Undisciplining my Cat

[Xylus]

I have a cat named Topher. He's a carefree, mischievous, and fun-loving cat, and he has a very child-like personality. He brightened the lives of my girlfriend and I because of his personality.

So I moved to Pittsburgh about a month and a half ago for the summer (from Tucson, AZ), and left the cat with a friend of mine to watch for a few months. Bringing the cat to Pittsburgh was just implausible at the time, so I sadly said goodbye to him and looked forward to seeing him in August. Well, our living arrangements changed, and we decided to have our friend bring the cat with him to Pittsburgh.

Topher's been here a day and he's a completely different cat. He's bland, kind of skiddish, he seems afraid to get too mischievous, doesn't like to play like he usually did, and it just seems like he's changed into a different cat.

A part of me hopes that it's just the exhaustion of the long trip from Arizona to Pennsylvania that has sapped him of energy, but I'm more inclined to think that my friend disciplined him rather effectively while I was away.

Is it possible to undiscipline a cat? I miss my old cat.

[angel_luv]

Did you get him some catnip and other toys?

[thispego]

cats done for. get a new one

[Xylus]

Did you get him some catnip and other toys?

I haven't yet because he just got here, but it has crossed my mind. I've been playing with him constantly just so that he knows that he's allowed to play as much as he wants.

He's not a kitten, either, so there's no possibility of maturation.

[Brutalis]

Cats do that. They are retarded and self absorbed. Just blow it's head off and have a nice day.

[duncan228]

I have 4 cats and I've moved them across the country twice. They were shaken up and behaved differently for a little while after each move. Each one took it their own way. One was skittish and nervous, another hid for days. Cats are creatures of habit, when their routine is changed they can freak out for a bit. I would think that Topher will settle down and return to his fun loving ways as soon as he gets comfortable again. He just needs time to understand he's back home with you.

[midgetonadonkey]

Do you want my kitten?

[Xylus]

Do you want my kitten?

No.

[angel_luv]

I haven't yet because he just got here, but it has crossed my mind. I've been playing with him constantly just so that he knows that he's allowed to play as much as he wants.

He's not a kitten, either, so there's no possibility of maturation.

I know that catnip always made my cats super hyper and playful.

Hope your cat gets back to his old fun self soon. :)

[Ronaldo McDonald]

Those behavioral changes are all signs of post-trauma from the Suns-Spurs series.

[to21]

He's pissed at you.

[midgetonadonkey]

No.

Come on...it's playful.

[Xylus]

Those behavioral changes are all signs of post-trauma from the Suns-Spurs series.

He was fine after the 2007 series, though.

[atxrocker]

cut your losses and get a dog. the cats probably just pissed you moved from one shit town to another.

[Ronaldo McDonald]

Without Shaq, The 2007 series carried less weight.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

oh he's just adjusting. i've moved plenty and they always go through that. is he walking around with his backside real low? he's just scouting it out. maybe there are other cat's scent he's picking up. cats dont like change at all. one of mine would actually start freaking out whenever i would pack. i can't prepack anymore before a move.

[duncan228]

one of mine would actually start freaking out whenever i would pack. i can't prepack anymore before a move.

:lol Same here. Suitcases and boxes make them frantic.

[Bandit2981]

He is only acting strange because he is out of his familiar environment. Now he's been taken to some place strange that smells totally different and his scent is gone. Give it some adjustment time, he will get comfy again and be back to normal in a couple weeks.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

:lol Same here. Suitcases and boxes make them frantic.
i think cats are way more smarter than dogs. cats just show it when they want to show it, and i love dogs as well.

[CuckingFunt]

I agree with the consensus here. Just give Topher time to readjust and establish a new routine, and all will be well.

I moved last August and it took a while for my cat to become fully comfortable in the new place. We went from a 900 sq. ft. house surrounded by yard, to a 400 sq. ft. upstairs apartment with considerably more noise from cars/street/pedestrians/etc. For the first few months we were here, my cat would hide in the closet or under the covers as soon as she heard someone on the stairs and/or walking past the living room window.

[tlongII]

Sounds like feline leukemia to me. Sorry.

[thispego]

lol

[TheTruth]

Like pretty much everyone else has said, it's an adjustment period.

When we brought my cat into our new apartment a few years ago he was pretty distraught. A friend told me about this spray they sell at Petsmart that has some kind of pheromone in it that "calms" the cat. You just spray it around the house or a certain area that your cat is hanging around and it'll soothe him. We sprayed that around the apartment for couple of days and Murray was fine after that.

~Ginofan~

[Mol3663]

Feliway is the name of the stuff with the cat pheromones- you can buy it in a spray or a diffuser and it helps some cats to calm down. Sometimes cats do better with a move if you keep him in one room for a couple of days and slowly introduce him to all the rooms in the house. He'll be fine.

[Vinnie_Johnson]

cut your losses and get a dog. the cats probably just pissed you moved from one shit town to another.

:lmao

[Condemned 2 HelLA]

You went to Pittsburgh on purpose?
:wtf

[Xylus]

You went to Pittsburgh on purpose?
:wtf

For a job, but I'm not sure what's so bad about Pittsburgh. It's a beautiful city, and I live just outside it in a very lush area.