Lonely Cat?

johnsons_baby

Hello
I'm not sure if I am overreacting or if my cat is a bit on the lonely side!

I've had her 2 weeks, she is from an animal shelter, her story was she was dumped at the shelter with her kittens back in September, they were about 3-4 weeks old when they were dumped. She nursed them and then they were separated and rehomed at 9 weeks I believe.

When I chose her, the staff thought she was pining a bit but they thought it might have been due to the stress of kennels & that she would be better once she was rehomed.

Brought her home, she settled well but she cries a lot, not like a quick meow but long howls, she spends most of the day wandering around aimlessly before she'll settle with one of my daughters teddy bears. At night she cries as well. She loves being around us but its almost like we aren't enough.

My mum thought she was lonely, I'm not sure. I've got a vets appointment Monday just up ensure she isn't ill.

Is it possible she is lonely? Would she benefit from a companion? I'm not adverse to getting her some company

caz2003uk

Has she been spayed? You sai she went in with kittens but not whether they spayed her before you adopted her? She could be in heat but of course you would need to take her to the vet to be sure it isn't something else

McKneff

Go for it, get her a friend, you'd be doing another homeless cat and making your cat less lonely, and when they are playing, more fun for you.

And bless you for doing this.

rising_from_the_ashes

She may well just be a very vocal cat (I have one!) - wait until she's been checked by the vet but it could be the stress of the kittens being taken from her.

It's difficult to say without knowing her history, but is she's always lived with other cats then she may be missing some feline company.

If you're happy to have another and can afford one then ..... why not!

mazza111

I have to say my misty is very vocal too. She'll almost have a conversation with you and if you ignore her she goes into crying mode. 14 yrs later she's still the same. And worse she's got to have the last word...

johnsons_baby

She was spayed on the 5th so she wouldn't be in heat.
I thought she was vocal but it seems like that's not quite it.
Going to ring the shelter when they open tomorrow to see what she's like with other cats & maybe see if we can find her a friend.

madget_2

johnsons_baby wrote: »

She was spayed on the 5th so she wouldn't be in heat.
I thought she was vocal but it seems like that's not quite it.
Going to ring the shelter when they open tomorrow to see what she's like with other cats & maybe see if we can find her a friend.

Our cat did this but we already knew that he craves the company of other cats as he was living in a foster home with them. Exactly the same wandering around, aimlessly and howling. I think it's well worth checking with the shelter. (We did get him a friend and he settled down but he still likes to have a good howling session every now and again!)

Of course, it's worth remembering that many cats prefer to be the sole feline occupant of the household, so there may be another reason for this behaviour. As someone else has already pointed out, she might just be particularly talkative.

johnsons_baby

I emailed the shelter and although they aren't open for viewings today someone got back to me fairly swiftly.
Basically she has said that she did live in a kennel with an old cat for a few days, they were overcrowded and had had kittens dumped, so she did share and got on very well with this old cat. This old cat is still there and she's asked if I would consider her? She's 13-14, has a thyroid problem but loves cuddles.
I'm popping down on Monday....

moggymutt

Fingers crossed for her having a new friend.

Depending on how far away the shelter is, some rescues will pay for ongoing medication for cats that they home with longterm health problems, if taken to their own vets whenever they need treatment. We've got 2 that we homed in that way.

geri1965_2

johnsons_baby wrote: »

I emailed the shelter and although they aren't open for viewings today someone got back to me fairly swiftly.
Basically she has said that she did live in a kennel with an old cat for a few days, they were overcrowded and had had kittens dumped, so she did share and got on very well with this old cat. This old cat is still there and she's asked if I would consider her? She's 13-14, has a thyroid problem but loves cuddles.
I'm popping down on Monday....

That would be great!

*crosses fingers*

Fire_Fox

She might still be hormonal from her spay, or struggling to feel confident in and scent mark your home. Did you do slow introductions, confined to one room for the first few days then one room at a time? Have you tried a Feliway diffuser?