Just Adopted 2 yr old domestic short hair

[k-niner47]

Hi all.

We said goodbye to Ginger on thanksgiving.

now we just yesterday adopted a 2yr old black female domestic shorthair named Remy.

She is very affectionate,bur our concern is what she will do when left alone for the first time.She came to the shelter as a stray.

We are going to pick up some boxes,with a long rectangle area.The ones you get from the grocer for packing.Any other ideas on how to encourage this cats independence,because we will be extremely nervous when we may have to be out for a few hours.

Thanks.

 

[tulosai]

Hi 

This may be an obvious question, but if you are concerned about this have you considered getting her a companion?

If that's not possible, first, take a deep breath 

 Most (healthy) cats do just fine being left alone for part of the day, even a substantial part of the day.  I have 2 but some days they are alone for 14 hours when I am gone at work and they do just fine. It may be that she has no problem with this.

There are things you can do to make her more comfortable when you are gone.  Some cats like it if you leave the TV on, especially to a nature show.  It can also be nice to give them a perch to look out a window at birds and similar.  Also leave some toys out for her.

I am sure she will do fine and be very happy to see you when you get back. In all honesty, I really think most cats sleep for most of the day, especially when left alone. 

 

[lamiatron]

when i first adopted Charlie, I was concerned about leaving him alone all day too when I was away at work. He was not a stray, He was 3 mo. old when we adopted him, but when adopting him, we separated him from his two sisters (the shelter adopted out the sisters to someone else). I was worried that he would be lonely and sad and hiding all the time without the presence of his sisters, so leaving him alone was stressful for me. He was left alone with plenty of food water and toys while i was at work. I had my boy friend come by and check on him at least once a day for a week. Each time he found Charlie asleep every time my boyfriend came by (always some place different). If you leave her with enough food, toys and fresh water, and she knows where the litter box is, you're set. You might want to have someone check up on her if you'll be away all day, this will give you some peace of mind, and also someone can see if she's eaten, used the litter, what she's up to, etc. 

Eventually, (after a month) i did adopt a second cat. Charlie missed being a part of a littler, and getting him a companion was really beneficial for Charlie, and Jet (the new addition). So getting a second cat might be the answer for you. But if you're unable to get one, then i would suggest having someone check on your kitty just once a day for you...

 

[nbrazil]

I was concerned for my guy (got at 12 weeks) - being alone. It took a couple of weeks to get him acclimated and eventually trusted to the entire condo (4 weeks for that). Whenever I checked on him during the day (when I was out), he was sleeping. The problem was once I was home he wanted to play, play, PLAY, oh, and PLAY.

This lead to a lot of play aggression and my eventually getting him a sister playmate. So now BOTH of them sleep a lot, but get up and entertain themselves with each other. If you can find a good personality match, go for it. Otherwise, leaving the TV or radio on was a good suggestion. Having a cat tree is also good for a nice climb and sleep near the top.

Just watch for play aggression.

 

[betsygee]

I'm sorry about Ginger.  

Does Remy have the run of the house?  Of course you'll want to put away or out of reach anything you don't want her to play with/explore while you're gone!  

Leaving the TV or radio is a good idea, as are some catnip toys or something to keep her amused while you're gone.

 

[k-niner47]

Thank You.

As a test i shut the door to another room,and she started wailing,but then stopped,went to sleep ,then came back to the door of the closed room,and started wailing again.

 This all took place in the span of 2-3 hours.

  I,ll add some catnip to her toys.

 

[betsygee]

That's a good idea to do shorter test runs to get her used to being alone for awhile.  When's the first time you need to leave her alone?  

Let us know how it goes.  :-)

 

[k-niner47]

Hi.

Sorry for not getting back sooner.

Everything went fine.

Sometimes she will growl if  no one is around,and she wants to play.

Have to get her some really good scrath  pads etc..

Thanks ...Bye