Would another cat help mine with separation anxiety? Hi all,

>>2401007
Not an expert but I recently brought home a 13 week old kitten to my home. He wasn't happy to be separated from his mother, my flight was delayed for over three hours at the airport, he couldn't eat 4 to 6 hours minimum before the flight and being stuck in a carrier gave all in all a very shellshocked experience for my new kitten. He also was already trained to use a litter box but he kept urinating in his kitty bed till I removed it from my room and now he uses the litter box just fine.

Cats get over the new changes in time.

>>2401007
>Would another cat help mine with separation anxiety?
No. It won't.
Exchange for an for an older less energetic cat.

>>2401007
Should've gotten a dog.

>>2401016
I'd feel so bad sending her back to a shelter. I'm trying alternatives to help before I completely give up, I guess my thinking is I can get another cat now and see how she does and if she doesn't get better, give her away or take her back to the shelter. Seems so mean tho, they're not shopping items to just get and return.

>>2401025
My apartment doesn't allow dogs, plus ironically I wanted something that could take care of itself if I go out for a weekend and when I'm at work. It's ironic because she literally doesn't even eat when I'm not home, so so much for that self reliance.

>>2401027
It's mean to have an animal you can't meet the needs of. She isn't a good fit for you or your situation.
Cats usually don't take well to introducing a new cat or an interrupted routine. It's not going to magically solve the problems you have, just double them.

>>2401034
>thinking it's reasonable for anyone to be able to sit with an animal 24/7, which is what she "needs"
I get home and instantly play with her, I play with her during my lunch time as well (live 5 minutes from work so I just eat there then spend the rest of the time playing with her). I go out maybe 3 times a month for a single night at a time so I've spent all weekends with her and play. She's not going to find someone that will be able to meet her needs ever if I take her back, she'll just keep getting returned over and over or abandoned completely. I think it's worth it to try companionship for her before rejecting her to that.

>>2401042
It's a kitten, what do you expect?
A kitten isn't going to start out independent and low energy.

>>2401049
Aren't cats already adult at 11 months?

>>2401049
The issue goes beyond that, she's not standard kitten energy. I'm not being hyperbolic when i say on the weekends, I'll play for a total of 7 hours a day with her and she'll STILL flip her shit when I go to bed, meowing all night at me and getting into the blinds. Other kittens, even younger than her, that I've had will fuck off and go find their toys in the other room and play with them themselves. She doesn't care about anything other than string though, string is life. String has to have human running around with it, otherwise it's dead string and no interest.

>>2401027
I had a cat EXACTLY like this. I gave up after a year of trying various methods, going as far as getting another cat to play with, getting a sitter, and taking it to the vet to get examinations on more than one occasion because of its behavior. I finally gave up, gave it away to a girl that was crazy about cats, and got an older cat who literally couldn't give less of a shit if I was there or not. Fully litter trained, ate from a timed dispenser, was cuddly at good times, and knew how to entertain itself.

Do yourself a favor and return her, get an older cat.

>>2401061
Fug. Would it be heartless of me to take her back today and get a new cat at the same time? Jesus that feels bad :/ I just bought new food for her tho damnit, I want it used and I like having a cat!

Giving away a pet because it turns out not to be compatible with your lifestyle is fine.
Just find it a home and not a shelter.

>>2401067
Take her back, explain the situation, if you don't feel comfortable taking another cat from there (it depends on how the shelter employees are and how they perceive the situation), go to another shelter. I got the older cat from a completely different shelter in a different county that I had been looking at for a few months just to get a sense of its personality.

The cat I was talking about I posted on craigslist and somehow found a sane young cat girl who had snapchat and she sent me snaps of her.

Sounds like this cat was probably a bottle baby, separated from its mother too soon for whatever reason. Poor thing.

http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/10-ways-to-manage-cat-separation-anxiety

A second cat could help, but it could also not - kind of a crapshoot there. If you were going to go that route I'd recommend another younger animal, 6 mos-1.5 years.

If you really want to exhaust all alternative avenues, I'd suggest talking to your vet about possibly putting her on some medication. People scoff at the idea of putting cats and dogs on "happy pills", but they truly can benefit from it in situations like this the same way we can.

Otherwise, she sounds like a good candidate for a busy home with several children.

>>2401007
Not trying to sound like a dick, but you took her home, now she's your responsibility. Whether she's scratching your face off or making a mess, you have to accept it. The behavior will not continue to such an extent as long as you provide her with a clean, quiet, and respectful home. Don't touch her when she has bitchy body language, clean up her mess/litterbox every time she does something, don't stomp around like a neanderthal, allow her to feel secure enough to lounge in places, etc etc.

I say this as the rules I go by when adopting animals. My cat was despondent in the cage at the store and had been feral for a few months. When we brought her home, she would constantly mess in any container she could fit in--cardboard boxes, chests, cat beds, even blankets on the floor. So we took those away and only let her keep paper and plastic, which she didn't mess on. She wouldn't go in her litterbox for a while until we learned it was too small for her, so we removed the lid. Unwanted messes decreased significantly (she always had intestinal problems so I don't know how much of her messes were from that as opposed to her emotional wellbeing). We considered introducing her to neighbors' cats for socialization, but learned very quickly that other cats caused her immense distress. No other cats for her, then. We talked to her constantly--she was like a child, always the center of attention.

Long story short, my cat's behavioral problems magically disappeared after a few months of adaptation to her needs. No biting, no scratching, no hissing, no furniture destruction. Please stick with your cat bro, she can become a wonderful pet if you really devote the time.

If you're not sure how your cat would be around another cat, show her a youtube video of cats talking (not hissing or screaming, nothing threatening obviously). If she freaks out (mine hissed for the first and only time in the ten years we owned her) then don't introduce another cat.

>>2401057
did it occur to you that different cats have different personalities? imo you should just put up with it. you'll learn to sleep through her bullshit.

>>2401055
No its 24 months/2 years.

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3MB, 1590x2829px

>>2401139
The first part of your post is hard projection, the rest is semi-sane. I showed her videos of cats meowing a couple days ago, she basically had no reaction. We also had her around my parents cats to see how she'd react a couple weeks ago. She did fine but she did absolutely freak the fuck out with the dog. She actually bit my mom really bad when she was getting between her and the dog. So thankfully I don't have a dog nor are they allowed in our apts. So no risk into ever running into one. I'm really trying to stick with her, she's not destructive really at all or mean, she's just INCREDIBLY needy. Like I said in previous posts, I'm not being hyperbolic when I say that I'll play with her for 7 hours on a Saturday and the moment I stop, she'll bitch non stop and has to be in my face with whatever I'm doing, whether it's eating, cooking, sleeping, or jerking off. And she doesn't eat food unless I'm there and watching her do it, same with pissing and shitting (I got her a pretty good size box and no lid/top). I've gotten her scratching boxes with cat nip, a cat tree, all types of toys that she literally never uses because if it ain't string, it ain't worth her time apparently (probably because the same issue - she can't do anything without me there, including playing). She definitely has psychological issues beyond just a pain in the ass personality. It's why I'm trying my best to stick with her, I don't want to worsen her condition by changing her surroundings again or her continually being rejected. Like a post earlier above said (which was a really informative post, thank you anon) she was probably a bottle baby and is all fucked up from it now, so that she has to be attached at the hip to her mother/father figure (me now).

>>2401165
>hard projection
I mean I'm not going to tell you to raise your animal in a way that I wouldn't raise my own, so of course I'm projecting. I grew up around people treating their pets as fixtures instead of organisms, so I made it a point to do the opposite of everything I disagreed with. My results were great.

Even if your cat is a needy little booger, I sincerely hope you stick with her. I believe you can adapt your lifestyle to accommodate her. If you stay alert to her needs, I have no doubt that her behavior will normalize. Some things are just personality though, like the food bowl thing. I've had a few cats like that. They just want to know you care enough to be their bitch for a few minutes until they're done stuffing their face.

>>2401007
>I mean I'm not going to tell you to raise your animal in a way that I wouldn't raise my own, so of course I'm projecting. I grew up around people treating their pets as fixtures instead of organisms, so I made it a point to do the opposite of everything I disagreed with. My results were great.

Fair enough if you saw people doing that and then bitching about their animals acting up. I think I've been pretty good so far. I'm just concerned that she might need more than I can realistically provide. She waits at the door all day for me I think, everytime I've opened it she's already lying right there. As long as the pooping on my carpet stops, I'm hoping her having a playmate and more time will work out the rest of my complaints and I'll just grit through them. I'm also hoping to get a house this summer so if she makes it, I could possibly have a little land for her to enjoy or at the very least more space. As it stands, I have 2 doors in my apartment. One to my bedroom and one to my bathroom, so I can't escape her meows at night.

>>2401149
My bad. I recalled it to be extremely early, especially compared to larger dogs.

>>2401181
>I believe you can adapt your lifestyle to accommodate her. If you stay alert to her needs, I have no doubt that her behavior will normalize.
Anon mentioned work.
I doubt he'd have the time to play for 7 hours straight every day. At this point, the cat has a problem.
And OP is in no way obligated to stick with an animal he can't properly take care of. I'm sure some young retirees would like a needy cat to take their mind off the sudden loss of purpose.

Unrelated to the topic but my family got a cat, I left to uni and now I'm back and the cat has his eye and his third eyelid like halfway or 1/3rd at times, it's clearly infected but what can I give him?

>>2401201
If you're worried about the shit being on the carpet, put the box in the bathroom or put a mat under it so she shits on that instead. It'll be a lot easier to clean up.

>>2401206
Take him to the vet and they'll be able to give you some eye drops or antibiotics for it.

>>2401201
>>2401204
Fair enough. She sounds like a good pet for a retiree or someone on disability.

OP here, would a kitten be ok for her? As I was leaving the spca today they brought in kittens. I was thinking this little black male, cause one of the other kittens was hissing and he adjusted to the room they brought him in right away and started playing.

>>2401206
Wait a day or two to see if it improves. It may be he just got something caught in his eye, or something's irritating him.

Otherwise, anything that's going to fix the problem will require a prescription. Shouldn't be more than $30 max. Vet him.

>>2401370
Kitten personalities are very malleable; it can be difficult to predict how they'll turn out as they grow up. I'd recommend an older cat, 1-2 years, so you'll have a better indication of what their personality will be like. Otherwise you might just end up getting stuck with 2 problem cats.

>>2401433
Hmmm, my thought process with a kitten being malleable was that it'd be less tricky to introduce them to each other with less hitches hopefully. I'm kinda excited, they gonna be so cute together. Maybe. Possibly. Hopefully. Or my life will just be double hell as you said LOL.

>>2401486
Post with updates.

>>2401596
Got the kitten. Unfortunately the only time I could get him was on lunch break so I went and got him, took him home, let them mingle for about 10 minutes (they seem to get along very well!) Then put him in my bedroom with food and water until I get home so that I can fully monitor them together. Should I do this for a few days or you think it will be fine after tonight?

>>2401007
Possibly. It's also entirely possible the cats will hate each other.

But if your cat is needy, then yes, a companion will likely help

Update from OP here, kitten is had. They seem to get along well, as in no hissing or anything like that. Already can see a bit of improvement in her behavior. She does play REALLY rough with him and he's like 1/6th her size. She hasn't drawn blood or anything but he'll ocassionally yowl and like I said, she's real aggressive with her playing. She clamps down with a bite and then uses her back feet to kick/claw. Should I be concerned or does it just look rougher than it is?

>>2401007
>her
>she

should've got a male (aka non-assholes)

>>2402348
Good on you op. I was nervous reading through this thread youd already returned her. I mean wheres the logic in returning her AND NOT trying out another cat if youre going to get another cat anyways. I really hope it works out for the best, and even at eleven months the cat will mellow out. Cats basically mellow out there whole lives, just to varying degrees.

>>2402348
Don't let her do that this early in the introduction. Cats do best with slow intros. http://bestfriends.org/resources/introducing-new-cat

If she was a bottle baby, she might not have had littermates around to teach appropriate cat-cat play behavior. You may need to break it up if she gets too rough. Just clap loudly near her or give her a spritz with a water bottle.

>>2401139
na i'd rather get a new cat and not let my house be run by some shit cat

have fun waiting months to get a decent cat
ferals are just ferals bro, there's a thousand cats out there that would actually appreciate a home, not gonna break my back cleaning up outside the litterbox for a cat that doesn't fit my lifestyle.

does the cat pay the mortgage or clean up the messes? no? it has no say then. bye shit cat.
>>2401147
>>2401147
FUCK no
what the fuck is wrong with people?
you really have the time to put up with shit? your life must be sad

>>2401007
Kill it and try with another cat.

>>2401007
Hi OP,
I'm actually dong a studying of this at university at the mo and getting another cat wouldnt necessarily help. This can disrupt a cats routine or behaviour even further by bringing another cat into the equation, especially if they don't get along or do not engage with oneanother. You'd have to gradually introduce a very well natured cat (probably male) for any chance of it working. It can take a while for a cat to grow out of SA but there are a few things you can do, if youre willing to do it, (sorry if already been posted, too lazy to read all posts today), you can gradually move yourself out of a room and further away to get the cat used to your absence, (come back a little if she starts freaking out) and get to a point where you leave the house for small incriments of time and keep increasing them so the cat gets used to it. Its main worry is that it can't comprehend the concept of that you'll return. If shes a young cat this is not a major problem as they normally come to learn the concept and grow out of it. But if you can teach the cat you will return and your absence with something positive (like treats/toys) then she'll get over it fairly quickly. Getting some automatic toys may help with the energy thing as thats more likely to be to do with her young age than SA as its not really a symptom of it. I'm currently researching into if distractions a good cure/alleviation to this so maybe having a automatic toy on while youre out to distract her may be a help too, as shell be too busy chasing it to realise your gone and youl be back in no time.