Hey all.
Three years ago I adopted a one year old neutered half main coon from a rescue shelter. He had a pretty bad kittenhood with little to no socialization. He was eager to be around us but afraid to come out from under the furniture, etc. It took only a few months before he became very comfortable with us and we've had a very happy life since. He has always had a hard time playing with toys and shows little to no interest in them (I think because of a lack of play as a kitten) and as a result my roommate and I would 'wrestle' with him. I know this is discouraged by many cat owners, but it worked very well for us to form a bond with him. We would put on a special sleeve and glove and let him grab our wrists and bite/wrestle with our arms. All was very good for a long while.
However, work had me relocate from a large two bedroom apartment, working from home with a roommate to a small studio apartment working from an office with no roommate. With the long hours, the cat is at home for 9 hours five days a week alone. He took the move (even the airplane ride!) without any fuss, no acting out, peeing or destruction at all, the first two months were a dream... but things are changing now.
The past five nights, he has gone from playful wrestling to something much more aggressive. After a few minutes of our usual play, he has started trying to jump my hand/arm and attack (claws/teeth) my shoulder, torso or even face. I try to spend at least an hour every night with him playing with the string/feather toys he does show interest in, but he rarely wants to play for more than a few minutes. He has also started to become very vocal, I heard him meow/talk two or maybe three times in all our time together, now he has started to meow quite a bit more, usually when he is "angry" and wanting to play very rough/attack my face. The last few nights he has gone so far as to put his ridge up and managed to scratch open one side of my face.
He has always been an only cat and always enjoyed the company of a human. I am really worried that he is really under-stimulated and am trying to come up with ideas to keep him happy and healthy. It has been suggested to me many times that I should add a second cat to keep him company. This comes with it's own set of issues, given that the apartment is only one room and the always been an only cat type thing, but if that's what I need to do to keep him happy, that's what I'll do!
Any advice or personal experience you all have to offer would be amazing. Thanks!
Three years ago I adopted a one year old neutered half main coon from a rescue shelter. He had a pretty bad kittenhood with little to no socialization. He was eager to be around us but afraid to come out from under the furniture, etc. It took only a few months before he became very comfortable with us and we've had a very happy life since. He has always had a hard time playing with toys and shows little to no interest in them (I think because of a lack of play as a kitten) and as a result my roommate and I would 'wrestle' with him. I know this is discouraged by many cat owners, but it worked very well for us to form a bond with him. We would put on a special sleeve and glove and let him grab our wrists and bite/wrestle with our arms. All was very good for a long while.
However, work had me relocate from a large two bedroom apartment, working from home with a roommate to a small studio apartment working from an office with no roommate. With the long hours, the cat is at home for 9 hours five days a week alone. He took the move (even the airplane ride!) without any fuss, no acting out, peeing or destruction at all, the first two months were a dream... but things are changing now.
The past five nights, he has gone from playful wrestling to something much more aggressive. After a few minutes of our usual play, he has started trying to jump my hand/arm and attack (claws/teeth) my shoulder, torso or even face. I try to spend at least an hour every night with him playing with the string/feather toys he does show interest in, but he rarely wants to play for more than a few minutes. He has also started to become very vocal, I heard him meow/talk two or maybe three times in all our time together, now he has started to meow quite a bit more, usually when he is "angry" and wanting to play very rough/attack my face. The last few nights he has gone so far as to put his ridge up and managed to scratch open one side of my face.
He has always been an only cat and always enjoyed the company of a human. I am really worried that he is really under-stimulated and am trying to come up with ideas to keep him happy and healthy. It has been suggested to me many times that I should add a second cat to keep him company. This comes with it's own set of issues, given that the apartment is only one room and the always been an only cat type thing, but if that's what I need to do to keep him happy, that's what I'll do!
Any advice or personal experience you all have to offer would be amazing. Thanks!
