What do indoor cats do?

marissam16

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Hello!

I adopted a 9 (almost 10) month old cat yesterday and I feel a bit overwhelmed. I've grew up with cats my entire life. When I was 2 (probably 2001), my sister adopted a kitten and she lived until 2017. She was indoor only and not a cuddly/affectionate cat. I don't remember her being young as I was too young to remember. I can't remember what our routine was like when she was here. However, over the past 13 years we've had strays/ferals show up and made them into our cats as they always came back. I was super close with my baby but he passed away in late February. He was indoor/outdoor and really only went outside at night and came back early. It was the routine for a decade.

Now that I have a new cat, I am at a loss of what to do!! I am not going to let her be indoor/outdoor. I just want her to be indoors. I only had indoor/outdoor because they grew up and showed up like that and were miserable when I tried to lock them in at night. So, I am just very anxious and stressed on what to do at nights. I have my routine where I get on the computer in the evening, listen to music and catch up on things, then I lay in my bed and watch videos on my phone until I sleep. I don't feel like I can do that anymore knowing there's a cat indoors now? I feel bad if I go about my normal routine while she's up and about. I am planning to keep my door cracked so she can come sleep/lay with me but she currently naps a bit during the day and gets up at dusk. Luckily, I live with my parents and my Dad gets home around 10 pm and my Mom wakes up extremely early (around 1). So we really always have someone up with her when she is awake.

This is the first night I'm with her by myself and my Dad is at work. She just slept on the couch for a few hours and is getting up now. Will a routine become more apparent? What should I do? I plan on staying up a little later for a while until she's become more adjusted. She is super sweet and easy going and is already super comfortable in our house after 1 day. I really would love to keep my normal routine at some point but am just super overwhelmed at the moment as I am an anxious and paranoid person. I feel like I need to focus on her every second she's awake when she probably doesn't care as much as I do haha. It's only been 24 hours and I am already stressed over it. I am very much a routine person and if my routine isn't the same, it throws me off the entire day. I just would love to hear from others to ease the anxiety and maybe help me with what to do. I've never really been with a cat this young (don't remember) and feel so guilty for sleeping at night when she gets up. I hear about others having their cats sleeping at night with them at the same time they do and I am hoping it eventually turns into that.

She enjoys her toys but isn't a huge player. She just enjoys watching me swing them about and then just follows us and takes naps here and there. I just ordered her a cat tower, scratch post, new beds, etc. so I am waiting for them to arrive.

I hope this all made sense. I'm just a ball of nerves and anxiety. I haven't had a new cat in over 10 years and it's very overwhelming. I can never turn my brain off and I get extremely anxious. Would love to hear from others if possible. It would really help! I adore her so much and want to make sure she is always happy.

Thanks!
 

Furballsmom

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Hi - she'll figure things out on her own, you don't need to stress about that. Cats can be very accommodating creatures :)

I think she is lucky to have you. Relax and let things happen (other than perhaps setting a specific feeding time, typically morning and evening for wet food - possibly at noonish depending on how much she's eating, and maybe allowing kibble as a treat?)

You could start weighing her too, so that you know where she is weight wise.

How Much Should My Cat Weigh? (With Chart & Pictures) - Excited Cats

This may be of help too;
First-time Cat Owner’s Guide – TheCatSite Articles
 

maggie101

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Night time is when cats like to play so I would not leave the door cracked open. he might prefer a ground wand toy that he can chase and move it fast! And slow to hunt.
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Mamanyt1953

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You just keep your regular routine, and she'll work out hers around it. And, cats tend to sleep up to 18 hours a day, so she'll be napping a lot. One of those "cat chores." If she crawls in bed with you while you are watching videos, don't fret. She'll snuggle down and go to sleep without a problem.
 

Neko-chan's mama

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If you don't have wide window ledges, put a cat tree in front of a window for her to look out of. I would leave your door open. In my experience, cats like to spend at least part of the night in bed with their humans. Keep trying with toys, you'll eventually find that toy that she loves. My girl will sometimes amuse herself with a crumpled up piece of tissue paper!
 
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