Hi! Sorry in advance for the essay, I have a lot of questions :-/
I have a lovely two-year old kitter Oona, an angel to me. Since she was a kitten, I've taken her to my parents place about two hours away in her (spacious) carrier once a month or so. Initially, she liked it because the first time she went she was the only pet, but my parents have since started introducing her to their older cat who is pretty antisocial and has taught her to hiss and swat.
So now, when she goes to my parents house she doesn't explore the house and stays in the closet sleeping all day. She doesn't eat when I give her food, except small amounts at night when everyone is sleeping, and yowls when I'm not upstairs with her. My parents cat has started pissing in their bedroom to mark her territory, or out of fear, I don't know.
I liked the idea of bringing her to a new environment, since my apartment is very small and she doesn't get a ton of stimulation while I'm at work during the day, but it seems like these trips are more stressful than enjoyable for her. I wonder if her hiding and yowling is a sign of her stress, and whether it's worth it to keep her home when I visit my parents. The problem is, my roommate thinks it's a good idea to bring the cat when I go. Even when I tell her that she hides and seems scared, she insists I take her so that the cat doesn't get bored at home.
I worry that leaving the cat at home will make my roommate resentful of me, even though I'm usually only gone for one night. She isn't happy when I ask her if I can leave Oona at home, because she says she has to work her schedule around feeding her. I've offered to hire people to come feed her if she has plans, but she doesn't really make her plans clear to me so that I can do that. So I don't really know what to do. No one seems happy about the situation.
Also, my cat has idiopathic cystitis (peeing outside litterbox) and does it when she's stressed, like if I deviate from my daily routine, it was particularly bad when I was in school because I had an inconsistent schedule. It was a near-constant stress for her and for me. I've noticed, since I've stopped taking her to my parents house, that she's stopped peeing outside the litterbox completely, even when I'm not home on time, or when I'm gone for the weekend. She seems very happy at home. She has a lot of toys, she eats on a schedule, sleeps with me every night, and spends the day mostly looking out the window on her perches and sleeping. She seems happy, although she does try to escape out the door frequently. Is she bored at home? Is it worth it to take her to my parents to give her a change of scenery every once in a while? I appreciate any advice given on this. Thanks guys
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/d6xcpo/bringing_kitty_on_weekend_trips/
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