Hey everyone... I adopted a 2 month old tortoishell kitten in December, her name is Azalea and she's now 5 months old. I absolutely adore her. She's hilarious and full of personality. Last week, a friend told me that a couple she works with were looking for a new home for their 3 year old cat because they were going tree planting, and that they were going to have to bring him to the SPCA soon if they didn't find a home. I had been thinking of adopting another kitty so that Azalea would have another kitty to play and was thinking of getting a younger cat that would keep Azalea busy and enjoy playing with her, but I agreed to meet him. They told me they needed to have the meeting at my house as they lived with another couple and it wouldn't work, so they told me they would bring him to my place for a meet and greet. When they got here, they had his litterbox, last bit of food, etc and told me they had no choice but to get rid of him that night or take him to the shelter because they weren't allowed to have him where they were living. It made me sad that they felt he was so disposable and felt alright leaving him with somebody they didn't even know... obviously I felt kind of taken advantage of as well, obviously I couldn't let him go to a shelter but it would have been nice to get to know him and make sure it was a good match first. He's a beautifullll tuxedo boy, so big and handsome with bright green eyes. He's such a snuggly sweetheart, I'm in love with him already. I renamed him Jaxx... the name he came with was Squisher. lol. He's such a big, sweet boy.
Here are my concerns though... I really need advice and insight on this from other cat owners. I want to do what's best for Jaxx, I want him to be happy.
1. He's a big boy, a little on the chubby side. Definitely loves his food haha. The couple told me that when they first got him, he was very, very overweight, his stomach was almost touching the ground. They stopped feeding him wet food and he became and outdoor cat and lost a ton of weight. I live in a medium sized bachelor suite with a loft. We'll be living here for at least a year and a half until I'm finished my schooling and can afford to move. It's in an apartment building, so even if I was comfortable letting him outside, I can't. I'm really afraid that living here and not being able to get the same amount of exercise he got before will cause him to regain all that weight. This terrifies me... my 13 year old family cat, who was my BEST friend growing up, had to be put to sleep last year, 2 years after being diagnosed with diabetes, it was discovered that he was suffering from extremely painful arthritis in his spine and he could no longer even go to the bathroom without being given an enema. Saying goodbye to him was one of the hardest things. We loved him sooo much. He was always overweight, literally since being a kitten, and he was an outdoor cat before he was diagnosed with diabetes. I'm terrified of Jaxx gaining all that weight back and getting diabetes or something... I know all too well all the complications kitties can have from being overweight. So, I'm concerned for his health and it makes me wonder if I'm the right home for him. I already love him so, so much but am I being selfish to keep him here if it might have such a negative impact on his health? I'm hoping that now that he's being fed really good food, and not the sugary crap they were feeding him before, that he might be okay and might not gain too much weight back. I'm afraid that he's going to gain it all back though. I'm going to be taking him to the vet for a check up next week to make sure everything is going okay. What do you think? Any suggestions?
2. Azalea is a kitten, so she's pretty crazy still. Poor Jaxx is almost constantly being hassled by her, tackled, etc. She LOVES it, and that's part of why I was considering getting another kitty. The problem is, Jaxx is not amused... at all. He can't seem to get a break and we live in a bachelor suite, so its not like I can separate them. I've tried putting Azalea up on the loft but she always gets down and starts driving him crazy again. She just doesn't quite understand 'kitty social cues', he'll growl loudly and angrily, ears back, swatting at her, trying to get her to leave him alone but she chases him, keeps batting at him... just being a kitten. I feel so bad for him. He hates it. So, I'm also worried about his happiness. I don't want him to feel stressed out and angry every day. Azalea will eventually grow out of her crazy kitten stage and calm down, but I don't know what to do until then. I'm constantly having to break them apart, and 2 seconds later, Azalea is back at it.
So, I'm feeling kind of stressed out about these 2 things. I'm already so attached to him, I love him and I want him to be with us, but sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right thing for him by keeping him.
Thank you for your time...
Here are my concerns though... I really need advice and insight on this from other cat owners. I want to do what's best for Jaxx, I want him to be happy.
1. He's a big boy, a little on the chubby side. Definitely loves his food haha. The couple told me that when they first got him, he was very, very overweight, his stomach was almost touching the ground. They stopped feeding him wet food and he became and outdoor cat and lost a ton of weight. I live in a medium sized bachelor suite with a loft. We'll be living here for at least a year and a half until I'm finished my schooling and can afford to move. It's in an apartment building, so even if I was comfortable letting him outside, I can't. I'm really afraid that living here and not being able to get the same amount of exercise he got before will cause him to regain all that weight. This terrifies me... my 13 year old family cat, who was my BEST friend growing up, had to be put to sleep last year, 2 years after being diagnosed with diabetes, it was discovered that he was suffering from extremely painful arthritis in his spine and he could no longer even go to the bathroom without being given an enema. Saying goodbye to him was one of the hardest things. We loved him sooo much. He was always overweight, literally since being a kitten, and he was an outdoor cat before he was diagnosed with diabetes. I'm terrified of Jaxx gaining all that weight back and getting diabetes or something... I know all too well all the complications kitties can have from being overweight. So, I'm concerned for his health and it makes me wonder if I'm the right home for him. I already love him so, so much but am I being selfish to keep him here if it might have such a negative impact on his health? I'm hoping that now that he's being fed really good food, and not the sugary crap they were feeding him before, that he might be okay and might not gain too much weight back. I'm afraid that he's going to gain it all back though. I'm going to be taking him to the vet for a check up next week to make sure everything is going okay. What do you think? Any suggestions?
2. Azalea is a kitten, so she's pretty crazy still. Poor Jaxx is almost constantly being hassled by her, tackled, etc. She LOVES it, and that's part of why I was considering getting another kitty. The problem is, Jaxx is not amused... at all. He can't seem to get a break and we live in a bachelor suite, so its not like I can separate them. I've tried putting Azalea up on the loft but she always gets down and starts driving him crazy again. She just doesn't quite understand 'kitty social cues', he'll growl loudly and angrily, ears back, swatting at her, trying to get her to leave him alone but she chases him, keeps batting at him... just being a kitten. I feel so bad for him. He hates it. So, I'm also worried about his happiness. I don't want him to feel stressed out and angry every day. Azalea will eventually grow out of her crazy kitten stage and calm down, but I don't know what to do until then. I'm constantly having to break them apart, and 2 seconds later, Azalea is back at it.
So, I'm feeling kind of stressed out about these 2 things. I'm already so attached to him, I love him and I want him to be with us, but sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right thing for him by keeping him.
Thank you for your time...