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Moving and Losing Friends...

post #1 of 6
3/23/10 at 10:18pm
Thread Starter 
I live in a smallish apartment with my kitten (6 mo. old), my roommate and her two 80lb dogs. The house I'm moving into is very large and there are no other pets. I have several concerns and would like some advice on them:

1. How can I keep her from getting lonely during the day when she's never been COMPLETELY alone before?

2. I'm afraid to give her free-reign of the new home when I'm not there to supervise because I fear she'll get into something that could harm her. Any recommendations for what I can offer to keep her entertained? I have a ton of toys for her, but I notice she gets bored with them.

Thanks!
Hoff
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post #2 of 6
3/24/10 at 3:48am
A 6 month old kitten should be fine, as long as you cat proof as you would any place you live in. I usually stick mine in a bedroom for a day or so while I unpack just so they are not jumping in boxes while I work or getting in the way of furniture I move

Can you get her a buddy?

Just give her lots of play time to tire her out is my best suggestion, but I have found that they tire themselves out with more space to play in anyway
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post #3 of 6
3/24/10 at 6:47am
I agree with leaving her in a kitten proof room while you're gone for a few weeks at least.

It takes a while for a cat to learn how to entertain itself. Good self-kitty entertaining toys are:

balls (your cat den would have to have hard wood floors)
cardboard boxes (assuming you'll have many of these real soon after the move, better yet hide the balls in a open box that way its harder for the cat to lose them under furniture)
turbo scratcher
cat trees or other climbing apparatus (you cana lso improvise with the cardboard boxes until you can afford something nice.
cat DVDs or even just leaving the TV on with a very low volume, or the radio (tune it to something soft like classical kitties are not rockers)

I've caught Aya watching Wheel of Fortune, so I've stated leaving the TV on when I go out for my bike ride.
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post #4 of 6
3/24/10 at 1:45pm
We moved from a 660 sq ft apt to a house with our 10 yo cat. It was too overwhelming for her for a few days. I'd keep your little one confined to one room for a few days, then let her out when you're home. Put her in the room overnight. Do this for a couple of days and then let her have free reign and she'll be okay.

One thing you'll want to do too is increase the number of litter boxes you have. Little ones hold it until the very last minute and then they have to GO! I used disposable aluminum casserole or roaster pans for our 2nd kitty when she was younger and placed one in every room of our house for her. As she got older and could make it to the permanent litter boxes, I got rid of the aluminum pans.

The best way to help her not be lonely is to get her a companion cat, one a little bit older.
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post #5 of 6
3/24/10 at 1:58pm
I agree with the recommendations to look into getting her a friend to play with. It's kitten season so the shelters should be especially happy to have someone responsible take one off their hands.

Also, for helping the kitten transition into a larger home, what about starting her out with 1-2 rooms that have all her stuff and are closed off from the rest of the house, and slowly giving her access to more as she wants to explore?

If you're sure you could catproof the cage, you could get a bird or rodent for her to watch...or for an easier option, a bird feeder outside a window that she has access to.
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post #6 of 6
3/25/10 at 2:10pm
Cats can get bored with toys that are out all of the time. Put most of them away and every day set out 3-4 "new" toys. You can hide cat treats in different places. Make sure there is a nice window perch. You can also put her kibble into a small dogs "treat ball" - as she bats it around a piece falls out here and there.
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