I’m ashamed and disgusted with myself for even making this post, but I feel like I’m at my wits end. I’ve always wanted a cat, as I’ve lived with a cat previously and taken care of many cats throughout my life. However our new cat is extremely difficult, and I feel horrible for potentially wanting to take him back to the shelter.
We adopted a very sweet 3 y/o cat 2 days ago. Prior to his adoption, we visited him in the shelter 4 separate times to make sure we were comfortable with him and his personality was a good fit. He was quiet, lively, and loved cuddling up and getting his head scratched. We thought he was the perfect cat for our household. I did a ton of research on what cats need to stay happy and healthy, and I even bought a giant cat tree, a scratching post, and toys. I thought we were totally ready.
When we first brought him home, he did an amazing job of getting used to being in our bedroom. After he seemed ready, we let him explore the rest of the house. He seemed fine at first, but as the night went on, he started yowling and crying louder and louder. Prior to adopting him, we had NEVER heard him even meow, let alone yell. That night, we decided to put him back in the bedroom with us where he felt comfortable. He curled up and slept with us for a little bit, but as the night went on, he clawed all over our arms, scratched at the walls, and yelled all night. He also has the SHARPEST CLAWS of any cat I’ve ever been around. My partner specifically had the cat sink his claws into his chest several times that night. I’ve had cats sleep in bed with me before, and they usually have been NOTHING like this.
Neither me or my partner got any sleep that night. He’s working from home certain days of the week, and I had the next day off. I spent all day with our cat, trying to keep him busy and entertained, and he still yelled constantly and was attached at my hip. Any time I tried to use my phone, he got in my face and knocked it out of my hands, then sunk his claws into me. He didn’t really seem like he wanted to play with any of his toys, instead opting to just claw and scratch me while he cuddled. There were a couple of times during the day where I thought he was calming down. We took a nap together, he perched on his cat tree separate from me while I watched a YouTube video, and he stopped meowing for most of the afternoon.
Last night was horrible though. My partner had some work to do on the computer, and I did as well. I brought the cat’s bed into the office so he could be near us while we worked. He constantly kept scratching at us, crying, and seeming upset. I made sure he got some extra food, water, and playtime, but he didn’t seem to care. I got sick to the point of throwing up because I was so stressed at tired. My partner and I had to sleep separately that night so I could get some rest without the cat crying and pawing at me.
I had no idea the cat was going to be this clingy, needing to be doted on 24/7. I’m panicking thinking about what will happen when I go into the office next week, and am worried about getting a noise complaint from my apartment neighbors because of the yelling.
I’m sick to my stomach thinking about taking him back to the shelter. I feel absolutely evil for potentially forming a bond with this cat and then sending him back. But I also can’t have him on me constantly. I feel like I can’t be by myself at all, and I feel suffocated. I worry about having to leave the house for too long, and I worry about being there all the time. My mental health is definitely suffering, and I can’t imagine doing this for 10+ years.
What should I do? Am I a horrible person? Help alleviate my sleep deprived mind.
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/pmat7z/help_i_regret_adopting_my_cat/
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