Roommate's moving and taking his cat - looking for advice on how to help our cat adjust to being on

[radarlove413]

My boyfriend and I adopted the stray cat we'd been feeding since winter.
Dunlop came into the house a few months ago and adjusted beautifully. He gets along well with his roommate's cat. However he's moving at the end of the month,

The landlord made it very clear now that only one cat is allowed in the house (the exception being when we rescued Dunlop). So, we can't offer to foster the other cat while her owner gets settled. We are also obviously not allowed to consider a companion cat for Dunlop although we have the money to do so properly.

Do you guys have any awesome tips/tricks on helping Dunlop adjust to life as the sole kitty in the house? He socialized a lot when he was outside, then with the other cat after the introductory growls and power plays settled down. I'm so worried about him being lonely or bored.

From my limited experience, it seems that cats aren't living to their fill potential unless they're living with a buddy, so the upcoming seperation of Dunlop from his friends is worrying me and Id love some advice.

 

[margd]

Well, the main thing it seems to me is to play with him a lot.  Do you have a Da Bird?  It is a great cat toy and most cats love it.  It's a wand toy with a guinea feather clump at the end.

Also will your roommate be close enough that the two cats can visit?

Dunlop might be fine as a single kitty, btw.  A lot of kitties don't mind being alone, although I think it is better to have two if possible.  Maybe your landlord will be more open to the idea with time.  What if you offered to pay an additional pet deposit?

 

[radarlove413]

I'll have to order it - we don't have one right now. I was also looking at getting him a Peek A Prize cat toy box for when my boyfriend is at work. I feel like Dunlop will be okay, because when he was in isolation after we brought him inside he never seemed super lonely/stressed, and he was a solo tom cat before he came into our lives.

The roommate isn't leaving on super good terms with my boyfriend, so there's no option for them to visit. (long story short - the roommate doesn't take care of his cat that attentively, leaving us to do lots, was also messy, they came to odds about it).

He might be more open to the option in the future, definitely. We did offer to pay a larger pet deposit, but he had another rental where cats caused thousands in damage, so I can understand his reluctance.  He did say the roommate could leave his cat at our house while he gets settled, but we both feel like he's going to take his cat with him no matter what.