I hate to have to write this. I was recently hospitalized and my uncle is watching my 6 month old kitten at his home for me. He has a small dog and 2 other cats. My cat LOVES to play with them. I live alone in a quiet apartment and my family is suggesting that my uncle keep him since he has a ton of energy and seems bored with me. I don’t want to give him up, but I also want him to be happy. Adopting a second kitten is not possible for me right now. Any advice?
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Advice for possible rehoming
- Thread starter CJ1980
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- #2
I should add, I play with him hard and try to tire him out, but he’s very energetic and ends up walking around crying all night for attention. I don’t know what to do. He’s not hungry. I gave him extra food before bed and he doesn’t eat it.
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Is the crying at night after you go to bed? Is he just looking for you?
If you are playing with him "hard" to try and tire him out, I doubt he is bored. But he is just a kitten still. The energy level will start to subside, and then eventually level out. While it is my personal preference for my cat to have a "friend", it is by no means necessary. Do you have any toys that he can use to amuse himself when you aren't around? I know my cats absolutely love that round toy with a ball that rolls around the perimeter and has the cardboard insert in the center for scratching. A little catnip sprinkled on the cardboard, and both of my cats go nuts playing with it.
If you are playing with him "hard" to try and tire him out, I doubt he is bored. But he is just a kitten still. The energy level will start to subside, and then eventually level out. While it is my personal preference for my cat to have a "friend", it is by no means necessary. Do you have any toys that he can use to amuse himself when you aren't around? I know my cats absolutely love that round toy with a ball that rolls around the perimeter and has the cardboard insert in the center for scratching. A little catnip sprinkled on the cardboard, and both of my cats go nuts playing with it.
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- #4
He has alot of toys around to play with. I actually have the round toy with the ball. He plays with each toy for a couple minutes then has no interest. He usually goes to bed and sleeps with me, then a few hours later is when the crying starts. He’ll actually wait by the bedroom door to let me know he’s ready to go to bed.
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This might not be an option, but I wonder if, since he’s so young, you could take him over to your uncle’s house for play dates from time to time? I know most cats would not do well with this, but it might be worth a try.
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Schedule the last play session and meal of the day to take place at least an hour before bedtime. Play will help wear your kitten out. Feeding your kitten after play will boost his confidence as a mighty hunter. Feeding him no later than an hour before bedtime will let your kitten get past that energy spike they get after eating before you go to bed.
Don’t reward bad behavior. When your kitten cries, ignore it. Don’t give him food because it teaches him that when he cries, he gets attention and food.
In your place, I wouldn’t give up my cat. I’d want my cat around too take care off and for the companionship. I wouldn’t want to be rattling around in an empty place trying to recover from surgery and missing my beloved kitty.
I was a single father who raised two kids on my own. Raising a kitten is easy in comparison. Keep him. You’ll regret giving him up.
Don’t reward bad behavior. When your kitten cries, ignore it. Don’t give him food because it teaches him that when he cries, he gets attention and food.
In your place, I wouldn’t give up my cat. I’d want my cat around too take care off and for the companionship. I wouldn’t want to be rattling around in an empty place trying to recover from surgery and missing my beloved kitty.
I was a single father who raised two kids on my own. Raising a kitten is easy in comparison. Keep him. You’ll regret giving him up.
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- #7
I could try that. I feel bad taking him from that environment he loves to my seemingly quiet boring house. As much as I try to play with him, I can tell he’s looking for much more stimulation.
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- #8
Update: I’m home from the hospital and my kitty is back with me. I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving him with my family. I am going to see how it goes then may get a friend for him. The only concern I have is the space and extra expense. I have a tiny apartment and not a lot of extra funds. How much different is it to have 2 cats? I know more food/Litter, etc but do you need two of everything? I’m thinking there is a way for it to work.
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That's great! Congrats on your return home. I did a lot of cat sitting in New York City, and was amazed at how well multiple cats did in small spaces. There are some cool ikea hacks for cat shelves/cat walks/ etc, and you could always get a couple of cat trees to help increase their square footage. I'm not great a budgeting, but the extra food will prob be your biggest expense. You could look into pet insurance for vet bills, but in my experience, those don't amount to too much until they are a bit older. Here, we have some low cost vet clinics so you could look into that as another option. Good luck!!
