Hello all,
I was quite active here a few months back when my boy Niko decided to fly the coop and move in with an elderly lady down the street. The good news is that while she enjoyed his company (he really helped her get through the brutal winter!), she had no intention of keeping him, and was well aware that he had a home. The bad news is that now that he's back, he's super depressed. He's been an outdoor cat for 13 years, and now that the weather's warming up, he REALLY wants to go outside. He still lives with my mother in her house. At the moment, moving him in with me in an apartment isn't an option. I'm house sitting for my mother until the end of the weekend, so I can spend one on one time with Niko and lavish him with affection. I feel terrible keeping him cooped up, but I know that as soon as he's outside, he's going to go back to his friend's home. He's on a diet now, as he's starting to show early signs of kidney failure, so his special food's here. I want him to be able to go and visit his friends in the neighbourhood, but I want him to come back home! When I went to the lady's home to pick him up, he was thrilled to see me - licking, nuzzling, purring, playing. He wouldn't leave my side. As soon as he came back home, he withdrew. Some rubs, but no licks, withdrawing from my petting, no interest in playing with our other cat like he used to, not climbing up on the bed like he used to. He used to reach up to be picked up like a little kid, but he doesn't do that anymore. During his first night back he refused to come into bed with me, though the second night he did. Not up on my chest the way he did before, though. Just sits on my feet. His appetite's great - he likes his diet food, so that's good at least. But he mostly just stares out the windows and whines. Can anyone help me try to figure out how to keep him stimulated and happy indoors, and be as perky and sociable as he was? Perhaps it's worth noting that my grandmother, who lived with my mother for 8 years, passed away in January. I don't know if her absence is contributing to his sour mood.
I was quite active here a few months back when my boy Niko decided to fly the coop and move in with an elderly lady down the street. The good news is that while she enjoyed his company (he really helped her get through the brutal winter!), she had no intention of keeping him, and was well aware that he had a home. The bad news is that now that he's back, he's super depressed. He's been an outdoor cat for 13 years, and now that the weather's warming up, he REALLY wants to go outside. He still lives with my mother in her house. At the moment, moving him in with me in an apartment isn't an option. I'm house sitting for my mother until the end of the weekend, so I can spend one on one time with Niko and lavish him with affection. I feel terrible keeping him cooped up, but I know that as soon as he's outside, he's going to go back to his friend's home. He's on a diet now, as he's starting to show early signs of kidney failure, so his special food's here. I want him to be able to go and visit his friends in the neighbourhood, but I want him to come back home! When I went to the lady's home to pick him up, he was thrilled to see me - licking, nuzzling, purring, playing. He wouldn't leave my side. As soon as he came back home, he withdrew. Some rubs, but no licks, withdrawing from my petting, no interest in playing with our other cat like he used to, not climbing up on the bed like he used to. He used to reach up to be picked up like a little kid, but he doesn't do that anymore. During his first night back he refused to come into bed with me, though the second night he did. Not up on my chest the way he did before, though. Just sits on my feet. His appetite's great - he likes his diet food, so that's good at least. But he mostly just stares out the windows and whines. Can anyone help me try to figure out how to keep him stimulated and happy indoors, and be as perky and sociable as he was? Perhaps it's worth noting that my grandmother, who lived with my mother for 8 years, passed away in January. I don't know if her absence is contributing to his sour mood.