Title pretty much says it. She is about 9 months old, and we've had her a little over three weeks. I know it can take a long time for cats to adjust to a new environment, but at this point, I am beginning to wonder if there isn't more going on here. I have lived with several cats over the years, and most were fairly independent.
This new kitty, while very sweet and even-tempered, is cut from a different cloth. I expect a lot of energy at her age, but it seems to be coupled with an insatiable appetite for attention. The best way to sum it up is this: if she's awake, people are around and no one is playing with her or otherwise showering her with attention, she will start crying. The cries range from ordinary meows to full-on, sustained wailing. I've had two other cats close to her age, and while all have been chatty at times, it has typically been for an obvious reason: saying hello, begging for food, or wanting to go outside (not for this cat, as she is strictly indoors). In this case, I just can't figure out what she's trying to tell us, other than that she's bored essentially the entire day. She has lots of toys, and we already do play with her quite a lot - probably an hour a day between the two of us - but it never seems to be enough. The crying ebbs and flows throughout the day, and seems to be exacerbated when she's particularly restless (chewing on things, trying to jump to places she shouldn't be, et cetera). It's as though she just doesn't know what to do with herself when no one is playing with her.
She was desexed not long before we adopted her, and received her shots as well as a general checkup. Nevertheless, we did call the vet and ask about investigating further to see if there is some underlying health issue that could explain the crying; he advised that as long as she is eating/sleeping/pooping without issue, it's probably not necessary. We still might take her in anyway, as we need to rule out health issues definitively.
One suggestion I expect may come up is to get another cat for her to play with; this does make sense, but is simply not possible as our contract won't allow it (and frankly, the apartment is just too small anyway). So we've been trying to keep her stimulated however we can, and ignoring her when she's noisy in the hope that we can then reward her for being quiet. It's very hard to do this in practice, though, with a cat this vocal. If we ignore her, she will eventually give up, but only for a little while until she starts up again. It's frustrating for all involved, and up until now we've mostly been waiting it out, but if people have other ideas that they think might help, I'd like to hear them. Thanks in advance.
[link] [comments]
from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/eovdk1/partner_and_i_adopted_a_very_vocal/
No comments:
Post a Comment