My older cat died this week, leaving my younger cat a solo cat for the first time in her life. Ciaran died after a brief illness, and during his illness, Kismet had significant reduction in appetite. Since his death, Kismet has started to eat a bit more (I don't know if she just finally got hungry enough, is a little less stressed, or I finally found a tempting enough food), but she is still showing some signs of anxiety. This is obviously to be expected. I always had the impression that their relationship was somewhat one-sided, with Ciaran having a stronger bond to Kismet than she to him, but Kismet was used to having him around.
My concern is that she has never been a solo cat--she was with her siblings in foster care and then came into a household with another cat. Part of me thinks she may come to prefer being a solo cat--she's always been very independent--but being alone in the house, especially when I am at work, is something new to her and she has a history of anxiety with change. How can I help her adjust?
(Note--I did talk to the vet about Kismet's decreased appetite and anxiety when Ciaran was ill. She suggested trying gabapentin, which Ciaran was taking for arthritis. Kismet is difficult to medicate, and because I don't want to cause her additional stress, I've been reserving it days when she seems particularly anxious.)
My concern is that she has never been a solo cat--she was with her siblings in foster care and then came into a household with another cat. Part of me thinks she may come to prefer being a solo cat--she's always been very independent--but being alone in the house, especially when I am at work, is something new to her and she has a history of anxiety with change. How can I help her adjust?
(Note--I did talk to the vet about Kismet's decreased appetite and anxiety when Ciaran was ill. She suggested trying gabapentin, which Ciaran was taking for arthritis. Kismet is difficult to medicate, and because I don't want to cause her additional stress, I've been reserving it days when she seems particularly anxious.)