- Joined
- Feb 2, 2021
- Messages
- 8
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Hi Everyone,
I'm brand new here and have never posted before. But I am currently combing the internet for help, yet again, which is a very common occurrence in my life.
I adopted my cat, Cooper, five years ago when he was three years old. He is WONDERFUL! I love him like a child. I would do anything to make him happy, hahaha. Pre-adoption, Cooper was found living as a stray. He has FIV and has had serious health scares because of it, so it is not safe for him to go outside unsupervised. That being said, I am perpetually concerned about his mental health as a former outdoor kitty who now lives indoors. I just can't come up with enough ways to appropriately stimulate his hunting instincts and keep him from getting bored or depressed (which I really hope is not the case!).
Cooper has an incredibly strong prey drive. I give him supervised time outside in the summer when possible, and we take walks at night through our apartment building in the winter, exploring empty units and office rooms. Cooper will not walk on a harness, unfortunately, but I have tried that too. We have tried every toy: hunting mice, "Da Bird" (very effective for a while), the cat dancer, self-propelling balls. He has two cat trees and a four-way tunnel. He has three or four treat puzzles. He has even had a full work-up with a cat behaviorist to try to resolve his issues with boredom and her suggestions all helped a lot for a little while and then lost effect.
Have any other cat parents encountered this issue and found anything to be helpful? Is this just a necessary truth of rescuing a former stray? I so wish I could jing give him outdoor access. I think that's what he truly wants.
Thanks for reading!
Cassie
I'm brand new here and have never posted before. But I am currently combing the internet for help, yet again, which is a very common occurrence in my life.
I adopted my cat, Cooper, five years ago when he was three years old. He is WONDERFUL! I love him like a child. I would do anything to make him happy, hahaha. Pre-adoption, Cooper was found living as a stray. He has FIV and has had serious health scares because of it, so it is not safe for him to go outside unsupervised. That being said, I am perpetually concerned about his mental health as a former outdoor kitty who now lives indoors. I just can't come up with enough ways to appropriately stimulate his hunting instincts and keep him from getting bored or depressed (which I really hope is not the case!).
Cooper has an incredibly strong prey drive. I give him supervised time outside in the summer when possible, and we take walks at night through our apartment building in the winter, exploring empty units and office rooms. Cooper will not walk on a harness, unfortunately, but I have tried that too. We have tried every toy: hunting mice, "Da Bird" (very effective for a while), the cat dancer, self-propelling balls. He has two cat trees and a four-way tunnel. He has three or four treat puzzles. He has even had a full work-up with a cat behaviorist to try to resolve his issues with boredom and her suggestions all helped a lot for a little while and then lost effect.
Have any other cat parents encountered this issue and found anything to be helpful? Is this just a necessary truth of rescuing a former stray? I so wish I could jing give him outdoor access. I think that's what he truly wants.
Thanks for reading!
Cassie