past 4 weeks an absolute obsession with the front door. He is an inside cat and has never been outside, can't see outside and the front door leads into a foyer.. He literally spends all night howling jumping at The front door. Initially we could distract him with toys until he fell asleep but its literally constant, he will jump at the toy for 3-4 secs and straight back to the door.. We just don't know what to do its really stressing us out!

 

[susanm9006]

My 6 month old boy has developed over the past 4 weeks an absolute obsession with the front door. He is an inside cat and has never been outside, can't see outside and the front door leads into a foyer.. He literally spends all night howling jumping at The front door. Initially we could distract him with toys until he fell asleep but its literally constant, he will jump at the toy for 3-4 secs and straight back to the door.. We just don't know what to do its really stressing us out!

First of all is he neutered yet? If not, you want to get that done ASAP since hormones can set off the urge to seek out females. Then you want to check carefully around the door looking for anything that moves, a cobweb, an insect or something he might be seeing and you aren’t. I would also try washing your foyer floor with an enzyme based cleaner, just In case someone’s shoes have brought in the scent of another cat.

 

[Anquish]

We've checked everything around the door and nothing.. Its gotten to the point now where because of our neighbours we have to cover his access to the door with pillows, and when he can't get to it he will start manically scratching somewhere else.. Like last night he was scratching at the fridge door, almost like he was running on it for 5 mins before I stopped him.. No one else has pets.. But I don't know if its the scent of other cats as when we come home from my sister and playing with her desexed female he doesn't change behaviour around us where she's touched us of the clothes she's touched... Could it be an anxiety thing? I just really don't know what to do and its stressing my wife and I out cos it really seems like something is the matter with him. No neutered yet but is going for it in a week or two..

 

[susanm9006]

I think it is being a crazy six month old unneutered kitten who happens to like the feel of smooth surfaces. Some cats will do this on mirrors, walls, doors and other similar surfaces . Check out this video on YouTube. Is this what your boy is doing?

 

[Anquish]

Yep exactly what he does.. But with a crying meow if he can't get to the door to do it... Do u think desexing will help? Particularly my wife gets quite upset thinking he wants something and even now playing with him not helping to stop him do it... I'm talking after 3 hours of throwing cat toys on string etc still 5 secs after stopping straight to crying and jumping/scratching.. It seems like obsessive now

 

[mani]

YDo u think desexing will help?

Absolutely! Especially since it's a relatively new thing. Your little boy is becoming a man and would like to get out there and sow some wild oats. I'd be making the appointment.

 

[susanm9006]

Hard to say whether neutering will affect his behavior or not. Definitely will calm him down, prevent him from wanting out to see females and stop him from spraying but I think he gets enjoyment from the door scratching and he may not give it up. I don’t think it is anxiety but you should talk with your vet about it.

 

[Anquish]

He hasn't started spraying or anything like that yet.. I understand the wanting to wander and find females.. But he hasn't seen another cat since he was about 6 weeks old.. And since then when we brought him home and he was terrified outside, has only caught glimpses of the foyer, essentially another room as opposed to outside... I'm worried its getting to be an attention seeking behaviour now.. As both my wife and I would never even yell at him, let alone any kind of negative reenforcement like hitting him so every time he does it, he FETs attention.. But the times we try and ignore him eg last night with the fridge its getting past 5 mins of using the fridge as a treadmill (as we are asleep on a mattress in front of the door haha)... Hopefully the vet will have some insight.. I think it worries us as well as he's a very nervous cat in general, even tho he's always around the same environment and same two ppl, he's only ever even met another person (my friend) for 5 mins a couple months ago and was almost running up my vertically to get away

 

[mani]

At 6 months you really need to be getting him neutered anyway. You never know.. it might just do the trick.

 

[maggiedemi]

He wants to get outside and find a girlfriend! Getting him neutered should help. It doesn't matter that he hasn't seen another cat in a while, it's instinct.