I am at my wit's end, and I really need advice.
I own a 2 year old tuxedo. I have had him since he was a kitten. He is silly, smart, and energetic. He is destructive, annoying, and moody. Sometimes he is the best cat ever, sometimes I regret adopting him. He has had expensive health issues (urinary obstruction, feline tooth resorption) and needs so much interaction that when I leave town I have to board him at an expensive "cat hotel" so that he can have enough interaction to not get angry or depressed. I've spent 7,000 dollars on him in the last year between his Rx food, teeth extraction (I brush his teeth every day), cat hotel stays, and ICU stay for his urinary obstruction.
When I come home he is so excited to see me and will be cuddly for a little bit. Then he begins meowing aggressively, because he is hungry (normal cat stuff). I feed him. As the night goes on, he gets grouchy and gets the zoomies. But when he gets the zoomies he is running so frantically that he is destroying things, growling at me, and occasionally trying to attack me. I have tried calming spray, CBD, different styles of play. He has interactive toys, cat trees, plenty of toys, etc. I play with him for TWO HOURS a day. If I don't, he gets aggressive or meows constantly. I can't keep plants, vases, or candles in my house because he destroys them. I can't close my blinds because he will bat at them and attempt to climb up them and damage them.
He has always woken me up approximately every 30 minutes consistently every single night. Meowing, walking back and forth on top of me, licking my face, and destroying things. I have tried feeding him earlier, ignoring him, playing with him before bed, and have unfortunately yelled at him (which I know is wrong, and made things SO MUCH worse. I don't do that anymore).
He was affecting my mental health because of my sleep deprivation. So I started confining him in the bathroom while I sleep, for approx. 6 hours. He doesn't scratch on the door when I put him in there. He meows for a little bit, and then gets quiet and I assume he falls asleep. He has food, water, a litter box, a bed, and toys. This has helped his behavior and greatly improved my mental health, but my friends have told me it's cruel to seclude him while I sleep.
I have had him tested for everything that could cause this behavior, after I corrected his previous health issues. He doesn't have fleas, hyperthyroidism, allergies, any more teeth that need to be removed (yet), etc. When the vet told me there was nothing wrong with him that would cause this behavior, I cried because I feel helpless.
I am in a city, he cannot be an outdoor cat. He is not friendly with other cats.
My boyfriend and I want to live together at some point. He has expressed that he is concerned if the cat is still crazy when he is older, that he would not be fit for a home with children or other pets in it.
A couple questions:
-How can I reduce the amount he meows and gets overstimulated? I feel like I've tried every approach to reduce his behavior, and he is still just as obnoxious as he has ever been.
-Have any calming sprays or treats worked for other owners of hyperactive cats?
-Is it cruel to leave him in the bathroom while I sleep, if he has all of his necessities?
-What the fuck do I do? I really don't want to rehome him.
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/ai8hlg/how_do_i_get_my_cat_to_be_less_obnoxious/
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