new kitten trouble adjusting

Hi:

I bought a new 10 weeks old male kitten (himalayan).
It has been a little over a week now. He is fine as long as interaction with me etc. but he gets very very sad when I leave him home alone to go to work. And also when I close my door to go to bed bcuz otherwise he jumps on my while I'm sleeping. I especially feel very bad when I come home from work and see him sitting on the couch with his face down.

What can I do?
- drop him off at a pet sitting service?
- get another kitten? (which I'd really rather not if I don't have to)

I empathize with him bcuz I would also feel terrible if someone locked me in an apartment all by myself for 9-10 hours/day.

What can I do in this situation?

Thanks,
Paul

Your kitten sounds very normal! I don't think a pet sitting service would help (even if you could find one that worked with cats), cats like being in the same environment every day and aren't huge fans of change. Cats need their alone time. They aren't like dogs that need constant human interaction. An apartment may feel small for you but a cat probably doesn't feel that way at all.

Having 2 kittens is easier than one because they really entertain each other. They can also grow up to be friends. If you think you may want a 2nd cat in the future, might as well get it as a kitten now while it's much easier to integrate into the home.

Kittens are very playful and it's very common for them to be the most playful during night (people call this the midnight crazies). I have to keep my kitten in her own bedroom at night otherwise I stay up all night with her pouncing on my face trying to play. Get a few toys that the kitten can play with by themself. A good one is the Turbo Scratcher (it's a round track that has a ball). Cats can entertain themselves with this for hours and hours. My kitten loves it. There are plenty of toys that are more interactive than just things to bat around, browse your local pet store for a few. Hang a string and a feather thingy off the back of the door. You don't have to have toys all over the place, just put them out for him when you leave.

Before bed you can also use something like Da Bird feather teaser to wear the kitten out a little bit.

As much as they play, kittens sleep a lot too. If you see him with this head down, he's just sleepy and it's nothing to worry about.

Again, I would get another kitten to keep yours company If you don't want a second kitten, you don't NEED one. Just make sure your kitty has lots of toys to play with while you are gone and spend about 15 minutes each night really wearing the kitten out (with the feather teaser toy I mentioned earlier, for example).

Hi Sakura,

I have brought him a lot of toys including the doorknob hanging thingy.
Even brought him that 2 story condo type thing. I leave music radio on all day for him too.

The way he has his head down (when sad), is very obviously different than when he has his head down for sleep. I could tell he's sad being alone all day.
When I get home hr runs up to me and swirls in my feet etc. and then meows as in complaining why I left him for such a long time.

Also, where he was before, that house was very big and he had much larger place (multiple rooms etc.) to roam/run/play around in, and with multiple cats.

I will give some thought to getting another kitten. That is the only solution I see at this point.

Thank you very much for your input

It's very perceptive of you to pick up on his distress. Yes, I've seen that head down thing, and it does mean he's depressed.

You said it yourself; you wouldn't want to be left alone for that length of time. Especially if he's used to having company.

It would be great to get another kitten with his same type of personality. This way it's much more likely they will get along, even be buddies. And you will be glad you did. Two kittens are four times the fun.

haha easier said then done right...
so what do I need here then... another litterbox?
Another couple of bowls for food and water or can they share the food/water bowls?

Thanks!
Paul

They can share water bowls, but one food dish would be crowded.
Definitely add another litter box.

Will you be getting another pure breed or are you considering adopting? Maybe get a kitten that's a few weeks older (12wks at the youngest) to sort of help baby sit your younger one.

I will adopt the second one. OK so 2 food bowls, 1 water bowl.
So I can't use the same litterbox with the multi-cat litter?

Thank you!

Originally Posted by bfman

I will adopt the second one. OK so 2 food bowls, 1 water bowl.
So I can't use the same litterbox with the multi-cat litter?

Thank you!

Click to expand...

nope, you need a 2nd box. the general rule is one box per cat plus an extra (so 3 for 2 cats). I have 2 cats and they are fine with 2 boxes though. Multi-cat litter is I think just a marketing gimmick, I'm not sure how it's different from regular litter.

Yay for adopting a new kitty! Didn't take much convincing did it?

I'm gonna sleep on it... tonight.. haha
But I already love him too much to give him away... and if that's the only solution then I have no choice

Hello,

There is something called a 'SnuggleKittie' that has been shown to help animals that get lonely - especially kittens. This product really works for the very problem you have described. I have seen them in action. They are used at animal shelters as well. The 'SnuggleKittie' has a beating heart in it and uses a hand-warmer type heater placed inside of it as well to keep your kitty thinking it is a real live 'mom'.

egaus

A short term option may also be to get some Rescue Remedy at a store like Whole Foods. Putting a couple drops in the water every time you change it and rubbing some on the kitten's ears and/or paws can certainly help with your pets apparent distress.