- Joined
- Oct 9, 2013
- Messages
- 9
- Purraise
- 10
I feel weird posting on here because in all other areas, she is perfect, my new 6 month kitten doesn't use the bathroom anywhere but the litterbox, she eats without complaint, she doesn't spray etc. This is my first cat however, so I'm not sure what to do. In hindsight I probably shouldn't have talked myself into getting a kitten. I had originally wanted to get an older cat from a shelter, but a family member was fostering kittens so I ended up taking one.
She meows. A LOT. There needs to be another word for needy to describe how needy this kitten is. I realize she is just a baby but even so! If I am not in her line of sight at all times, she yowls, even when I am with her she yowls. She is not interested in being petted most of the time, but only wants to play. This I understand, but I cannot play all day as I am by myself and work 8 hours a day. I have her on a regimen of playing 10 mins in the morning, 20 mins in the afternoon when I get home and 30-40 mins before bed. Is this not enough playtime? And occasionally she will be done with playing but will just sit there and meow constantly for no reason! She's not hungry, she's not tired, I'm paying attention to her, so what is the problem! I don't know what she wants! If I try to leave to go to work she will race me to the door and then block it, and if I open it to leave, she tries to run out (but then quickly freezes in fear). I constantly have to psych her out by throwing one of her toys up the stairs just so I can sneak out! This is ridiculous!
I was considering getting her a buddy but honestly, I don't really want another cat. And most of the people I see who have two cats and say to get another one, and that two is not that much more work than one, are part of a husband/wife, or girlfriend/boyfriend or friend/roommate situation, which is kind of misleading, since there is two people to share that 'tiny bit of workload'....another friend I have is by herself with two cats and in her words "two cats is a lot of freaking work'. So I don't want to add to this problem, and there is also the guilt of knowing that I don't really want another cat...they would just be a playmate for my current cat. I'm not sure if thats the right mindset to get into adopting another kitten. Am I wrong?
What if getting another kitten doesn't work and now I have two needy cats? What if this new cat comes in with terrible habits and influences my cat, who is normally well behaved toilet-wise? Does this happen? Was it inhumane to just get one kitten?
I feel so stupid for taking on this responsibility...I thought I was prepared, but it seemed like I was prepared for an adult cat. I googled a lot about kittens before I got her but of course now that I have one, I have the right situations to google and it seems like everything about what I'm doing is wrong, >I work full time, >i'm the only one in the house, >no other pets...sigh. I honestly wish I had gotten one from a shelter where I could have asked the right questions instead of asking the foster mom.
I leave out toys when I'm not home for her, which she ignores. I leave treats around the house for her to find on a treasure hunt which she also ignores. She ignores the television, treat balls, and she's lost interest in the bird feeder. She only will play if i'm holding something on a string. I've tried automatic toys on a timer that turn on when I'm not home and I don't' think she plays with those either...she shows no interest in them when I"m there. She very rarely plays by herself and only with the ball that goes around in circles on a track, and then she quickly gets bored and its back to square one. The vet has given her a clean bill of health as well
What makes it worse is that I left her at her foster mom's house for two weeks when I was on vacation and during that time, she was COMPLETELY FINE. Super chill, no meowing, just normal. But that family has a person who is always home and also a dog, so I'm thinking that she's developing some kind of separation anxiety from being at home all day with me, but is 'another cat' really the only way to fix that? Should I rehome her to a family that will have a lot of people home and other pets? Or is this just a kitten phase and should I wait it out? I just want her to be happy and it seems like she's not happy here. I don't know what to do...any advice? Everywhere I google is like TAKING ON PETS IS A LIFETIME RESPONSIBILITY but at the same time is it fair to have her be unhappy here? Or will she grow out of it? Will I ever get my computer back from her furry butt?
(she is meowing at me as I'm typing this)
She meows. A LOT. There needs to be another word for needy to describe how needy this kitten is. I realize she is just a baby but even so! If I am not in her line of sight at all times, she yowls, even when I am with her she yowls. She is not interested in being petted most of the time, but only wants to play. This I understand, but I cannot play all day as I am by myself and work 8 hours a day. I have her on a regimen of playing 10 mins in the morning, 20 mins in the afternoon when I get home and 30-40 mins before bed. Is this not enough playtime? And occasionally she will be done with playing but will just sit there and meow constantly for no reason! She's not hungry, she's not tired, I'm paying attention to her, so what is the problem! I don't know what she wants! If I try to leave to go to work she will race me to the door and then block it, and if I open it to leave, she tries to run out (but then quickly freezes in fear). I constantly have to psych her out by throwing one of her toys up the stairs just so I can sneak out! This is ridiculous!
I was considering getting her a buddy but honestly, I don't really want another cat. And most of the people I see who have two cats and say to get another one, and that two is not that much more work than one, are part of a husband/wife, or girlfriend/boyfriend or friend/roommate situation, which is kind of misleading, since there is two people to share that 'tiny bit of workload'....another friend I have is by herself with two cats and in her words "two cats is a lot of freaking work'. So I don't want to add to this problem, and there is also the guilt of knowing that I don't really want another cat...they would just be a playmate for my current cat. I'm not sure if thats the right mindset to get into adopting another kitten. Am I wrong?
What if getting another kitten doesn't work and now I have two needy cats? What if this new cat comes in with terrible habits and influences my cat, who is normally well behaved toilet-wise? Does this happen? Was it inhumane to just get one kitten?
I feel so stupid for taking on this responsibility...I thought I was prepared, but it seemed like I was prepared for an adult cat. I googled a lot about kittens before I got her but of course now that I have one, I have the right situations to google and it seems like everything about what I'm doing is wrong, >I work full time, >i'm the only one in the house, >no other pets...sigh. I honestly wish I had gotten one from a shelter where I could have asked the right questions instead of asking the foster mom.
I leave out toys when I'm not home for her, which she ignores. I leave treats around the house for her to find on a treasure hunt which she also ignores. She ignores the television, treat balls, and she's lost interest in the bird feeder. She only will play if i'm holding something on a string. I've tried automatic toys on a timer that turn on when I'm not home and I don't' think she plays with those either...she shows no interest in them when I"m there. She very rarely plays by herself and only with the ball that goes around in circles on a track, and then she quickly gets bored and its back to square one. The vet has given her a clean bill of health as well
What makes it worse is that I left her at her foster mom's house for two weeks when I was on vacation and during that time, she was COMPLETELY FINE. Super chill, no meowing, just normal. But that family has a person who is always home and also a dog, so I'm thinking that she's developing some kind of separation anxiety from being at home all day with me, but is 'another cat' really the only way to fix that? Should I rehome her to a family that will have a lot of people home and other pets? Or is this just a kitten phase and should I wait it out? I just want her to be happy and it seems like she's not happy here. I don't know what to do...any advice? Everywhere I google is like TAKING ON PETS IS A LIFETIME RESPONSIBILITY but at the same time is it fair to have her be unhappy here? Or will she grow out of it? Will I ever get my computer back from her furry butt?
(she is meowing at me as I'm typing this)