TheCatSite.com › Forums › Our Feline Companions › Behavior › Lonely Kitty
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Lonely Kitty

post #1 of 5
11/4/10 at 12:27pm
Thread Starter 
I writing about my daughter's kitty, Izzy. Izzy is the sweetest most personable kitty I've every known and she got my daughter through many a lonely times through college. My daughter loves her very much (so do I) She recently moved with my daughter to her new job and a tiny apt in NYC. With new job and social life, poor Izzy is home alone alot and appears so sad and is very vocal about it when she thinks she's about to be left and when she hears footsteps coming home. Any ideas? Another kitty is not really an option. Is she really suffering or is it just guilt on me/my daughter's part
Reply
post #2 of 5
11/4/10 at 1:12pm
I'm thinking she's lonely - assuming another cat is totally out of the picture, whatever your daughter can do to enrich Izzy's environment would be great. Things like trying to schedule a consistent play time (let's say 10 minutes every morning - heck, even 5 minutes morning and then at night). Does your daughter have a window view - then either a cat tree by the window, or a perch or shelf on the sill would be great. Cat trees in general are good - anything that lets a cat access different levels in the home.

Leave a radio on with soft music (usually classical or soft new age/harp music) is suggested when your daughter is gone.

Do keep an eye on any other behavioral changes in Izzy - just like with people, the stress of moving, a new house, and your daughter's new hours can cause physical ailments (e.g., urinary or digestive issues). But good for you and your daughter to observe this and seek out help. Good luck
Reply
post #3 of 5
11/4/10 at 1:49pm
How friendly is this cat with other people? Depending on how receptive the cat is, and your daughters ability to spend the money for it, she could look into a pet sitter to visit during the day. Even an hour with a small snack and some play time could help Izzy.

Otherwise she just needs to make sure she puts time aside for Izzy every single day. While enriching the environment will help Izzy's boredem, she still needs love and attention from her owner.
Reply
post #4 of 5
11/4/10 at 4:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by strange_wings View Post
How friendly is this cat with other people? Depending on how receptive the cat is, and your daughters ability to spend the money for it, she could look into a pet sitter to visit during the day. Even an hour with a small snack and some play time could help Izzy.

Otherwise she just needs to make sure she puts time aside for Izzy every single day. While enriching the environment will help Izzy's boredem, she still needs love and attention from her owner.


It's like having a child... you have to make time for kitty.
Reply
post #5 of 5
11/4/10 at 5:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by strange_wings View Post
How friendly is this cat with other people? Depending on how receptive the cat is, and your daughters ability to spend the money for it, she could look into a pet sitter to visit during the day. Even an hour with a small snack and some play time could help Izzy.

Otherwise she just needs to make sure she puts time aside for Izzy every single day. While enriching the environment will help Izzy's boredem, she still needs love and attention from her owner.
My thoughts exactly. The daily pet sitter is a great idea, but your daughter has an obligation and responsibility to Izzy regardless of her social life, Izzy should come first.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Behavior
TheCatSite.com › Forums › Our Feline Companions › Behavior › Lonely Kitty