Cat depressed and bored?

electra

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Hi all,

Well, I moved my cat from the mountains to the big city, found a place with a yard, and--he is totally unimpressed. He lives to hunt voles and explore outside (though he'd always come home to eat and sleep a lot), and the yard just holds no interest for him.

I am worried about him. He seems so bored. This area is so uninteresting compared to where he used to live. I love him dearly, but if I could find someone who had land and wanted to care for a cat, I'd give him away. I just want him to be happy. Now he sits around and sleeps and there aren't even any birds to watch (where are they??).

I know it sounds crazy (maybe?) but might it make sense to rehome him with someone who lives in an area he's used to, like the place he lived the first 10 years of his life?

Ack. I don't know. It just breaks my heart a little. Thanks for any advice!
 

StanAndAlf

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Plenty of people live in big cities and apartments and have happy active cats! It will be a learning curve for him though, as you are already noticing.

Personally I have harness trained my cats. This way they can still climb tress (to a certain extent), bird watch, stalk little critters and roll around in the dirt, all within the safety of my reach. However, I would seek out an area that is secluded, where there are no people with dogs running around that could harm your kitty.

Plenty of indoor toys and cat stands are always a good idea. Maybe try engaging him with a flirt pole. I even managed to find a little toy bird with real feathers sticking out and it tweeted when it moved. My boys went nuts over it.

Best of luck, I'm sure others will come along with more advice soon.
 

JulietteTruong

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Make sure to rotate the toys periodically so that it keeps him interested.

What about cat shelves and window perches. Think vertical spaces. To a cat, it expands the environment. There are special cat music and videos designed to appeal to their feline senses.

see if you can have do interactive plays with him. Environmental enrichment is nice, but his bond with you is most important to him.
 
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electra

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Thanks, everyone.
In my mind, my cat will never be happy because his happiness is based on exploring and hunting. I feel it's like taking a person who loves the outdoors (skiing, hiking, etc) and putting them inside. Forever.
But he DOES have access to a really nice yard (and can go out front, too), so I guess it's not so bad.
It's just...I don't know. Like taking an Aussie shephard from their shepharding duties and telling them to be happy in a suburb. Something like that. I'm sure I'm overreacting but he just doesn't seem happy...
 
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electra

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Make sure to rotate the toys periodically so that it keeps him interested.

What about cat shelves and window perches. Think vertical spaces. To a cat, it expands the environment. There are special cat music and videos designed to appeal to their feline senses.

see if you can have do interactive plays with him. Environmental enrichment is nice, but his bond with you is most important to him.
Thank you for saying that...Others have, too (that his bond with me is most important). So, I'll work on the enrichment but trust in the bond...:)
 
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