Cat owners: I'd like your non judging feedback as to what you think I should do

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

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[MichelleAMouse]

Please read through my posts.

Okay, all caught up now Shame the leash business didn't work. What kind of toys does she have? Have you tried a laser pointer or "Da Bird": https://www.amazon.com/GoCat-Cat-Feather-Assorted-Colors/dp/B000F9JJJE

These oftentimes work for lazier cats (mine is the same way and loves both of these). I stand by my thoughts on not getting another cat. Unless they come up together as kittens bringing a new cat into your home can be VERY stressful for all involved and I truly don't think it will solve the problems you're facing.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Okay, all caught up now Shame the leash business didn't work. What kind of toys does she have? Have you tried a laser pointer or "Da Bird": https://www.amazon.com/GoCat-Cat-Feather-Assorted-Colors/dp/B000F9JJJE

These oftentimes work for lazier cats (mine is the same way and loves both of these). I stand by my thoughts on not getting another cat. Unless they come up together as kittens bringing a new cat into your home can be VERY stressful for all involved and I truly don't think it will solve the problems you're facing.

As stated in a previous post I did have 2 cats at once and they were not brought up together.
One was 11 years old when the 3 month old kitten came into her life.

I've tried laser pointers and several other battery operated toys.
She much prefers personal interaction making those a big waste of my money.
I have a number toys ranging from furry mice that rattle to a wand that has a wire and very weird feeling mouse on it. That is definitely her favorite.

 

[MichelleAMouse]

As stated in a previous post I did have 2 cats at once and they were not brought up together.
One was 11 years old when the 3 month old kitten came into her life.

I've tried laser pointers and several other battery operated toys.
She much prefers personal interaction making those a big waste of my money.
I have a number toys ranging from furry mice that rattle to a wand that has a wire and very weird feeling mouse on it. That is definitely her favorite.

I mean, it's your decision. It's great that you were lucky in that instance, but cats are unpredictable and introducing a new cat into your current situation sounds like a mistake.

Based on that feedback, I would try out Da Bird that I linked above. I heard about it from the host of "My Cat From Hell" Jackson Galaxy (he's basically the dog whisperer for cats) and if she likes that mouse I bet that would be a hit with her. The way that it's hung it makes this fluttering noise as you swoop it that sounds like birds and really seems to get them into it.

 

[alldiz]

I have 3 cats and I love them to death one is sick now ( not eating) and I am at wits end might start my own post after reading some helpful answers here.

Anyhoo I agree with PP I have watched Jackson and I agree with putting some shelves on the wall. Cats need a safe place near you to watch the action for sure.
You mentioned the kids coming is it possible they stress the cat?
Maybe crying? And for sure as they get older if cat scared of the kids will look to escape.

My cats are indoors. One actually escaped for 4 days....and she sickly.. nasal problems.....thought she never find way home. Posters everywhere.... 4th day neighbor 5 houses down says she think she under her deck.. her dog barking and she went out to look. Mind u I am surrounded by dogs and was worried about that also. Anyhoo she was there and even tho I thought she has a miserable 4 days Rain d and all... she is only one to want to bolt now at the door.
Personally I am freaked by bugs, possible fleas and the lovely “presents” cats bring home ugh! So I ignore her cries at door but honestly they weren’t that bad but she always the one to look to go out with door open.
Sorry I’m rambling.

Put some shelves up for the cat on the walls. Try and play with her interactive toy when she cry and then try and sit with her if she like that. Although careful my cat sits at the cat toy drawer and cries LOL.

Lastly I would try and get another cat. But I understand more than anyone cat fighting in House is unbearable.

Try and find younger docile cat that the shelter will let u return if dosemt work out within a few weeks.
I wish u all the luck it sounds like u love your cat!
Kerri

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I have 3 cats and I love them to death one is sick now ( not eating) and I am at wits end might start my own post after reading some helpful answers here.

Anyhoo I agree with PP I have watched Jackson and I agree with putting some shelves on the wall. Cats need a safe place near you to watch the action for sure.
You mentioned the kids coming is it possible they stress the cat?
Maybe crying? And for sure as they get older if cat scared of the kids will look to escape.

My cats are indoors. One actually escaped for 4 days....and she sickly.. nasal problems.....thought she never find way home. Posters everywhere.... 4th day neighbor 5 houses down says she think she under her deck.. her dog barking and she went out to look. Mind u I am surrounded by dogs and was worried about that also. Anyhoo she was there and even tho I thought she has a miserable 4 days Rain d and all... she is only one to want to bolt now at the door.
Personally I am freaked by bugs, possible fleas and the lovely “presents” cats bring home ugh! So I ignore her cries at door but honestly they weren’t that bad but she always the one to look to go out with door open.
Sorry I’m rambling.

Put some shelves up for the cat on the walls. Try and play with her interactive toy when she cry and then try and sit with her if she like that. Although careful my cat sits at the cat toy drawer and cries LOL.

Lastly I would try and get another cat. But I understand more than anyone cat fighting in House is unbearable.

Try and find younger docile cat that the shelter will let u return if dosemt work out within a few weeks.
I wish u all the luck it sounds like u love your cat!
Kerri

I can't put shelves up for the cat.
She really does have plenty of higher places she can look at the action already.
She's not afraid of the toddler and the toddler doesn't really go near her.
Oddly even when the toddler takes a nap in my room and my cat is in my room she is fine chilling.

My other two cats did not get along and the older one hissed at the little one daily for 7 years butoverall that was a heck of a lot less stressful than my current cat is to me now lol.

I would be getting one from a local shelter that I know several people that volunteer at and they have told me that they absolutely understand when its just not working out and they invite you to bring them back vs have a hard time with keeping them.
I would give my cat's behavoirs and see if there was a cat that they thought would be a good fit.

 

[TavieP]

I mean she was spayed so I'm not sure how she could be going through heat anymore.

Just want to chime in with my experience about this - we had a young cat that walked into our ground-floor apartment one day and decided she lived there. So we adopted her, took her to the vet for shots, etc, and got her spayed. Before her spaying she was definitely in heat and it was tough keeping her indoors.

After she was spayed, everything seemed hunkey-dory until some months later, when once again she seemed to be in heat!

We took her back to the vet, who said that he must have left some tissue behind the first time which was causing her symptoms of heat. He went back in and performed another surgery at no cost to us (as he said it was his fault for botching the initial spaying!) and since then she's not gone into heat once and her interest in being outdoors has dramatically decreased.

Just something to consider - I grew up with cats but until we got Neelix I hadn't realized it was possible to botch a spaying like that!

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I think that the main reason I think a playmate may help her is because she is very playful but not in the "usual" way.
I'm her "cat mom" and its almost as though she wants me to play like a cat which I cannot do.
Like when she has gone out she wants me to run after her.
Problem is then she'll go into a bush or tree or neighbors yard or my personal favorite the roof and expect me to come.
She looks back at me like come on come on come on!!!
I wonder if that's how she wants me to bplay with her inside too but the spaces she is trying to have me go are so small that she realizes I can't fit or something lol.
For a week now she wants me to play in the basement with her probably because its "her play room" when she is down there at night but again she wants me to go places I can't go like behind some chairs we have down there.
With this new info does anyone think a playmate could help? Or still too risky to find out?

 

[ThistleMae]

I think that the main reason I think a playmate may help her is because she is very playful but not in the "usual" way.
I'm her "cat mom" and its almost as though she wants me to play like a cat which I cannot do.
Like when she has gone out she wants me to run after her.
Problem is then she'll go into a bush or tree or neighbors yard or my personal favorite the roof and expect me to come.
She looks back at me like come on come on come on!!!
I wonder if that's how she wants me to bplay with her inside too but the spaces she is trying to have me go are so small that she realizes I can't fit or something lol.
For a week now she wants me to play in the basement with her probably because its "her play room" when she is down there at night but again she wants me to go places I can't go like behind some chairs we have down there.
With this new info does anyone think a playmate could help? Or still too risky to find out?

You just never know until you try it. She seems pretty social, so maybe it will work. When I took in my cat's daughter (gone seven years) I figured she would have a problem because she is the dominant cat in the house. But...I stuck with it and it took a year before she left the new girl alone. Now they even sleep near each other, but they are not friends, they just tolerate each other. Sometimes the new girl will get up and leave when she comes over and lays next to her. There is definitely a pecking order among cats. Think about her personality. This may give you some insight. Keep us updated.

 

[Nancyg56]

I think that the main reason I think a playmate may help her is because she is very playful but not in the "usual" way.
I'm her "cat mom" and its almost as though she wants me to play like a cat which I cannot do.

With this new info does anyone think a playmate could help? Or still too risky to find out?

A "playmate" means that you are introducing one more unknown into the mix. Your cat has not had a mate, so you are only surmising how she would react to another cat entering her territory. When you introduce another animal, it will also need to adjust and for me, that is where the concern may be. I have introduced cats into our home and there definitely was a learning curve. The last one was terrified of my 15 year old grouchy old lady, Sassy. He stayed in the basement for months, and hid while that old gal who had not gone down there in over a year stalked him. I was home so I could "supervise" them, but it was work.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

You could try fostering another cat ... if the two seem to get along really well, then you adopt that cat, if they hate each other, it will only be for a limited time.

 

[ThistleMae]

You could try fostering another cat ... if the two seem to get along really well, then you adopt that cat, if they hate each other, it will only be for a limited time.

Is there a fostering program where the OP lives? This may be a good idea but then again, sometimes you have to put in the time to let things sort out and it may take awhile. Just so hard to predict. By the way....I love the Jalapeno Pretzels!

 

[ahutton]

I would love to know where to find this, my google skills are rusty and I can't find it. I would appreciate any guidance - both of our kitties would LOVE this.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I would love to know where to find this, my google skills are rusty and I can't find it. I would appreciate any guidance - both of our kitties would LOVE this.

I've had mine for quite a while, but I probably ordered it from the Doctors Foster & Smith catalog (though they may have them in stock at the bigger pet stores like Petco by now.)

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3261+28595+28597+22277&pcatid=22277

 

[JenniBarra]

Those who follow Jackson Galaxy will know I am channeling him here: cats want to be in places of social significance (meaning with their people.) You have said you can't put a cat tree anywhere but in the basement, but have you considered installing some shelves in the main living area of your home? That way, kitty can still have a perch and be with the people. If you're not a DIY type, there's some cool stuff that can be found on places like Etsy that are decorative and functional.

 

[phamton]

Ok thank you for clarifying your post.
I'm just still unclear about what symptoms of heat my cat is displaying.

I think she is referring to what you said in your original post. You said "after she went into heat for the first time (yes she is fixed)" It sounded like that she was fixed and then went into heat. I took it to mean that she had one heat cycle before she was spayed but I think that sonnyjane thought you were saying that she went into heat after being spayed. Thus sonnyjane suggested you not get a male since she is still experiencing heat after being spayed. Edited to add: I see this was already addressed earlier in the thread. I guess I missed a page.

 

[mom2rtk]

Those who follow Jackson Galaxy will know I am channeling him here: cats want to be in places of social significance (meaning with their people.) You have said you can't put a cat tree anywhere but in the basement, but have you considered installing some shelves in the main living area of your home? That way, kitty can still have a perch and be with the people. If you're not a DIY type, there's some cool stuff that can be found on places like Etsy that are decorative and functional.

OP is not open to the idea of shelves.

 

[ThistleMae]

I would love to know where to find this, my google skills are rusty and I can't find it. I would appreciate any guidance - both of our kitties would LOVE this.

I've seen similar enclosures googling Pet Fencing. I'm actually looking for fencing to fence in an area for my cats when I take them camping with me this summer. We are venturing out, now that I'm retired and I want to bring my cats with me. So I'm putting a cat door in the camper and will fence in an area around my site so they can go outside but be contained. I'm looking at Omlet fencing. This may also be an option for you, if she is not to determined to get out. This fencing is used for chickens and it looks pretty good.

 

[Nancyg56]

OP is not open to the idea of shelves.

The little perches that hooked onto our window sills worked well for us. 25 years later, my husband is still not happy about the Velcro tape things that are still stuck to my woodwork, LOL!!! But my kitties were really happy with their lookout perches, and used them daily, following the sun or if I was outside, me throughout the day.

Frankly, I cannot understand bringing a per into the home and then refusing to compromise in order to reach an acceptable arrangement. This comment is not about the OP. I just have been following a thread on FB and the OP has a bird and a dog. They brought a kitten into the home, and have kept the poor itty bitty cooped up in a room to keep her away from the bird. Now Mom and Dad want to start using the wood stove, apparently in that room, and they cannot come up with a plan for the kitten. Mom and Dad do not wnat her roaming, do not want her in their room, do not want her approaching the bird, on and on and on....and if her FB friends cannot come up with a solution the baby will be rehomed, which the poster does not want to do. So far no one has been able to manage a compromise that will work in this house. Honestly, I would go get that kittie myself if she was on the same side of the Country I am on. Who does this? Bring a kitten in and then lock her up in a room alone?

 

[ThistleMae]

The little perches that hooked onto our window sills worked well for us. 25 years later, my husband is still not happy about the Velcro tape things that are still stuck to my woodwork, LOL!!! But my kitties were really happy with their lookout perches, and used them daily, following the sun or if I was outside, me throughout the day.

Frankly, I cannot understand bringing a per into the home and then refusing to compromise in order to reach an acceptable arrangement. This comment is not about the OP. I just have been following a thread on FB and the OP has a bird and a dog. They brought a kitten into the home, and have kept the poor itty bitty cooped up in a room to keep her away from the bird. Now Mom and Dad want to start using the wood stove, apparently in that room, and they cannot come up with a plan for the kitten. Mom and Dad do not wnat her roaming, do not want her in their room, do not want her approaching the bird, on and on and on....and if her FB friends cannot come up with a solution the baby will be rehomed, which the poster does not want to do. So far no one has been able to manage a compromise that will work in this house. Honestly, I would go get that kittie myself if she was on the same side of the Country I am on. Who does this? Bring a kitten in and then lock her up in a room alone?

OMG....my heart was ripped out reading about this! Can u imagine that kind of life? My cat is sitting on me right now, sucking up my heat and posting on this board with me....LOL. I love my pets, they are like my children. Some people have no clue.