hello!
i posted a couple of times a couple of years ago about a feral cat named piano and always found the help to be wonderfully supportive.
piano eventually went to live with a couple of ladies north of the city (toronto) where she was able to hang out with other cats, sleep in a warm and comfortable barn and relatively ignore the idea of human socialization. it was the perfect setup - especially for her. my roommate last saw her lounging on a rock, soaking up the sunshine.
moving ahead, my partner and i have moved in together and recently adopted a rescue cat. her name is fiona (strangely close to piano, i know, it's weird). she's a dsh tortoiseshell about 7 months old...and she's just a lovely, friendly purr-machine.
HOWEVER...she's a talker. and when i say that, i mean she howls...loudly and incessantly. her favourite moments are:
1. when we're out of the room
2. when she's facing the other direction
3. from 3am onward.
now, she came to us only on friday night from a foster home with 8 other cats and 2 dogs. my inclination is that she's lonely, but bringing in a friend for her just isn't doable at the moment.
i want to help her adjust as best as possible and i don't want to negatively reinforce this behaviour - jeeze, we're ALREADY underslept! - so i'm looking for suggestions.
we've tried the squirt bottle, yelling NO, playing dominance, ignoring her...it's tough to know what's working and what's not. i'm inclined to believe the squirt bottle is just alienating her even more, making her more timid and potentially less adjusted to her new home. the yelling helps in the immediate but who knows???
what do you think?
is she just adjusting? how long is a good average for adjustment period?
is there a great way for me to work with her so she becomes a lovely well-behaved lady?
how do i know what's working and what's not?
really - how do i get her to stop the incessant complaining???
phew.
i'm falling asleep on my keyboard.
many many thanks.
she's just the cutest - except for all yours, of course.
helen
i posted a couple of times a couple of years ago about a feral cat named piano and always found the help to be wonderfully supportive.
piano eventually went to live with a couple of ladies north of the city (toronto) where she was able to hang out with other cats, sleep in a warm and comfortable barn and relatively ignore the idea of human socialization. it was the perfect setup - especially for her. my roommate last saw her lounging on a rock, soaking up the sunshine.
moving ahead, my partner and i have moved in together and recently adopted a rescue cat. her name is fiona (strangely close to piano, i know, it's weird). she's a dsh tortoiseshell about 7 months old...and she's just a lovely, friendly purr-machine.
HOWEVER...she's a talker. and when i say that, i mean she howls...loudly and incessantly. her favourite moments are:
1. when we're out of the room
2. when she's facing the other direction
3. from 3am onward.
now, she came to us only on friday night from a foster home with 8 other cats and 2 dogs. my inclination is that she's lonely, but bringing in a friend for her just isn't doable at the moment.
i want to help her adjust as best as possible and i don't want to negatively reinforce this behaviour - jeeze, we're ALREADY underslept! - so i'm looking for suggestions.
we've tried the squirt bottle, yelling NO, playing dominance, ignoring her...it's tough to know what's working and what's not. i'm inclined to believe the squirt bottle is just alienating her even more, making her more timid and potentially less adjusted to her new home. the yelling helps in the immediate but who knows???
what do you think?
is she just adjusting? how long is a good average for adjustment period?
is there a great way for me to work with her so she becomes a lovely well-behaved lady?
how do i know what's working and what's not?
really - how do i get her to stop the incessant complaining???
phew.
i'm falling asleep on my keyboard.
many many thanks.
she's just the cutest - except for all yours, of course.
helen
