Hi, guys. We moved earlier this week, and it wasn’t my choice. I’m trying so hard to be at peace with this, but I’m just not. My cat has a history of anxiety, just like me. She also hasn’t adjusted well to moving in the past. Well, here’s a couple concerns...
Our neighbors downstairs have two infants that scream their heads off day and night. My cat has always been afraid of children, though I don’t know why. Every time they get fussy, she hides. There’s a lot more people around at this building, as it’s not nearly as private. And strangers make her nervous. She keeps growling at them and then hiding in her new hiding spot.
Two, someone in the building is smoking pot almost nightly and I’m worried about the stench (NOT the smoke, just the stench) being bad for her.
I also don’t know how she’s doing with the views. She had wonderful wooded views right behind our other place, just a sidewalks-distance away from the windows. And they were eye-level. The new view is higher up and much farther away, and the birds don’t seem to come hang out on the balcony like they did back home. She seems to hang out at that window, so I guess she can see something. But I haven’t seen her really “hunting” or darting at the windows for anything like I used to. The side windows are right next to pine trees, which she can look straight into, but she doesn’t seem interested. There’s no window sills for her to sit in anymore.
And four—and most importantly—my cat LOVED sleeping in the sun all day at our old place. She reveled in it. Our windows faced east and west with very little to block the sunlight in between the rising and setting. She had continuous sunbeams all day long. Here? NOTHING. We’re facing north and south, and there’s huge trees blocking anything from the west. There’s only one window on the east, and it’s pitch black even during the day because of the building we’re in. I keep telling myself there’s a million people who have cats who live in apartments that don’t get sunbeams bursting through their windows for their cats to relish in, but it doesn’t help. I feel like I’m hurting her.
To most people this might be something to just wait out and let her get used to, but I suffer from something called Responsibility OCD, which I can’t help. This is something that is so severe that I’m on disability because of it. And my cat is what this branch of OCD focuses on... her needs, her safety. I feel like I am depriving my child and, thus, harming her. It’s weighing on me mentally, physically, and emotionally. Which doesn’t make her settling in any easier, as I know they pick up on OUR stress. It feels like it’s ripping me apart inside.
How detrimental are all these concerns? Half of me feels validated in my worries, while the other half feels crazy for being this upset. Any suggestions would be more than appreciated!
(Also for the pot thing, I can’t afford an air purifier any time soon.)
Our neighbors downstairs have two infants that scream their heads off day and night. My cat has always been afraid of children, though I don’t know why. Every time they get fussy, she hides. There’s a lot more people around at this building, as it’s not nearly as private. And strangers make her nervous. She keeps growling at them and then hiding in her new hiding spot.
Two, someone in the building is smoking pot almost nightly and I’m worried about the stench (NOT the smoke, just the stench) being bad for her.
I also don’t know how she’s doing with the views. She had wonderful wooded views right behind our other place, just a sidewalks-distance away from the windows. And they were eye-level. The new view is higher up and much farther away, and the birds don’t seem to come hang out on the balcony like they did back home. She seems to hang out at that window, so I guess she can see something. But I haven’t seen her really “hunting” or darting at the windows for anything like I used to. The side windows are right next to pine trees, which she can look straight into, but she doesn’t seem interested. There’s no window sills for her to sit in anymore.
And four—and most importantly—my cat LOVED sleeping in the sun all day at our old place. She reveled in it. Our windows faced east and west with very little to block the sunlight in between the rising and setting. She had continuous sunbeams all day long. Here? NOTHING. We’re facing north and south, and there’s huge trees blocking anything from the west. There’s only one window on the east, and it’s pitch black even during the day because of the building we’re in. I keep telling myself there’s a million people who have cats who live in apartments that don’t get sunbeams bursting through their windows for their cats to relish in, but it doesn’t help. I feel like I’m hurting her.
To most people this might be something to just wait out and let her get used to, but I suffer from something called Responsibility OCD, which I can’t help. This is something that is so severe that I’m on disability because of it. And my cat is what this branch of OCD focuses on... her needs, her safety. I feel like I am depriving my child and, thus, harming her. It’s weighing on me mentally, physically, and emotionally. Which doesn’t make her settling in any easier, as I know they pick up on OUR stress. It feels like it’s ripping me apart inside.
How detrimental are all these concerns? Half of me feels validated in my worries, while the other half feels crazy for being this upset. Any suggestions would be more than appreciated!
(Also for the pot thing, I can’t afford an air purifier any time soon.)
