Desperate Catwife
May 20, 2005 12:43 PM   Subscribe

My cat is bored!

I just adopted a 3-year-old cat from the humane society, and she's having what I perceive to be boredom/being alone issues. When my fiance and I are home, she's constantly on our laps or at our ankles, rubbing the hell out of our faces. When we leave and return, she runs to us, yowling up a storm in the typical why-did-you-leave-me-you-bastards tone. I worry about her being bored while we're at work during the day or out at night. My apartment only allows one cat; otherwise, I'd get her a friend. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to keep a single cat entertained? She doesn't seem big on cat toys so far, so I'm looking for something that will keep her from going bonkers.

(And for the love of Haughey, I promised I searched through the zillions of cat questions to see if this was a repeat. I hope I didn't miss one.)
posted by Zosia Blue to Pets & Animals (27 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I bet that somebody is googling the script to the Flying Circus "Confuse-A-Cat" sketch as I type.

But anyway, if the cat's not into stationary stuff that only moves if she bats it, you'll need something that moves. You could get a goldfish or a beta that you place just out of reach. We have a beta on the bookshelf that the cat watches for hours without wrecking anything.
posted by Mayor Curley at 12:54 PM on May 20, 2005


I wonder if she may just be adjusting, since she is newly adopted. My first cat went through a period of crying at the door when I left in the morning and demanding pets as soon as I got home at night. It lasted about a month.

I've always liked the products at Drs. Foster and Smith. Check the stress control products and toys. Maybe some of the battery-operated ones, like Panic Mouse or Bug Jar, would interest her.

I'll probably be mocked within an inch of my life for suggesting this, but maybe your cat would enjoy cat videos, like these?

I wouldn't worry about her not having company. Some cats really prefer being the only pet in the home. Yours might be one.
posted by Sully6 at 12:55 PM on May 20, 2005


Two things come to mind:

She probably needs time to adjust to your schedule. Cats aren't great at change. My cat is very dependent, but is probably moreso on our schedule than us.

Lesser so, maybe the toys you're giving her aren't to her taste. My cat doesn't go for the foo-foo type toys like feathers on string. But he really digs the kitty-hoots type toys. They have a texture that he likes to put his teeth into. And most are long enough he can bite them and scratch them with his back claws at the same timeā€”cats are predators and enjoy toys that imitate prey.

Or maybe leave a screened window open when you leave?
posted by mealy-mouthed at 1:00 PM on May 20, 2005


Get her a friend (i.e. another cat.)

Seriously. It works.
posted by dersins at 1:06 PM on May 20, 2005


Catnip.
posted by scratch at 1:07 PM on May 20, 2005


The best idea is getting a second cat. I also second catnip, although female cats do not usually like it as much as males (as its stimulation comes from its similarity to female pheromones).

Beating Boredom

My cat is very dependent and were he not so agressive in strange situations, I would get him a girlfriend. he doesn't even eat when we're not home so I feel guilty being away for long periods of time.
posted by scazza at 1:29 PM on May 20, 2005


One sure way to get kitty going - Laser Pointer. Just make sure you have plenty of batteries.
Other than that, my one loves looking at squirrels, skunks, birds through the window - seems to keep him occupied.

But get the laser!
posted by bright77blue at 1:34 PM on May 20, 2005


Response by poster: These are all great suggestions, thanks. This is my first cat (I've always had dogs before, though I have lived with roommates who had cats), so I'm a nervous new cat momma. I'm really hoping all this is a schedule adjustment issue; otherwise, I'm going to look into the non frou-frou toys. I like the fish idea, too, but I'm worried she would bomb-dive it.

As I mentioned in the initial question, my apartment building only allows one pet, so getting another cat, while probably the best idea, isn't feasible at the moment.

Scazza -- wow. Luckily, my cat has a healthy appetite.
posted by Zosia Blue at 1:36 PM on May 20, 2005


Everyone's different, but our cats love the toy that's a mouse attached to an elastic string which can then be attached to the doorjamb so that it hangs just above the floor (I hope that makes sense). There's also a company that makes "mice" out of real rabbit fur--they go bananas for those.
posted by lackutrol at 1:45 PM on May 20, 2005


My cat is exactly like this. She's an older cat (12 when we adopted her) and is just so unhappy to be left alone and so incredibly needy all the time. Plus she's completely uninterested in any toy that doesn't move on its own (like a normal toy with a piece of thin, invisible-to-cats string attached so I can pull it around). I've found two things that help: the first is absolutely smothering her with affection when I'm around, so like grabbing her and hugging her and squeezing her and all that stuff that normal cats hate. The other is tiring her out with exercise at night so she sleeps more during the day. The invisible string thing works, and though I haven't gotten my stuff together to get one yet, I've never met a cat who wasn't bonkers for a laser pen. Either way, the whole thing is a difficult pancake and you have my sym/empathy.
posted by audrey the bug at 1:55 PM on May 20, 2005


If you have a window or glass door that the cat can look out of consider getting a bird feeder. It should provide hours of low cost entertainment for the cat! Ours attracts a variety of birds and squirrels. Our cats love to watch and stalk them! See here and here for some pictures I posted to flickr of our cats looking at birds and squirrels.
posted by entropy at 1:58 PM on May 20, 2005


i've got a friend whose cat actually watches the cat-minder videotapes (which are basically footage of birds and rodents), occasionally bopping the teevee screen. my own cat is most entertained by his captive ball toy (which is a blue disc with a ball in a track that can be batted around but not removed)--he spends up to twenty minutes at a time bonking it around. basically, any toy (like the mouse on the string or the balls with weights that cause them to change direction and keep rolling) that responds when the cat hits it is good for keeping a cat occupied when it's alone.
posted by crush-onastick at 1:59 PM on May 20, 2005


Zosia Blue, it's not an appetite issue but a scheduling issue, is what I was trying to say. My cat has gotten used to my feeding him and being home, so when I'm not he usually sleeps the entire time, forgetting to eat. Then if we're gone for days he has no way to regulate his own routine since he's used to working around us. He is on the thin side though.

For play, as my cat is extremely playful every day even at 3 years old, he likes climbing the door jambs with our assistance, and sitting atop the cabinets and doors to attack our hands. Also there's the brilliant feather on a string that can be dragged throughout the house for chasing, and swung in the air for high jumps. He also likes flies, so you could always release a couple into your house and watch kitty-fu commense, as cats can catch flies mid-air.

Also for videos, there's Video Catnip. My cat isn't a fan as the noises rile him up but he can't find the bird/small animal source to try and catch it.
posted by scazza at 3:52 PM on May 20, 2005


I have a neurotically needy cat, too, who is just all over me pretty much all the time (trying to climb on my lap and shed on me as we speak). I adopted her when she was four and I was her third owner and I really think she had separation anxiety. We did eventually adopt a brother and sister for her, but before that she evened out on her own when she adjusted to our schedule and I guess in her own pea-brained catty way figured out that when I left, I really would come back. I think that after a period of adjustment, your cat will calm down, too. This sounds more like an adjustment period than boredom.

In the meantime, my cat is not a big fan of toys but she loves the crinkly snake linked above (kitty hoots link) and bags. And boxes. You could build her what would be cat heaven to my cat by placing a couple grocery bags and empty boxes of various sizes on the floor with a crinkly toy or two inside them. You could also leave a shirt that you've worn and not washed on the floor so she can have something that smells a lot like you to sleep on. That's another trick my needy kitty appreciates. Pretty much any time I leave clothes on the floor, she camps out on them.
posted by jennyb at 3:56 PM on May 20, 2005


I've had lots of experience sneaking cats into rentals where they weren't allowed.

While it's admittedly a bit scary, I've found that most landlords are really susceptible to sob stories and aren't inclined to kick you out because you have one cat too many.

It's not the most honest approach, but here's my suggestion: Get your cat a friend. Keep them both out of sight. If/when the second cat is discovered, tell your landlord that it belonged to a deceased relative and you had to take it in. Turn on the tears.

Kitties are happy, owners are happy, landlord feel like they've done a good deed.
posted by mudpuppie at 7:15 PM on May 20, 2005


Well, at 3 years old she's naturally a lot more sedentary and jaded than a kitten would be. Toys have lost a bit of their kitteny thrill. Perhaps what seems like boredom to you is just her normal state.

How recently was she adopted? My cats need usually at least a month to inventory all the sights/sounds/smells of a new place. And that's without the additional adjustment of getting a new family. So it may be too early to worry.

Do you have a webcam? Leave it on while you're gone. She may be entertaining herself better than you realize.

She doesn't seem big on cat toys so far

Which toys have you tried? The cat toy universe is practically infinite. Are there any household objects (strings, pens, straws, curtains, feather duster, potted plants, her litter box, etc) she shows more interest in? If you watch her behavior, you'll notice what kinds of objects and activities she's naturally drawn to. Does she prefer to chase things? Roll them? Swat? Climb? Chew? Dig? Wrestle? Observe? Then get her a few toys that let her indulge in those specific types of favored play. Once you find some toys she enjoys, dole out no more than half of them at a time. Keep the rest hidden away, and periodically rotate her supply. Having the same old toys all the time is dull. If the toys you've given her right now are too similar to toys she had at the shelter and her previous home, they may be stale already. Put 'em away for a while.

Oh, and definitely get the laser pointer. Somwhere there must be clinical proof that no cat can resist the Power Of The Pointer.

Scolding and guilt-tripping...welcome to the wonderful world of cat ownership. As in, she owns your ass. You, as her newly adopted minions, have failed to be there for her every beck and call. Learn to accept your scolding cheerfully and move on. Unless she starts showing more neurotic symptoms, it's probably nothing personal.
posted by nakedcodemonkey at 7:55 PM on May 20, 2005


I got a feeder mouse at the pet store I felt bad for the mouse
but Cataraugus loved it to death.
posted by hortense at 11:49 PM on May 20, 2005


Maybe she just a sweetie that likes to cuddle and stuff. Count yourself lucky!
posted by koenie at 12:59 AM on May 21, 2005


Cats need time, just relax.
posted by phewbertie at 3:08 AM on May 21, 2005


Rather than investing in cat videos, if you have cable, Animal Planet might do the trick.

It works for dogs, I'm not sure how cats feel about it. My parents were desperate with their three poorly trained Pekes and started leaving Animal Planet on during the day and that solved a lot of their boredom issues.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 7:03 AM on May 21, 2005


Building on what nakedcodemonkey said about finding toys she likes, my needy cat also loves twist ties, rings from the tops of milk cartons, and aluminum foil. The caveat with all of these lovely, cheap, trash toys is that you have to watch her when she plays with them. My cat will tear aluminum up into a million tiny pieces and has been known to eat such exciting toys as rubber bands, landing her in overnight veterinary observation.
posted by jennyb at 7:44 AM on May 21, 2005


She probably just needs time to adjust, but if you're in a building with several apartments, maybe you could find someone else that has a cat that you could borrow during the day... you'd have the advantage of them both having a playmate, plus neither nor your neighbor would be breaking the lease.

The sneaky alternative, if you're in a building with more than one apartment, would be to find a neighbor that doesn't have a cat that would be willing to claim it as their own should the landlord see it. You'd keep the two cats, and if the landlord says anything, you say, "Oh, I'm just cat sitting the second one."
posted by MegoSteve at 8:55 AM on May 21, 2005


No cat can resist the Power Of The Pointer

That's what I used to think, but my cat couldn't care less about a little red dot. She'll watch it for a minute, but chase it? Heaven forbid.
posted by xil at 2:52 PM on May 21, 2005


Brown paper bags on the floor? Cardboard boxes? Maps or newspapers (any large flat paper) upon which cats must sit and wrinkle the paper? Chairs or kitty-ledges by the windowsills? (My cat watches the Birdie Channel to the north, Neighbor Channel to the south.) Laundry baskets on the floor? A slightly-elevated flat surface (end table, whatever) which would be a good vantage point in one room? Cats are compelled to monitor the goings-on in the house.

Marbles left in the sink, or a little bit of water in the sink? Those cheap toy fur mousies? Cat Dancer wire toys? There are rubber balls which you fill with cat treats . . . there's a hole in the ball and if your cat is resourceful enough, she will figure out how to hit the ball around so the treats will fall out (it's never worked for my cat, but some of them must know how to do it!)

Some cats will grow to appreciate rituals, even something simple like a "It's time for cats to stand on top of the scratching post in the morning" game.

Would she tolerate a cat-harness and an occasional excursion outside? My cat really likes to be in his pet carrier (!!!) and I carry him for walks around the block, or we sit on the porch for five minutes. It stresses him out just enough -- he's absolutely happy afterwards.
posted by oldtimey at 8:56 PM on May 21, 2005


It seems very possible that the one-cat rule is there just to set a boundary, to keep out the 100-cat ladies. As such I think there's a very good chance your landlord will flex on this issue (once you explain why one is bad, two is enough, and three is unnecessary, so he doesn't think it the first step on the slippery slope). If need be, point out that your two cats will weigh less than many people's one dog.
posted by Aknaton at 11:36 PM on May 21, 2005


IANAL - Under the Tenant Protection Act (TPA) here in Ontario, it is unlawful for a landlord to evict you because you have a pet in violation of a "no pet" clause in your lease agreement. However, a landlord can evict you for keeping a pet if it causes undue damage to the property, causes a serious allergic reaction in another person or the landlord, interfered with the normal enjoyment of the property by another tenant or the landlord, for example, causing undue noise, or if the pet acted aggressively to others - thus affecting their safety.

I say know your rights and get the second cat if you want. If your landlord gives you a hard time, explain how the second cat keeps the first cat from freaking out while you are gone. He'll appreciate that you are concerned about property damage. If it gets legal, (highly unlikely, IMO) turn to the TPA in your area.
posted by KathyK at 6:19 AM on May 22, 2005


Another toy suggestion: table tennis or Ping Pong balls. I usually throw one in the (empty) bathtub before I leave for work; it's usually gone when I get home. I've done this for a year and a half now. I have no idea where they go.
posted by klarck at 7:07 PM on May 22, 2005


« Older Help me get evicted!   |   songs that have backwards messages? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.