- Joined
- Feb 7, 2023
- Messages
- 10
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Hi everyone,
I'm new here but not new to cats. I have cared for fosters and my own cats since 2018 so I am familiar with a lot of issues cats can have. However I am running into problems with a cat I'm cat sitting.
In December our friend messaged us and said her friends needed a cat-sitter last minute as they had a 5 month trip planned from January to May and their usual cat sitter bailed on them. Our cat passed in October and we were missing having a cat but hesitant to adopt another one so soon. So, we decided to help them out and agreed to watch their cat until May. I asked about any behavioural issues so we could be prepared and the only thing they said was that he might try to steal our food. Almost every cat we had in the past did this so we weren't too concerned.
A few important details we did not know until the cat arrived: he is not neutered (we have only ever had fixed cats), he grew up with a dog since he was a kitten (he's 2-3 years old now), he was allowed to roam outside (not neutered...which imo is not responsible of the owners but I digress), and he is VERY loud (which they have since told us is normal for him).
Now, the first few nights the cat seemed anxious and would pace around our apartment. We thought this was due to him being in a new place with new people and figured he would settle down. Well, its been 5 weeks and he is progressively getting more and more anxious. He paces even more now, and will cry for hours on end. If either me or my partner leaves, even for a short time, he will cry continuously. Thankfully we both work from home, so that's not too much of a problem. I'm sure he also cries when we go out together.
We try to play with him but he is not really interested in any toys we offer him. If we pick him up he calms down but only for a minute - he will squirm away from us to continue pacing/crying. We asked his owners if he has any favourite toys but they said he doesn't really play with them since he stopped being a kitten.
So we're a bit stuck. I feel bad for this cat because he is clearly very lonely being the only pet in the house (he does get along with other cats according to his owners), definitely misses his dog friend (not sure why they were separated - I assume the person watching the dog is allergic to cats) and he also probably misses going outside, but since we are in a condo we can't really allow him any outside time. We thought about taking him for park walks on a leash once the weather warms up, but that's at least a few months away.
We had an idea to adopt/foster a cat while he's here so he'll have a buddy. However, after applying to a few adoption agencies, we were rejected. Why? Because we have an un-neutured cat in the house and its policy that they only adopt/foster to houses with fixed cats. We informed the owners of this and they didn't really have much to say other than 'oh well'. So they are very much aware that their cat is lonely and bored, but don't seem to be too concerned. Also, I don't think they realize that being un-neutered may also be contributing to these anxiety issues, and I don't know how to bring it up with them without seeming like I'm 'forcing' the idea of getting him fixed onto them. I don't know why they haven't neutered him in the first place.
Since we have another 3-4 months with him, I am coming here to ask if anyone has experience with a unique situation like this, or if anyone has any suggestions on what we can do to help this cat. We also thought about fostering a dog, since that would likely bypass the neuter issue, but we have zero experience with dogs and aren't really comfortable with them.
Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to cover all the bases.
I'm new here but not new to cats. I have cared for fosters and my own cats since 2018 so I am familiar with a lot of issues cats can have. However I am running into problems with a cat I'm cat sitting.
In December our friend messaged us and said her friends needed a cat-sitter last minute as they had a 5 month trip planned from January to May and their usual cat sitter bailed on them. Our cat passed in October and we were missing having a cat but hesitant to adopt another one so soon. So, we decided to help them out and agreed to watch their cat until May. I asked about any behavioural issues so we could be prepared and the only thing they said was that he might try to steal our food. Almost every cat we had in the past did this so we weren't too concerned.
A few important details we did not know until the cat arrived: he is not neutered (we have only ever had fixed cats), he grew up with a dog since he was a kitten (he's 2-3 years old now), he was allowed to roam outside (not neutered...which imo is not responsible of the owners but I digress), and he is VERY loud (which they have since told us is normal for him).
Now, the first few nights the cat seemed anxious and would pace around our apartment. We thought this was due to him being in a new place with new people and figured he would settle down. Well, its been 5 weeks and he is progressively getting more and more anxious. He paces even more now, and will cry for hours on end. If either me or my partner leaves, even for a short time, he will cry continuously. Thankfully we both work from home, so that's not too much of a problem. I'm sure he also cries when we go out together.
We try to play with him but he is not really interested in any toys we offer him. If we pick him up he calms down but only for a minute - he will squirm away from us to continue pacing/crying. We asked his owners if he has any favourite toys but they said he doesn't really play with them since he stopped being a kitten.
So we're a bit stuck. I feel bad for this cat because he is clearly very lonely being the only pet in the house (he does get along with other cats according to his owners), definitely misses his dog friend (not sure why they were separated - I assume the person watching the dog is allergic to cats) and he also probably misses going outside, but since we are in a condo we can't really allow him any outside time. We thought about taking him for park walks on a leash once the weather warms up, but that's at least a few months away.
We had an idea to adopt/foster a cat while he's here so he'll have a buddy. However, after applying to a few adoption agencies, we were rejected. Why? Because we have an un-neutured cat in the house and its policy that they only adopt/foster to houses with fixed cats. We informed the owners of this and they didn't really have much to say other than 'oh well'. So they are very much aware that their cat is lonely and bored, but don't seem to be too concerned. Also, I don't think they realize that being un-neutered may also be contributing to these anxiety issues, and I don't know how to bring it up with them without seeming like I'm 'forcing' the idea of getting him fixed onto them. I don't know why they haven't neutered him in the first place.
Since we have another 3-4 months with him, I am coming here to ask if anyone has experience with a unique situation like this, or if anyone has any suggestions on what we can do to help this cat. We also thought about fostering a dog, since that would likely bypass the neuter issue, but we have zero experience with dogs and aren't really comfortable with them.
Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to cover all the bases.