You sound really worried, Lisa
That just means that your a good cat meowmy who wants the best for her furbabe. But first of all how old is Leo now? Sorry if you've mentioned it and I've missed it. Given that MC's are slow maturing breeds, he is probably going through his "teenage" phase right now. Many cats do get a bit crazy around that age and can be a bit obnoxious! Mosi certainly did (he's still obnoxious if truth be told
). It's also true that most cats have the mad half hour when they run around like crazy. They have to get exercise and let off steam somehow and if they're indoor cats they have no alternative than to race around their indoor homes like a furball on speed. Mosi is doing that as I type.
Yes, letting him outside would solve some of these problems but that isn't an option for you and comes with it's own set of problems anyway. Since that's not an option and neither is a catproof garden or enclosure, you have to make the best of the situation you have. Another cat would probably be good for him but if that's not an option financially then it will have to wait. I'm sure Leo can be happy as an only cat but at his current stage in development he is needing loads of stimulation. I'm sure you're spending loads of time playing with him so I apologise in advance for obvious suggestions - I just offer them up in case you haven't tried them. Do you move stuff around to make the environment a bit more stimulating for him? It's cardboard city in my flat but Mosi adores cardboard boxes and plays in and on them daily. I move them around so that they are in different places and it's amazing how a cardboard box can be ignored one day but when you move it to a new location it becomes the most interesting thing in the world! The same with scratching posts and cat trees. Last xmas I moved a cat tree from the living room into the bedroom to make way for the xmas tree and it became used much more than it had done when in the living room. So if you're not doing it already, move things around as much as you can.
Does Leo love da bird? If so, get as many similar kind of toys as you can find/make/afford. I know that Mosi becomes very bored with toys if I bring them out day after day but if I bring out a new one that is very similar he will go mad for it. So I have a large selection of those sort of toys to rotate. He love da bird and the other attachements but cat charmer and cat dancer are also popular. Does he like a laser? That's another thing that Mosi will get bored of very quickly but if it's been absent for a few weeks and I then bring it out he goes mad for it. I spend a lot of time trying to think up new games to play with the toys too. Like getting a cardboard box and cuting holes in it, then bringing it into the middle of the floor and waving something about inside to get him jumping in and out. Using a stick to toss a carrier bag around is popular game too (for some reason, Sainsburys bags are the most popular for this!)
It can be really hard keeping a young, active indoor cat happy. I find that several short play sessions throughout the evening are better than one long session. Mosi can just about keep himself occupied between those! The whining is just attention seeking. Mosi is actually walking around whining and throwing himself at the walls at the moment, bless him. I've got in from work, greeted him and fed him. I will play with him shortly before I cook my meal, but I am determined to ignore the whining as that will just encourage him to whine whenever he wants attention.
I don't know how good these books are but I was looking on Amazon yesterday and came across them. I do have the Keep your indoor cat sane and sound one which is quite good. I do wonder whether some of the other ones might have some more ideas for entertaining indoor cats
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h_/026-6636172-2590046?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=indoor+cats&x=0&y=0Above all, try not to feel guilty. I think for a lot of us who keep our cats indoors, guilt can be an issue. I'm not dismissing the problems and potential problems that can result from under stimulation etc. but I do think that sometimes we read too much into their behaviour because we feel a bit guilty that we are not letting them go outside and do "catty" things. Indoors or outdoors, cats do spend a lot of their time sleeping, and when they're sleeping (or happily playing) they are not thinking about what othe things they could be doing. They don't have that thought process. Leo is probably nowhere near as unhappy as you think he is. He may be a bit frustrated at times as he's a young, lively lad and he's probably testing the boundaries a bit, just like a human toddler. But that doesn't mean he's unhappy. You're doing a great job with him. Maybe you just need to find some new games. I do sympathise as Mosi is a full of beans kind of cat too and it sometimes feels like an uphill battle coming up with new toys and games to keep him occupied.
