preventing a clingy kitty?

[iamabear]

I adopted a 5 week old male bengal kitten a couple days ago, and I'm so in love! He is adjusting to his new life very well and there have yet to be any issues. However, due to his young age, I do have some concerns.

Is there anything I can do to prevent him from becoming too clingy and attached to me? He is already following me around and meowing when I leave, and I would hate for him to develope anxiety. I want him to be well adjusted, despite being taken from his mommy too soon. I know another kitten would be best, but is not really an option right now.

Purrrcy says thanks!

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• iamabear
• Mar 4, 2015

 

[litehearted]

You can try a Thunder Shirt.  http://testimonials.thundershirt.com/2013/05/flaming-chi/   However, it is best to treat the source of the anxiety, not the symptoms.  Any kitten needs lots of stimulating games for their developing brain, but especially Bengals are very active.  Google and try and find out as much as you can about raising a Bengal cat.  Without a playmate, the kitten is dependent on you for all social interaction.  You can purchase appropriate toys for self soothing and play, but a healthy dose of a minimum of 20 minutes per day active play with your kitten will go a long way, plus lots of praise and cuddles.  Congratulations on your new family member.

 

[iamabear]

Thanks! We play ALL day... well, between naps I have a lot of different toys and have plans to kind of switch them out so he won't get bored.
One of my dogs wears a thunder shirt, so I am familiar with them, but as Purrrcy isn't actually anxious yet I won't be using I've for him right now.
Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but I just want to make sure there isn't anything I can do to help him become a well adjusted kitten after being seperated from his family so young. I had a dog that was orphaned at the same age, and he developed terrible separation anxiety. I don't want that to happen again

 

[litehearted]

That's nice that you have dogs as well, that is good company for your cat.  I don't know what else to suggest, but then again I'm no expert.  We got our first cat when he was 4 months old, and our second cat when she was 2 months old.  In both instances, I made sure that I was giving them undivided attention for the first 4-6 hours in their new home.  But at night, I insisted on them sleeping on their own [with a cozy bed and cuddle toys available, of course].  In both cases, it was several months before they were allowed access to our bedroom at night.  I don't know if this helped make them more independent or not?  I've not had a problem with either of them being clingy, except for maybe the first day back after a long holiday.  Good luck!  Perhaps some of the kitty whisperers have some tips?  http://jacksongalaxy.com/category/catification/

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Do you crate him when you leave?  Or have a safe room?  He might enjoy a warm water bottle to snuggle against.  Or stuffed toys to cuddle (just watch for button eyes, ribbons, etc).  I think routines are good for helping them be calm.  By nature cats hunt, eat and then sleep.  You could work that sort of routine into your day.  If you leave home at the same time each day; you can probably work things so that you feed a meal right before leaving and then he'll be nice and tuckered out for a while.    

 

[iamabear]

I set my bedroom up as his safe room because it is the quietest room in the house, and he has fully adopted it as his domain. His second night here I started leaving the bedroom door open when I am home (which is basically all day- I'm a stay at home mom), and he ventures out in to the living room if I'm out there. It's an open floor plan, but he hasn't explored but a 1/3 of it yet. All in due time
He has taken to my boisterous but loving 18 month old son very well. They play with his toddler toys together.
The only "incident" we've had was when Purrrcy tried to climb my husband's bare leg :lol3:

Purrrcy has decided there are more interesting things to do than shadow mom, and I'm not so worried about him being anxious. He seems pretty mellow (when he isn't rampaging around the room on the hunt) and adjusted to everything pretty quickly. I guess I was the one who was anxious!

Thank you everyone for your sound advice! I'm so glad I found this forum!

 

[mani]

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• iamabear
• Mar 4, 2015

No advice.  Just wanted to say AAWwww..

 

[misterwhiskers]

Do you leave your TV or a radio (set to gentle music) on when you leave? My cat likes it when I leave 70s music or the weather channel on. Not every night, but at least half the time. You also might want to try a kitten proof stuffed toy.

He is very cute. It's expected for him to be clingy at 5 weeks--most kittens arent even weaned at this point.