this is a little long but i feel her backstory might give some insight as to why she's doing this, so hang in there. i'll put a TL;DR at the end if you wanna skip anyhow
a little over a week and a half ago, my partner and i got a cat. we've been looking at shelter cats and cats at local cat cafes for a few months, but he saw this cat through a social media post written by the woman who owned her, and we had to have her. according to the post, the woman had too many cats and couldn't keep this one so she was trying to rehome her. the cat in question is a 6 month old tuxedo and the both of us fell in love with her instantly. she has a precious little face and tiny white feet, and the post advertised her as an affectionate, cuddly cat which is exactly what we were looking for.
Partner messaged the lady and we agreed to drive out to meet her at a grocery store parking lot that evening to pick up the cat. Owner didn't want money or anything, just to be sure that the cat went to a loving home. we're more than capable of providing that, so my partner and i made a pet store run to get all the kitty necessities, packed them up in the trunk, and went from there to go meet the woman.
when we get there, Owner steps out of her car with nothing but the cat in her arms. we expected she'd have a box or a carrier, or at least give us the chance to get the carrier we'd bought out of the trunk first. she said she was relieved to know that we were nice people, was surprised that she got a response within hours of making the post, and handed the cat to me. i've had cats most of my life, and Partner has only owned dogs, so i figured between the two of us i was more comfortable holding the cat.
i asked if she'd take the cat back a moment while we got the carrier we'd bought, but she said that it was fine and proceeded to tell us that the cat is a sweet, affectionate cat, and that she was spayed and up to date on her vaccines. i intended to sit in our car with Kitty while my boyfriend got the carrier out of the trunk so she'd be secure and we could then start in on the list of questions we'd brought along for Owner (what the cat likes to eat, what toys she likes, if Owner had brought a copy of Kitty's vet records). before Partner could even open the passenger door for me, a car driving by on the other side of the parking lot honks and scares the cat.
Kitty claws her way up my neck, leaps into the parking lot, and takes off. she's small and she's fast, so the three of us chase her. we almost get her twice, but she's quick and takes to ducking under cars and in bushes. after a few minutes of this, she runs under a big landscaping truck and disappears. she's up inside the truck, evidenced by the muffled meowing that ensues when Owner calls Kitty's name. we call her some more with no luck. Owner has a laser pointer and tries to get her to come out by shining it on the ground. after no more than five minutes of this, Owner goes to her car and comes back with a fucking cat carrier "in case she comes out". we try in vain to get her out for about fifteen more minutes before Owner says she's "cold" and "not dressed for the weather" and that she's going home. Partner and i aren't really sure how to process what we're hearing, and she leaves us with a "keep the carrier" and a request not to tell her what becomes of the cat because she "doesn't want to know" and wants to assume that everything turns out fine.
we're shocked and frankly disgusted, and we spend another hour trying to get the cat out of the truck. we're both under it, searching for any glimpse of her, but we can't see her. Partner even goes into the grocery store to get a can of food, thinking the sound and smell will lure her out, but it doesn't work.
eventually, the truck starts while we're under it, and we both yell and scramble out from underneath. the truck's owner had remote started it and was approaching, thinking we were trying to steal his equipment or something. Partner and i are both distressed and nearly in tears as we explain to him that our cat is inside his truck. Landscaper's demeanor changes instantly and he says he'll get her out. he's under the truck for nearly half an hour, sticking his hands up inside while we shine the flashlight for him, but he can't find her. i suggest maybe popping the hood, and he does. we're greeted with a pair of big eyes belonging to a very anxious Kitty. Landscaper grabs for her, but she goes down into the truck guts. he can see her though, sitting behind the fan, and (long story short) after another 45 minutes, he manages to get her out and put her in the carrier.
we're both so grateful, crying and thanking him. he hugs us both and we take his address to send him a gift despite his protests that knowing the cat was alright was thanks enough. Partner and i make the drive back home and get Kitty all set up. of course she hides a little for a few hours, but by the next morning she's out and exploring our little apartment. after two days of feeding her, coaxing her near us with treats, and a lot of patience, she can finally walk around us without being scared that we're going to grab her. two days after that and she's sitting in both of our laps, letting us pet her, purring, and jumping into our bed at night. she's adjusted really well and a lot faster than i thought she would considering the circumstances. she's friendly and energetic and cuddly.
HOWEVER.
since then, she's started meowing every time either of us stands up from the couch/desk/armchair. if we go into the kitchen, she chases us, meowing all the while. at night, we leave our bedroom door open for her, and she jumps into bed just to stand between us and meow in our faces a few times an hour. eventually, she does settle down and go to sleep with us; but she ALWAYS seems like she's hungry even though she gets plenty to eat and drink. she's perfectly content when she's sitting on the couch (either near or on us) or stretched out on the windowsill, but she starts meowing again every single time one of us gets up.
we took her to the vet within the week, and he said she's healthy. we feed her a 5.5 ounce can of wet food per day (split into two feedings of half a can each feeding) and as of two days ago, we've been leaving a small bowl of dry food out for her to snack on in between. she gets treats several times a day. she seems a little skinny to me, but the cats i've had growing up have all been big fat boys, so a small, thinner cat is something new for me. we play with her often, and she's very snuggly. we're absolutely head over heels for her. she's a sweet little angel who gets nothing but love and kisses from us both, but her constant meowing is both driving us nuts and worrying us.
since we didn't get much in the way of background from her previous owner, we're not sure if she's always been like this or if it's a recent development.
does anyone have any advice? could it be kitty anxiety? is she just talkative? is she really not getting enough to eat? i don't want to over feed her and cause her health problems down the line, but it breaks my heart to hear her little meows constantly when there's nothing i can do to help her. if you've dealt with something similar i'd love to hear your story.
TL;DR cat we adopted meows every time we stand up, thinking we're going to feed her. she has enough to eat and a regular feeding schedule, and the vet said she's healthy. minutes after eating, she'll start meowing again and trying to get us to give her more. she definitely doesn't have worms or anything, so that's ruled out. i don't know what to do, it's driving us crazy
[link] [comments]
from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/dkkqdo/my_new_cat_wont_stop_meowing_and_im_not_sure_what/
No comments:
Post a Comment