To think I'm not an evil cat murdering psycho

[shareacokewithnoone]

I love cats. Have two of them. We all used to live together in a pretty cottage in the country and enjoyed life.

Then, I moved. Hopefully this is temporary but for now I'm living in an equally pretty apartment that happens to be a) on the 3rd floor and b) on a main road. This means the cats don't go out.

I don't know whether it's living in such close quarters but they are driving me INSANE. They EAT - fucking hell, excuse my French, but they can get through 10 pouches of cat food a day, easily. It costs a fortune. They treat me like the title in my OP though - retreat in terror when I come in the kitchen and at night chase each other keeping me awake half the night. The other half the night I spend emptying litter trays.

Has ANYONE got any tips as seriously I do still love them but I can just feel my frustration rising as they keep wrecking stuff/pissing on stuff/ keeping me awake/ treating me like I'm a psycho - I am going mad!

I've had to keep foster cats indoors before and agree it can be challenging!

A lot of my cats have ignored expensive toys. Well received: laser pen, ping pong balls, string (!), Da Bird and the Cat It brand circuit and food maze Try eBay/ Amazon for lower prices.

I agree it's important to stimulate the cat to prevent boredom and laziness - the food/ puzzle toys are great for this.

I invested in a cat tree/ scratcher too. You really need to go large or at least tall for 2+ cats, a lot of the trees are very short/ small in reality. Check eBay locally for collect-in-person bargains. I bought mine from an eBay shop for £25, excellent value compared to other retailers.

Oh, there's a cat window bed for sale on eBay for £6.80 delivered. It attaches with suckers I've found indoor cats still like to watch the great outdoors and bask in the sunshine! It provides a different vantage point for them, a bit like the higher platforms on cat trees. You could start with one and it if proved popular get another for a different window! Could be an alternative to a cat tree if you really can't accommodate one.

I've only used Feliway plug-in once and it made a very energetic cat very timid. Not what I was expecting. I did persevere but unplugged it in the end as I didn't like the change it brought on in my cat

Definitely reduce the pouches. One in the morning and one at night (per cat) is sufficient for your average indoor cat. Cats don't necessarily self-regulate food intake. Dry food left out/ topped up isn't the answer if your cats have no stop reflex! Develop a new routine and don't cave. Make them work for their snack with a puzzle

We've put up shelves for ours to give them more room - they love them :)

Love the living cat ornaments you've got there Eleanor.

Good ideas here -- I was going to say give them something to climb, and give them places to hide. You can for kitty-stuff, or for on the cheap, cardboard boxes with some strategic holes cut for hiding, and a step ladder, preferably with a paint bucket stand, for climbing. When I moved from a farm to a flat, my two cats were all over the place and constantly meowing/scratching at the door until I put a step ladder up in front of the window. They climbed it and seemed to think it was a tree.

Aside from our cat shelves, we also have a couple of tall scratching post/cat tree type things, strategically placed near tall shelving units so they can get onto the top of those too.

And they have lots of toys :)

Our vet recently told us to stop feeding our cat pouches as she is getting tooth decay (she is only 3). Now she has biscuits x