Cat Hyperactivity

High energy cats can be a big problem; many feline trouble makers pounce on their sleeping owners making them cranky and tired.

• Channel your cat’s exuberance into vigorous play at bedtime using feathers-on-a-stick, laser pointer on the wall, or fetch the bottle cap.
• When both of you are pooped it’s lights out as you park that hellion in her crate in another room.

Suddenly overactive older cats are a different story.

• Feline AIDS, feline infectious peritonitis, and brain disorders can cause temporary manic behavior.
• Severe itching from allergies, infections, or skin crawling from behavioral stress can also make a cat run around like mad.
• A sudden stab of pain causes cats to frantically take off.
• Hyperthyroidism, caused by thyroid tumors, can also cause a senior cat to act young again.
• These are serious problems that require medical attention.

All cats need outlets for their energy.

• Bones with bits of raw meat attached, rawhides, a kitty herb garden, even raw vegetables can keep cats occupied.
• They do best with a variety of toys that are rotated daily to prevent boredom.

Here a few good methods to raise your chances of feline tranquility in your home.

• Add a floor to ceiling cat-scratching post with carpeted enclosures.
• Get a fish tank and install window-mounted birdhouses and feeders. (One-way mirrors protect the birds’ sanity).
• Don’t add any more cats. They become stressed when “crowded”-just like we do.
• If you already have multiple cats rotate them into solitary living arrangements in your home to give them regular alone time.
• Put your cats in individual carrier crates at night. They are instinctively den living creatures anyway.
• Stop rewarding bad behavior by paying attention to them when they act out. They love this game because you keep playing it.

Click here for a complete list of Feline Environmental Enrichments.