i moved to a new place about two months ago. it was a 2 day driving trip and i was most nervous about transporting my cat, but she was, so shockingly, very calm in the car and slept in my lap in her open carrier all day both days. i was expecting her to be stressing beyond all belief, but this was somehow the easiest part of the move. since then, she's done almost nothing but hide under my bed, and just...doesn't seem herself at all.
i adopted her about 5 years ago and she was so nervous and skittish that something obviously bad happened early on in her life. she's incredibly sweet and affectionate, but although she's mellowed out and trusts me, she still darts at sudden movements and is prone to some stress peeing (it's been checked out, it's not a uti).
after i moved, she got some much needed dental surgery that i couldn't do before the move, because she needed quiet recovery time. she got quite a lot of teeth out but adjusted fine to her surgery, no complications, and the follow up went really well. and i've had some family members stay on a pull out couch once or twice since the move, and she'll usually take a few days to warm up to someone new in the apartment and then be friendly. i say this because she's so sensitive to being moved/taken to the vet/strangers in the space.
but overall she just hasn't been the same. she would sit with me whenever i was home during the day, keep me company while i read, cuddle lots---but now she spends most of her days under my bed. she did this previously---as i mentioned, she's obviously got some unknown trauma in her past---but this isn't the first time i've moved with her and the frequency is very different. like if i'm home in the afternoon, she usually would sit by me, watch me in the kitchen, etc. but now she just hides all day, possibly coming out while i'm gone. though she's cuddlier in the evenings, and more like her old self.
i feel like she's depressed, honestly. i started grad school recently and my hours have shifted, but she was like this all summer, when i was working from home. she'd come out of her shell and be like her old self, and then.....the next day hide all day again. i live next door to construction, and this is the only thing i can think of that would be causing her so much anguish. but i got her a vitamin from the vet that's supposed to calm her down AND i have TWO feliways in the house.
i've been wondering if she needs a companion, with me out more now (and something i've thought about for a while), or if the stress of another cat will just blow things up more. she's lived fine with other cats before but not for a long time but was usually curious when calm dogs would come over, to the point where it brought her out of her shell a bit.
anyway, long post, but i'm worried about her. she's in good health (she had to go to the vet like 4 times in the past 4 months, so) but isn't nearly as social with me anymore. i worry the combo of guests, surgery, and construction is making her miserable and i thought 2 months would've been okay by now. is it normal for it to take this long to adjust? should she have a friend? is she depressed?
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/d34bnv/cat_is_taking_months_to_adjust_to_a_move_help/
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