Help me undo this bad timing of events for my kitty

[petstorejunkie]

Oh, I feel like such a bad cat mommy right now!
I had 2 cats. One is fantastic and gets along well with everyone and everything. The other was terrified of the other animals in the house. So after a year of trying to help him, I found him a WONDERFUL quiet home. He is now blissfully happy, confident kitty. yay
Fantastic kitty has had a not so fantastic week. First other kitty was rehomed, and i'm sure he's feeling other kitty's absence now, but a mere 48 hours later we left for Christmas vacay, and left him with the auto timer feeder for 4 days.

He's physically perfectly okay. But since we've gotten home he is having bouts of insecurity. He has his own room with the other critters, complete with kitty sofa, perches, toys, water, kitty box, multiple beds. All the critters sleep in their room at night. Well, lately if he is loose and cannot find us, he panic screams for us. He is the type of cat to call you, then you meow back, and he comes, but that hasnt worked. He'll stand staring at a wall or whatever screaming until you find him. And in the mornings he has taken up leaping and pawing the door in the wee hours of the morning... not cool

I'm considering getting those calming diffusers, and we are looking into adopting another younger kitty (fantastic kitty gets along with everyone)

 

[carolina]

When did you get back? It can take a few days for them to get back to normal when you get back from a trip... totally normal

Now, as far as getting a playmate, that is always a good idea IMO especially if he is a social kitty like yours!

 

[shanynne]

Originally Posted by Petstorejunkie

Oh, I feel like such a bad cat mommy right now!
I had 2 cats. One is fantastic and gets along well with everyone and everything. The other was terrified of the other animals in the house. So after a year of trying to help him, I found him a WONDERFUL quiet home. He is now blissfully happy, confident kitty. yay
Fantastic kitty has had a not so fantastic week. First other kitty was rehomed, and i'm sure he's feeling other kitty's absence now, but a mere 48 hours later we left for Christmas vacay, and left him with the auto timer feeder for 4 days.

He's physically perfectly okay. But since we've gotten home he is having bouts of insecurity. He has his own room with the other critters, complete with kitty sofa, perches, toys, water, kitty box, multiple beds. All the critters sleep in their room at night. Well, lately if he is loose and cannot find us, he panic screams for us. He is the type of cat to call you, then you meow back, and he comes, but that hasnt worked. He'll stand staring at a wall or whatever screaming until you find him. And in the mornings he has taken up leaping and pawing the door in the wee hours of the morning... not cool

I'm considering getting those calming diffusers, and we are looking into adopting another younger kitty (fantastic kitty gets along with everyone)

What to do? Simple! Give him *tons* of affection, love, and reassurance. Just tell him how much you have missed him etc. It will take a little while, but he will bounce back.



I hope I'm not coming across as being critical, but four days, in my opinion, is a long time to leave a kitty alone. First the other cat "disappears" then you go away for what might seem to him a "long time". Your baby is probably a little scared and maybe even feeling a little abandoned right now. In his kitty mind, he doesn't understand why the other is suddenly gone and of course he doesn't realize you were just going away for a few days and coming back.

Please don't feel bad, we all have cats and we all have to travel and leave them at some point. Personally it leaves me in tears every time I do! But I've been fortunate recently to find a wonderful cat sitter! She charges $15 a visit but she doesn't just feed them and clean the litter box. She also spends an hour keeping them company! I have her come twice a day while I'm gone. Yes it's a bit pricey, but you know what? It is *so* worth it! Having that peace of mind knowing that there is someone who is taking care of my babies takes a huge weight off of my shoulders.


Also when I've gotten back from my trip my cats haven't been all stressed out, angry, or freaked out. In fact, for Thanksgiving we went to visit family in New Jersey. We left on the Thursday morning and got back Sunday afternoon. When I left the cats gave me their "sour you're leaving us again look"

but when we got back, they were like "Oh you're back already" and acted like they hadn't even missed us!

Just shower your baby with *tons* of love and he should be OK.