- Joined
- Feb 1, 2018
- Messages
- 1,022
- Purraise
- 4,341
Hi everyone, I've had my new kitty Chilli for just 3 days now. She is a 3-4 year old NFC. I'm a first time cat owner so I'm a little new to all this. Overall I think she is settling in okay, but I do have some questions about her incessant meowing.
I work in the afternoon/evening (1pm-9pm) and am generally home the rest of the day. From the time I get home from work and all through the night, she is perfect. She is happy to see me but not overly clingy, we have a long playtime and then dinner, and then cuddles before bed and no problems during the night (she either sleeps with me or plays quietly by herself). She is using the litter box, scratching post, and eating and drinking without any problems. She has several hiding spots and higher perches that she uses, and she generally likes to just hang out with me.
However, from about 8am to 12pm, she becomes very active/anxious and will wander around the house meowing loud and long cries. This is after she's already eaten and played in the morning. During this time she seems very unhappy/upset (big pupils, low tail, ears back) and is disinterested in playing, petting, food, or any comfort. She will sometimes meow at my closet or try to look in new places as if she wants to explore my apartment, but isn't satisfied by anything.
During her "good" time in the evening, she meows a little bit but it's very different - much quieter and more purr-y and chatty. I don't mind that at all. But the morning meows are very constant and whining. Personally I'm fine with just ignoring the sound, but I do feel a little bad for my neighbors as I live in an apartment with thin walls, so I'm worried about a future noise complaint if she continues this long-term.
So obviously 3 days is nothing, and she's still adjusting! I'm fine with just waiting it out, if that's all it will take. I know that her previous owners had two other cats that she got along great with, so she may be missing them as well as her humans. I guess my questions are--
1) Is this normal for a new cat? Should it lessen with more adjustment time?
2) What should I do during this time? Ignore it 100%, try to distract her, invest in some calming products, give her reassurance, something else?
3) Is there anything else I should change or do to help her adjust faster?
4) I might make another post about this later, but... getting a second cat? Give me your thoughts.
I would love to hear any feedback. She's an awesome cat overall, but I really want to help her feel more comfortable and calm in the mornings.
I work in the afternoon/evening (1pm-9pm) and am generally home the rest of the day. From the time I get home from work and all through the night, she is perfect. She is happy to see me but not overly clingy, we have a long playtime and then dinner, and then cuddles before bed and no problems during the night (she either sleeps with me or plays quietly by herself). She is using the litter box, scratching post, and eating and drinking without any problems. She has several hiding spots and higher perches that she uses, and she generally likes to just hang out with me.
However, from about 8am to 12pm, she becomes very active/anxious and will wander around the house meowing loud and long cries. This is after she's already eaten and played in the morning. During this time she seems very unhappy/upset (big pupils, low tail, ears back) and is disinterested in playing, petting, food, or any comfort. She will sometimes meow at my closet or try to look in new places as if she wants to explore my apartment, but isn't satisfied by anything.
During her "good" time in the evening, she meows a little bit but it's very different - much quieter and more purr-y and chatty. I don't mind that at all. But the morning meows are very constant and whining. Personally I'm fine with just ignoring the sound, but I do feel a little bad for my neighbors as I live in an apartment with thin walls, so I'm worried about a future noise complaint if she continues this long-term.
So obviously 3 days is nothing, and she's still adjusting! I'm fine with just waiting it out, if that's all it will take. I know that her previous owners had two other cats that she got along great with, so she may be missing them as well as her humans. I guess my questions are--
1) Is this normal for a new cat? Should it lessen with more adjustment time?
2) What should I do during this time? Ignore it 100%, try to distract her, invest in some calming products, give her reassurance, something else?
3) Is there anything else I should change or do to help her adjust faster?
4) I might make another post about this later, but... getting a second cat? Give me your thoughts.
I would love to hear any feedback. She's an awesome cat overall, but I really want to help her feel more comfortable and calm in the mornings.