I feel like a terrible cat mum today.

[CleanShirt]

Boy cat is wild at the moment, especially at night. I'm ill and I just kept crying in the night and shouting at him.

For context, he's had a year. Ex left at the start of the year and took girl cat with him. I had to move into a friend's spare room and now in my own place which is tiny. He has outdoor access, but not the same huge garden he had, and I don't let him out at night because he's a prolific mouser.

At about 3am I genuinely thought about giving him to Battersea. He's ruined my new sofa, my new bed and has now started on the blinds.

I play with him a lot, we cuddle all the time, he has treats, toys, feliway, has had a recent MOT... I think he just hates letting me sleep.

My flat is so small that shutting him out of the bedroom at night isn't an option (and he loves being in here anyway).

He's got my through the worst year of my life so I'd never actually give him up, but I just needed a little rant because he's so naughty!

Sounds like he might be full of stress. His world has been turned upside down x

Try not to beat yourself up. As you said you’ve both had a rough year and are still settling into your new place which is different to where he was before.

2 things - do you have Feliway? And also, could he be lonely? Would a friend to play with be a possibility?

Is there any way your ex would take him too? It was a shame to split them in the first place (unless they hated each other).

Oh god no. I haven't spoken to him since he left, except to sort the divorce. I've had my boy since he was 9 weeks old and he's a total mamas boy. He basically just wants to be with me or outside and kicks off when he can't get that. Typical man!

Edit to add - yes it was awful splitting them. I would have kept girl cat, she was old and I image didn't do well with the move. But that's a whole other story!

I do have feliway but will try the optimum one.

Did think about getting him a friend but my flat is so small I wouldn't be able to separate them and couldn't stop one going out - logistically it just wouldn't work.

Just having a bad cat day I think!

It sounds very difficult and sleep deprivation is awful. You have to get up in the daytime, and I presume his nibs can catch up on his rest then.

I honestly don’t know if I could cope with young or energetic cats in a small flat. The furniture problem can be lessened with loose covers (tucked in so that he cannot just creep under them and access the soft furnishings from there. Same for bed, an old fashioned throw that can cover the bed, and stick Ikea under bed storage crates if you can so that he can’t attack from underneath.

He's 6 (tomorrow!) so not a total spring chicken but he's always had the naughty singer streak in him - he was a nightmare kitten 😄

I'm at home today so he's very happy and I'm going to have a little lunchtime nap with him.

Does he like chasing laser lights? A play with that before bed will take a bit of puff out of him. Doesn’t take so much out of you as you just flick the torch beam.

As well as scratching posts, I have some of those cardboard scratchers (with a little cat nip) to redirect some scratching.

Can't believe I got this far without paying cat tax.

He gets really stress with them! 🤦🏻‍♀️ He loves chasing string but chews everything so I lob around a sturdy rope for him several times a day, as well as giving his catnip stuffed things.

I think he's just a dickhead basically 😂

He’s a very handsome boy, is what he is. He’s just ‘catting’, showing off his skills. Unfortunately, not synchronising with our natural circadian rhythms.

I hope you can less the impact, defend your furniture and get him to tire himself out a bit more in a way that works better for you.

What????????

So sorry. Wrong thread.

Ed as seen update