I’m typically skeptical of what mainstream media says about certain things, but orange cat energy is definitely real.
Five months ago, I rescued a 3-month-old orange cat that was found all alone underneath a car. My roommate has a cat, but they recently moved out. I loved having a cat in my home, and I knew I would miss my roommate’s cat – it was a gray and white tabby that was pretty relaxed, quiet, and kept to itself. It only had a few moments of crazy, hyped-up energy.
When this orange kitten happened to appear in my life, I knew he needed me and that I needed him.
He came home with me and was so playful and fun and full of life. One thing I wasn’t prepared for was the energy this cat would have.
I had heard rumors on social media and from my friends about “orange cat energy,” which I believed to be some myth. Sure, maybe some orange cats were high-energy, but I feel like cats are just cats. But after knowing my roommates’ cats and then getting my own, I realized that maybe the rumors were true.
When I got him, he was just three or four months old, so still a kitten. Of course he was going to have high energy. From my previous knowledge of cats, they typically sleep around 15 hours a day. But my orange cat… does not.
I usually sleep eight hours a night, and even then, my cat does not always sleep when I sleep. He’s usually up for an hour or two at night while I’m asleep, and then eventually will fall asleep. Being a new cat owner, it was quite stressful to have a new kitten who didn’t sleep much and was very high energy. Working two jobs and being a full time student did not make it easy.
He also has separation anxiety, so anytime we are separated from each other, he would freak out, knock things over, and basically go crazy. He also would purposely knock things over just to get my attention and bite my toes for the fun of it.
My cat also has weird quirks like drinking out of fish tanks (he has no interest in the fish, he only wants to drink the water) and fighting the fridge.
I thought that after being neutered, things would calm down.
But it was just the beginning.
He now will pull thumbtacks out of the wall and put them in his mouth and play with them. He will hang himself from my shelf and have to be rescued because his foot will get stuck. He eats dust and lint if he can find it. He drinks water from the toilet. By talking to other cat owners, I realized that that’s not regular cat behavior, it is indeed orange cat energy.
Yet despite the crazy energy, he is the most affectionate cat I’ve ever met. He loves everyone and socializing is his favorite. He even loves dogs (especially big ones)! My cat also likes playing with water and wearing sweaters. He really is an oddball.
At first, I was worried that maybe having an orange cat would be too much because of his energy and crazy ways, but I really enjoy having that wildness in my life. He makes me laugh and snuggles me when I need it. I would not want any other cat.
I love having orange cat energy in my life.