Is my kitten unhappy?

[ajjaxx]

Hey everyone,

Question for you all.  I've had my kitten (Starbuck) since October, she's now about 8 months old, at the beginning of February my housemate and I moved into my housemate's sister's house. I live in the basement, there's a door at the top of the stairs which leads into the kitchen.  

My roommate won't let me keep the door open, as she doesn't want the cat to have free reign of the house. She's concerned about Starbuck knocking over precious family heirlooms. I tried to make a case for keeping the heirlooms somewhere Starbuck couldn't reach, but still on display, so she could have some more freedom, but no dice.  

She's got lots of toys, I pay a lot of attention to her, I'm working from home right now so I'm home almost all of the time.  When I'm upstairs and I'm only going to be there for a second, I keep her in the basement so I don't have to chase her back in there after I was only getting something from the kitchen for a while, and, unsurprisingly, she has a habit of crying at the door if we're upstairs and she's in the basement. 

However, recently, even when I'm down here, or when my housemate and I are both hanging out down here, Starbuck will go up the stairs, stand at the door, and cry. At first, we joked that she would go up the stairs and then forget that we were down here. But that was when it only happened ever so often.  Now it seems to happen all the time. 

Usually, when she's crying up there, I can call out to her and she'll chirp and run straight back down, let me pet her for a while, purr, seem like she just wanted attention. But sometimes she just stands there, still crying. And recently, after she's done with me petting her, she goes back up the stairs and begins to cry again. 

I'm worried that she feels lonely or bored or something. I keep trying to keep the basement interesting for her. I can't afford to get another cat right now, though that would really be my preference, so she could have some company, and my housemate would certainly have a problem with adding an additional cat. I'm also really concerned about when I stop working from home and start spending a normal amount of time away from the house. 

Does anyone have any advice for me?  I am really at a loss. She seems happy otherwise, though she seems to vary wildly from super-duper affectionate to kind of skittish (one moment she's nuzzling my hand like crazy, the next if I try to pet her she sprints up to the top of her cat tree to get away). I don't know if it's as simple as she really wants to go upstairs (she does like hanging out up there), or if there's something wrong or if she's sad or something. So if anyone has any advice, I would really appreciate it. Thanks much for reading!

 

[katluver4life]

As most people know, cats hate a closed door. Being a kitten with kitten curiosity, and the good smells on the other side of that door, are making your kitten want to see for herself just what is up there. Is there a way a screen door could be installed? Leash training her may help. She could then be with you upstairs without you chasing her to go back down. You could then also allow her to see the rest of the house under a controlled way. What kind of play is offered to her? Perhaps more vigorous play would stop her boredom. It would also build up her confidence more. Wand teasers work well for this. Spend time wearing her out to the point where she is panting and flops. Do this when she goes up the stairs to distract her. Hopefully she'll get worn out and forget about worrying what is beyond that door.

 

[ajjaxx]

Thanks so much for your response! I don't think a screen door is an option. But the leash is an interesting idea. And I broached the subject with my roommate and she seemed a bit more open this time. 

I have a cat teaser-esque bouncy string toy, and various ball-type toys that I trade out. I also have a laser pointer in one of my flash lights which she loves. That gets her the most active, but unlike some other cats I've used them with, she pretty much stops running after it after a while. She's very careful about conserving her energy with that one (kind of impressive actually). I have been trying for a while to exhaust her with it and just not succeeding. Any other suggestions for more vigorous play? 

I will also try to play with her whenever she goes up the stairs and cries/follows me to see if that helps. Thanks again! I really appreciate all of your advice. 

 

[carolina]

Hi

I am not sure what the situation and how your relationship with your roommate is..... but.... Here is what I can say: I have 4 cats, and lots of things around the house - small things too, things that could be pretty easy for a cat to break. Never, ever I had a cat break anything though.
They gauge the place where they will jump and see if there is space to jump on it or not, and amazingly, they are pretty careful.
I do have a few cat trees in different places of the house for them to lounge on. that gives them "their" space..... aside from that..... I many years, never an accident :dk:

Why don't you propose supervised visits to the upstairs "world" while your roommate is around so she gets more comfortable with the idea? Would she go for that?
I can't guarantee..... But cats are pretty good at not being clumsy..... They usually don't break things around the house......

 

[joanncatmom]

I think Starbuck needs a playmate.   In my experience, cats tend to get into less mischief and are happier when they have a friend.

 

[physicsgal981]

I have a cat about your age - a little female.  Every single stinking time I open the closet door she run in.  Every single stinking time she gets 'locked in the closet' (I do this intentionally because as another poster mentioned, cats hate a closed door) and every single time when I re-open the door she comes running back out.  It doesn't really matter where the door goes, just that said door is closed and there MUST be something interesting behind it!