My wife and I have a 10 year old cat named Patches and she is the absolute love of our life. About 6 months ago, her 11 year old sister, Chloe, passed away from heart failure over the course of two months. Ever since then, we are not sure what to do with Patches newly found behaviors.
To give you a quick bit of background - We got Chloe first as a kitten and after a few months, adopted Patches so she could have a playmate. The two were friends most of their lives. Chloe was definitely the more dominant one of the two and would put Patches in her place sometimes with a hiss or swat and Patches would always back down. Patches sometimes would not come in a room if Chloe was there. Both are the sweetest cats you'd ever meet and each their own unique personality. Chloe was more energetic in her youth and had tons of personality. Loved to lay with you. Patches was more reserved. She loves to be loved and gives you a lot of love, but she would sleep a lot and usually upstairs when Chloe may be downstairs with us. The cats did enjoy each others company however and could often be seen sleeping together.
When Chloe passed away 6 months ago, we were torn up inside. We worried about how Patches would handle it and her behavior has been quite different. Patches is definitely out and about more and she is much more active, especially with toys. She also seeks out our attention more as well. HOWEVER, we are beginning to worry about several things. She often looks very bored....almost unsure of what to do with herself. I see her eat a lot more and I believe it is more of just boredom eating as its just a few bits over numerous times a day. She also will sit in the middle of the room and just stare at things (the wall, looking around etc). Its very peculiar. Patches will go upstairs for 5 minutes, then come right back downstairs and come in the room we are in or an area nearby and just sit. She is also more talkative and aside from her morning wet food (which she goes crazy for), I don't know what she wants. I try to give her as much love and attention as possible, because I love her to death and she is like a daughter to me.
I am beginning to wonder if she needs a friend or if she is having any phycological issues. Regarding the former, she has always been the submissive cat and I just don't know if she would be ok with giving up the house to another now that its been hers for a while. We would definitely want to adopt a kitten, if any at all, but another fear is with Patches being 10 years old, I don't want her to get older and get picked on by the much younger cat. That said, Patches loves to play and I could possibly see her having fun with another cat. Additionally, my wife and I are going to start a family and that was another concern. We don't want Patches to get left out when we have a baby around.
I am just so unsure of what to do. This is one of those times I wish our pets could talk to us. I'd love to get your thoughts and opinions on what I should do here. Thank you very much!!
Brad
PS- We have just about every toy imaginable for Patches, including several cat trees and several window perches. She uses the majority of them.
To give you a quick bit of background - We got Chloe first as a kitten and after a few months, adopted Patches so she could have a playmate. The two were friends most of their lives. Chloe was definitely the more dominant one of the two and would put Patches in her place sometimes with a hiss or swat and Patches would always back down. Patches sometimes would not come in a room if Chloe was there. Both are the sweetest cats you'd ever meet and each their own unique personality. Chloe was more energetic in her youth and had tons of personality. Loved to lay with you. Patches was more reserved. She loves to be loved and gives you a lot of love, but she would sleep a lot and usually upstairs when Chloe may be downstairs with us. The cats did enjoy each others company however and could often be seen sleeping together.
When Chloe passed away 6 months ago, we were torn up inside. We worried about how Patches would handle it and her behavior has been quite different. Patches is definitely out and about more and she is much more active, especially with toys. She also seeks out our attention more as well. HOWEVER, we are beginning to worry about several things. She often looks very bored....almost unsure of what to do with herself. I see her eat a lot more and I believe it is more of just boredom eating as its just a few bits over numerous times a day. She also will sit in the middle of the room and just stare at things (the wall, looking around etc). Its very peculiar. Patches will go upstairs for 5 minutes, then come right back downstairs and come in the room we are in or an area nearby and just sit. She is also more talkative and aside from her morning wet food (which she goes crazy for), I don't know what she wants. I try to give her as much love and attention as possible, because I love her to death and she is like a daughter to me.
I am beginning to wonder if she needs a friend or if she is having any phycological issues. Regarding the former, she has always been the submissive cat and I just don't know if she would be ok with giving up the house to another now that its been hers for a while. We would definitely want to adopt a kitten, if any at all, but another fear is with Patches being 10 years old, I don't want her to get older and get picked on by the much younger cat. That said, Patches loves to play and I could possibly see her having fun with another cat. Additionally, my wife and I are going to start a family and that was another concern. We don't want Patches to get left out when we have a baby around.
I am just so unsure of what to do. This is one of those times I wish our pets could talk to us. I'd love to get your thoughts and opinions on what I should do here. Thank you very much!!
Brad
PS- We have just about every toy imaginable for Patches, including several cat trees and several window perches. She uses the majority of them.
you might try fostering a kitten and see how they get along. Or if you're worried about your cat being bullied as the kitten ages, you might want to consider adopting an older cat, maybe 1 or 2 years.that way you can see what kind of personality it has and if it'll mesh with your existing kitty.you could also go to your local shelter and talk to the adoption counselors there for their recommendations. When a cat is quiet and amuses themselves easily, it’s usually because they like it that way. I think it's usually the rowdy getting into trouble active cat who would appreciate a friend. but obviously not all cats are the same, just speaking of my own experience.I know my original kitty would be quite glad if all her siblings vanished. She's the original grumpy cat. If you do decide to add another kitty,(which I personally think would be a good idea since she's not used to being an only cat) just make sure you do the introduction slowly. There's great tips on this site that really helped me alot. As for you wanting to start a family, I know my sister's cat got very confused when my niece was born, but, they made sure to include her in a lot of things. When feeding the baby, my sister would throw a few treats to LuLu, she'd let her curl up next to her when rocking the baby to sleep, basically letting her associate the baby with good things.it really helped her adjust. Good luck let us know what you decide!
