Can A Cat Be Happy As An Only Cat?

[treeclimber]

Sometimes I wonder if my cat (5 year old neutered male) is lonely.

I work from home a lot, and he likes to lay under my desk and keep me company while I'm working, and sleeps in the bed with me at night. When he's not sleeping, he likes to follow me around the apartment and watch what I'm doing.

I'm not in a situation where I can adopt a second cat. Both finances and living situation (I'm a student - a few times a year we go stay with my parents for a few weeks, who have two cats of their own and have made it clear that their house has a limit of three cats total!)

I have been thinking about fostering, but *only* if it's what's best for my current kitty. I don't know if fostering would give him a companion and make him happier, or if he wouldn't like sharing his toys/food/human attention with another cat. I also don't think rescues would appreciate "hey, I'm going home for a few weeks and my parents won't let me bring my foster cat, can you take him/her back for a little while?"...

Do you think an only cat can be happy/healthy, or should I try to find a way to make the fostering thing work?

 

[susanm9006]

Not only can a cat be happy as an “only” but some cats can only be happy as an only, especially as they mature. They love their family, they love their routines and they love their territory. A newcomer just disrupts that all. I have had cats who actually seemed happier when they lost a long time companion. So don’t feel guilty or feel you need to get a buddy, in your situation one can be just fine.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

Not only can a cat be happy as an “only” but some cats can only be happy as an only, especially as they mature.

T treeclimber - Welcome to TCS! susanm9006 is absolutely on point (forgive the pun, please) with this statement - and it's especially true of Pointed cats in my experience. My current Family is eleven cats, but past practise suggests that many Siamese-based breeds thrive as Only Cats. One example from a past thread on TCS may be found here:

1 Year Old Snowshoe Siamese Wants To Be The Only One.
.

 

[treeclimber]

Thank you!

In his case I know he's OK with other cats (when we're at my parents' house he likes to play/wrestle with their cats, and they also groom each-other and sleep curled up together).

I'm a little concerned that following me around everywhere means he's lonely or bored. Although he does this when we're at my parents' house too - mom calls him her little kitchen helper because he likes to sit on the counter and watch her cook (and steal chopped vegetables as toys).

How can I tell if he's happy as an only cat or if he's lonely/bored/stressed?

 

[treeclimber]

To give an example of how enthusiastic he is with the "following me around" - he will follow me into the bathroom, jump up on the back of the toilet tank, and then try to climb half onto my shoulder and purr in my ear.

I find that adorable and it doesn't bother me that he does it, but I'm a little concerned it means he's unhappy/lonely.

 

[ailish]

I have this same dilemma. Two years ago I adopted my first cat, a one year old mother. Brought her home, she acclimated slowly, but by this time is doing quite well as an only cat. And she IS an Only Cat. She knows when we do what and is very well-mannered unless we get too far off the schedule, at which point she gets pretty demanding. I work all day, so I worry sometimes that she is lonely, although "cat" and "lonely" in the same sentence sometimes seems pretty unlikely. I COULD get another cat, but I worry that it will make her unhappy. If I had it to do over again I would seriously consider getting one of her babies along with her, although body language at the time seemed to indicate that she was pretty sick of them. I usually come down on the side of "if it ain't broke don't fix it." But I still question at times, particularly when I take vacation or something.

 

[LAL]

I have this same dilemma. Two years ago I adopted my first cat, a one year old mother. Brought her home, she acclimated slowly, but by this time is doing quite well as an only cat. And she IS an Only Cat. She knows when we do what and is very well-mannered unless we get too far off the schedule, at which point she gets pretty demanding. I work all day, so I worry sometimes that she is lonely, although "cat" and "lonely" in the same sentence sometimes seems pretty unlikely. I COULD get another cat, but I worry that it will make her unhappy. If I had it to do over again I would seriously consider getting one of her babies along with her, although body language at the time seemed to indicate that she was pretty sick of them. I usually come down on the side of "if it ain't broke don't fix it." But I still question at times, particularly when I take vacation or something.

I am feeling better about MY situation after reading this chain. HSUS told me that she needed to be an only, but I have worried about her because she is at home alone while I work. She has lots of windows to look out [including a bird feeder to watch], 2 cat trees, and a video playing on loop while I'm gone. But, I still worry. Now, I think maybe she is ok as is.

 

[KarenKat]

I have three cats, and two of them follow my boyfriend and I everywhere. Sometimes clinginess is a personality trait as opposed to loneliness. Based on his reaction to the other cats he may enjoy a companion, but if he’s not “dating” anyone right now he still sounds pretty happy.

 

[Pjg8r]

If the shelter suggested he be an only I don’t know that I would tempt fate. He may do great at your parents’ house because that is not his territory.

 

[treeclimber]

Thank you everyone!

To clarify, my cat isn't a shelter-recommended only, that was someone else in the thread. Mine came out of a community cat room in a shelter and has no history of problems with other cats, he's just an only because I only have one cat.

If he can be happy as an "only" that's easiest for me right now, but I also want to be sure it's OK for him!

 

[catlover73]

I am not seeing any signs in what you posted that your cat is unhappy or lonely. Some cats just love being around people and having another cat will not change that. You are certainly home enough that your cat has no reason to feel lonely or unhappy. It sounds like the two of you have settled into a routine.

I have 4 cats currently. My youngest adult cat Casey is a little younger than your cat and he is a people cat. He does play and interact with my other cats but he prefers to be around people. He will spend hours cuddled on my lap if I am laying around watching tv on my days off. He also often follows me around the house as you described. He visits any guests we have too. He usually plays with Apollo who is a year younger than him when Apollo starts the play. He does not actively go around seeking play time with my other cats he waits for them to start it. Once he is done playing he is back to cuddling.

Also if a cat is lonely, bored or unhappy they tend to be more destructive as an outlet. I have not seen you mention this being an issue. If it is an issue please let us know and we will be happy to give you ideas on how to deal with it. It sounds like you have a happy well-adjusted cat that really loves you.

 

[treeclimber]

Thank you! :-) I am feeling so much better after everyone's replies here! Now I can just enjoy all the following and cuddling without worrying that it means he's lonely!

 

[cheeser]

We once had a cat who so desperately wanted to be an only cat, she would have happily shoved our other kitties out the front door and had the locks changed if given the chance.

IMHO, as long as your kitty is getting as much attention as he feels he needs, and he has plenty of toys and stuff to keep him entertained, he'll probably do fine as an only child.

 

[two_tabbies]

I am a student too! I was also wondering the same around this time last year... At the time, I thought my one-year-old orange female tabby (spayed) must have been lonely with me out and about during the day. When I was at home, my cat wouldn't leave my side. She began to show excessive energy, pouncing, etc. I spoke with my vet; said another male kitten MAY bring down her energy and provide her with a second companion. So I did the unthinkable at the time, I adopted a 2-month-old male orange tabby.

 

[two_tabbies]

I am a student too! I was also wondering the same around this time last year... At the time, I thought my one-year-old orange female tabby (spayed) must have been lonely with me out and about during the day. When I was at home, my cat wouldn't leave my side. She began to show excessive energy, pouncing, etc. I spoke with my vet; said another male kitten MAY bring down her energy and provide her with a second companion. So I did the unthinkable at the time, I adopted a 2-month-old male orange tabby. My resident cat did not like the sudden newcomer, and she kept her distance from the new kitten and me for about a week. Very rarely do they cuddle together... I love them both, but I wish they formed a better bond!

 

[Lalexa67]

Martin DePaws tested positive for the colichi virus so he is going to have to be a lone cat for all his life. He thinks he is a people so it doesn’t seem to bother him. It is important that I provide play time a couple of times a day.

 

[ScaryWithString]

To give an example of how enthusiastic he is with the "following me around" - he will follow me into the bathroom, jump up on the back of the toilet tank, and then try to climb half onto my shoulder and purr in my ear.

I find that adorable and it doesn't bother me that he does it, but I'm a little concerned it means he's unhappy/lonely.

I have four cats, and one of mine (Sprite) follows me around just like you describe. In fact, her nickname is Sidekick. She plays just fine with my other three cats, so I know she isn't lonely. She just LIKES following the humans around and thinks we're interesting. So, I wouldn't assume that this behavior means your cat is lonely. On the contrary, it sounds to me like he's just people focused. If so, he might actually be very unhappy if you got another cat and he had to share you. I say that because Sprite (Sidekick) gets jealous of the other cats when she wants my attention, and she LOVES it when I vacuum and the others go hide for awhile. She never hides. She'll even crawl on workman when they come to the house. My husband and I have long thought that she would have done well as an only cat. As it is, she gets along OK with the others, but she definitely prefers humans to other cats. Hope this helps!