The cat crazies occur when your cat runs around screaming at the top his voice. It screams to me that he or she is bored! This drives me crazy because it tells me that I have failed as a cat guardian. That’s the bottom line, the stark truth from my perspective. Talking about failure….!
When the cat crazies subside, I spend the next moments pondering how I can alleviate my cat’s boredom. I know what the ‘solution’ is. It’s to let him roam free and dangerously. He’s a confined cat living in a nice house with a garden enclosure but he wants more and I can’t give it to him because I can’t stand the thought of him dying out there somewhere.
Once Bitten Twice Shy
Once a cat owner has suffered the emotional turmoil of losing a free-roaming cat on the road, you can’t allow it to happen again. It’s like having a car accident – a shunt. You will always drive well behind the car in front thereafter.
As I see it, the only way out is to train him to ‘go walkies’ with me like a dog on a leash. Or adopt another cat. There are dangers in that policy because there is no guarantee that they’ll get along. Although I’d like to strike a deal with a cat rescue such that I could return the cat after a week if they fail to get along.
I have a cat stroller and we go for long walks along the river bank together. These are great moments, outdoors in a beautiful landscape. It helps him because it adds more colour to his life with additional sights and smells. It’s not enough.
Amusing Cat Crazies?
People regard the cat crazies as amusing. I regard them as human failure; a failure in the human/cat relationship. That’s probably a harsh assessment. However, cat owners should not look at the cat crazies as if it is something to be amused by and nothing more.
There is a lot more to do: entertain your domestic cat anyway possible if he is an indoor cat.
I explained once before that the cat crazies to me seem to have nothing to do with boredom but rather the cats absolute need to use all of their muscles to run jump etc. I do not equate it with boredom. They are predators and the need to climb , run and jump are part of their internal makeup. I’m not sure you could play with any cat enough to keep the zoomies out of the house.
Perhaps Zach who reviews so many good cat products could explain this better.
It’s not your job to provide 24/7 curbside service for you cat’s amusement it’s out job to give them not only love and attention but to provide a household that is stimulating to them when you are not in attendance.