Can a cat be bi-polar?

Question

My cat's personality changes on different days. Most of the time he is cute, cuddly and well behaved. On good days he will sometimes run around the apartment really fast and jump on all the windowsills, but doesn't knock anything over. Otherwise he's mostly quiet. On bad days, he YELLS to get attention all day long, even when he's fed and I'm not ignoring him. If I try to ignore him because I'm busy, he might bite, although he does not bite hard but he knows he isn't allowed to do that! Sometimes he behaves oddly, like trying to climb where he normally wouldn't because usually he doesn't like cluttered places, and his eyes look very bugged out when he does this. Also at these times he can become suddenly clumsy, running and jumping onto places where things go crashing to the floor. Sometimes I lock him in his cat carrier for awhile to calm him down. This helps a lot at least for awhile. In the last few days I had to do that quite often. Today he chose that place to sleep all day long!

The original owner's kids dropped him on his head when he was a kitten.

Answer 1

animals are unpredictable. that's their nature. just like human. we also changes everyday. there are times that we are very happy and suddenly we became sad... AM I RIGHT? just let your cat do his thing. after a day of activity he will surely have a good rest... hehehe

Answer 2

(-: OMGosh! Not only do you have a crazy cat, but he can't even land on his feet! I think this little kitty must be feeling the effects of early failure, so you have to treat him with love and kindness, and give him positive affirmations every day. Oh, and make sure he gets enough exercise, and watch what he eats. I understand that food dyes can make some kids hyper; maybe his cat food is doing weird things to his brain.

(-: What am I talking about? Cats are just naturally weird!

If he starts acting quiet and normal all the time, that's when you need to worry. Sounds like a cutie 75 percent of the time, though (-:. Have fun!

Answer 3

There are several medical conditions which can cause weird behavior in cats such as epilepsy.

Epilepsy can have a wide variety of symptoms from bizarre behavior such as attacking invisible objects or frantic running and collisions with objects, twitching, rigidity of limbs, tremors, ataxia. Convulsions of whole body as seen in dogs are unusual in cats. Epilepsy is usually diagnosed by ruling out other causes and although EEG (recording of the brain waves) could confirm the diagnosis, it is not often done.

Hypothyroidisms can also alter character, cats tend to be nervous , irritable, very noisy and sometimes aggressive. They also eat a lot but don't put on any weight.

You should see your vet to have your cat examined.

Answer 4

One thing you might consider - is this NEW behavior, or has he always been this way. Yes, cats can have weird personalities and can be moody. But changes in personality and behavior are often associated with illness, even if your cat doesn't LOOK sick. Check with your vet.

(Oh yes - it DOES matter if your male cat is neutered! Contrary to what one of your other respondents has said. If all male cats were neutered any female cat would be unable to get pregnant! Also, fixing a cat will result in a better personality because their hormones aren't going bonkers. They are also less prone to some health problems.)

Answer 5

DON'T LISTEN TO SK! Cats are for life, a commitment, in sickness and in health, for an average of fifteen to twenty years, including a commitment to never patronize landlords who don't allow cats. Dumping this kitty and getting another one is similar to dumping a disabled child into the Foster Care system or an Institution and havng another baby. First, is your kitty under a year old? If so, he's like any other teenager, it will pass. Furthermore, getting your under a year old kitty a female kitty companion also under a year old (don't keep two males, they tend to grow apart even if neutered, two females or a male and female are better) or a puppy of either gender under a year old/ This will add to the chaos at first but be better for both of them in the long run, they do better and live longer if given companions at an early age to grow up with forever---it will calm then down in the end. If over a year old, adding a companion is not such a good idea because territorial issues set in and older kitties tend to do better in their own space. Second, is your kitty an indoor un-neutered Tom over a year old? If so he's like any other Tom. Get him fixed which will allow him to live indoors calmly or make him into an indoor outdoor kitty (contrary to popular propaganda, not fixing your Tom will not contribute to the pet population since females are promiscuous and will always find someone to father their litters if they're not fixed, it might as well be your kitty---it's your female you need to fix). Provided you keep your indoor outdoor kitty microchipped, current on vaccinations, provided with a pet door so he can get in whenever he is tired or needs to retreat from danger, and also provided with a reflective collar with a stretch escape feature and a large reflective I.D. tag with all your phone numbers on it (microSPOT has one, available at Petco, that flashes when the kitty moves in the dark), allowing him in and out may help calm him down by giving him enough exercise. His lifespan will be shorter, but he will be happier. So if it isn't one of these three problems GO TO THE VET and have the cat scanned for brain and neurological problems to see if anything's up with that or if your cat has a real behavioral problem that needs treatment. Finally, keep your house clean (I have trouble with disciplining myself in this way and I notice that cat's like children, are more comfortable if they know where things are in their surroundings and can move freely about them).

Answer 6

There's no such thing as a "normal" cat, they're all cracked in one way or another. The bugged out eyes and crashing into things is normal, at our house we call it 'the crazies', and they seem to happen most often between 2 and 3 am. But, it's also why I prefer cats over dogs, cats are far more interesting.

Answer 7

My cat does the same thing, but he has never been dropped on his nugget! Our kitty usually gets wired up around full moons and when he is tired, he is more cranky. They say cats have their own personalities, some just get a little wired from time to time. Hope this helps you out.

Answer 8

My cats behavior and eyes would bug out every other day and she ended up having a UTI (wwith crystals in her urine). She would act strange not long after going to the bathroom....see how she acts after going....observe this for a wk to see if her behavior changes after. Cats have been on 'kitty prozac' but dont know about bi-polar. Good Luck!

Answer 9

Yes, me and my roomates had a crazy cat one time who acted in a similar way. I took him to they vet and they tried to prescribe prozac. I did not even know a cat could take prozac. It was too expensive so I gave him to someone who owned a farm and he lived a happy life from there on out. We lived in the city in an apartment so we think is "depressive states" where caused by being inside and our crazy work schedules even thought three of us lived together and someone was almost always home.

Answer 10

Are you certain that's bipolar ailment? Bipolar ailment is characterised by technique of the prevalence of manic episodes the position your cat should be complete of potential, bouncing off the walls, and requiring a lot less sleep, etc. as well to the manic episodes, your cat desires to have situations of melancholy, the position he loses potential, will become hopeless, feels suicidal, and sense worthless. i'm not certain if those diagnoses, that are interior the DSM-IV, note to cats. you may prefer to take it to the vet, it should be some actual ailment that you won't be able to work out it quite is bothering him.

Answer 11

Cats are just like people...unpredictable. They want to do WHAT they want to do WHEN they want to do it! I have 2 cats, Copper thinks he is a dog & Eli will be friendly one minute and anti-social the next minute. I know they both don't listen. Cats are a mystery, are they smart or are they dumb? I guess only the owner can answer that one.