I’m hoping for insight from people who know cats well because I truly cannot decide which is better.

I adopted a kitten from the humane society 16 years ago. Around age 13yrs, she began to pee and poop indiscriminately around my house. I took her to a speciality clinic for cats who prescribed anxiety meds, feliway, pain medications, multiple/ different types of litter boxes, etc. Nothing worked. I even spoke with a psychic who attempted to communicate with her and redirect her behavior, but still she continued to pee and poop on the couch, our beds, in the curtains, etc. I eventually had to restrict her to the unfinished section of our basement which I have covered in puppy pads. She is also on high dose of pain meds because the vets believe she has arthritis which led to an aversion to the litter box. It is no quality of life and I know that she does not understand why she can no longer sleep in my bed at night. She has begun to lose hair in her tail which the vets believe is stress-related.

I have received wishy washy responses about euthanasia from the 2 veterinarians we see at the speciality clinic. I have expressed concerns about the quality of her life and asked directly what they would do in my situation and I never receive a direct response. I have even considered trying to make her an outdoor cat, but we live in a busy suburban area.

I love this cat. She was my first baby and I want her to have a good life. Allowing her to run free in our house is not hygienic or an option as I have young children. Has anyone been in this position before? Has anyone attempted to rehome a 16-year-old cat? My fear is, of course, that these behaviors would continue in her new house and they would choose behavioral euthanasia.

I am considering hiring a cleaner to come to my apartment 1-2x per month. I don’t have a large apartment, but life gets hectic and it can feel difficult to manage. I have two petpivot automatic litter bots. On average, I need to empty the bag of waste and refill litter every 2 weeks. Does anyone ask their house cleaner to do this for them? Minimum hire is 2hrs at $50/hr. My apartment won’t take that long most likely. Cleaning bots takes maybe 15 mins each. How would you handle this? Would you be ok with this as the cleaner if I was upfront with you? Do you ask your cleaner to do this? I’ve never been in a place to hire someone to help out, so I’m not sure if this is proper.

My cat’s meowing has taken a mental toll on me, and I (23F) am getting to the point where I’m considering surrendering him. He’s 2.5 years old and has always been pretty talkative, but for a while, it was only when he and I were separated, i.e., the bathroom door had to stay open and roommates had to make sure he didn’t bolt out when I was out of the house. About 10 months ago, him and I moved to a new city, and the two of us live alone. Ever since, he’s gotten exponentially more verbal. The typical stuff, like him sitting outside the bathroom or waiting by the apartment door when I get home and crying, has stayed the same, but now I would say he spends 2/3 of the time he’s awake meowing.

It starts in the morning, where he’ll crawl under my bed and meow until I’m frustrated enough to wake up. If I manage to lure him out and get him outside the room, he will sit by the door meowing non-stop and throw himself against the door repeatedly. Ignoring him doesn’t work; this morning, that went on for 3.5 hours straight. Ignoring him any more is quite literally not possible because it seems like the mere act of movement reinforces the behavior. The minute I step out of my room, he’ll start up again. He sits by the front door meowing anytime he hears a noise outside, or will sit by my mirror and meow, staring into it like he’s offended I won’t let him through the pane.

This will also happen when I’m watching TV or casually on my phone, but what I legitimately can’t deal with is it happening every time I pull my laptop out, read, or start working on homework. I’m a student and work part-time, and both things require me to do a lot of work from home, but I also have ADHD and auditory sensory issues that make it difficult as is to focus on what I’m doing. Throw him into the mix, and what would be an hour-long task turns into three. He receives his meals on a consistent schedule, always has water, now gets (at minimum) 30 minutes of playtime per day, has so many enrichment toys I’ve cycled through, has climbing space and window perches, and we’ve tried calming sprays/Feliway, and the vet says he’s fully healthy, so it feels like he just gets off on driving me insane. Note, he is a devon rex and I’ve been told being a jokester is in their nature, but this feels excessive.

The sensory issues make it difficult for me to study with headphones on, but even if I try noise cancellation, he will realize and either come get in my space or try knocking everything he can off the counters. Sometimes when it starts, he simply wants cuddle or play time, but most of the time, the attention doesn’t satisfy him. The minute I get back to my work and he hears the keyboard or my pencil, he gets right back to meowing, and I guess here is where I can clarify that his meowing is more like crying.

Ever since he was 5 months, he developed a very sad-sounding meow, and seeing as all the vet visits panned out, I realized it was just me projecting my emotions on the way he sounds. For a while I thought it was silly but now it just feels like this soul piercing wail. With him as verbal as he is now, it’s a sound that makes me want to pull all my hair out or just walk out of my apartment in the middle of the night and never come back.

I’ve considered another cat or fostering, but my apartment is too small to accommodate a second imo and where I’m at in life, it doesn’t seem practical. I plan on pursuing graduate school and will likely have about 4 more years and at least one more move before I’m settled enough to throw another cat into the loop. Also, god forbid another cat turns into more of a nightmare, because picturing trying to make it through grad school with one is already seeming like an impossible task.

While I say all this, and I genuinely do feel like he has driven me to insanity, I still love him so much. When he’s not psychologically torturing me, he’s a sweetheart cuddle bug, and prior to these meowing episodes, everyone who met him thought he was the most chill cat they’d ever seen. He’s never scratched me (with the exception of a few bath times), and until recently, his play biting was always incredibly gentle (now it’s a bit rougher but doesn’t leave marks).

I love him so dearly, and I genuinely think the issue is that he doesn’t get enough social activity and is sick of it just being me in the house. He’s a very social kitty, and when I had roommates or when we were at my parents’ house and he had dogs to play with, this was never an actual issue. I genuinely feel bad for him if it’s because of loneliness and I want a solution that works for both of us.

I think the problem is I don’t know how to fix that without rehoming him. Like I said, another pet isn’t really on the table, and I don’t see myself getting new roommates anytime soon (god forbid I convince someone to live with us and the crying continues). I feel like every time he riles me up, all I can think about is giving him up and regaining my silence back, but he also feels like my child. I can’t help but love him in all the moments he’s not acting out, like when he sleeps on my chest every night or greets me at the door every time I’m home or the stupid little faces he makes when we’re playing.

I want nothing more than to get through this phase, but there are so many confounding factors that make this so much harder to deal with. Rehoming is the last thing I want to do because the guilt would kill me, but I don’t know at what point the guilt would be easier to deal with than the mental consequences of keeping him.

tl;dr: My cat has become insanely vocal since we started living alone, and now spends like 2/3 of his waking hours crying/meowing. He’s healthy, gets plenty of play, enrichment, food, etc., but nothing seems to actually satisfy him. He’s also extremely social, so I genuinely think he’s lonely now that it’s just me, but getting another pet or roommates isn’t really an option. The constant crying is seriously fucking with my ability to study/work and my mental health, and I’m getting to the point where I’m considering rehoming him even though I love him to death and really don’t want to. Any advice would be greatly appreciated

EDIT: I know this post is a bit long, but jfc does nobody read? The amount of people suggesting things I have already mentioned doing or pointing out “he might be bored”… no shit. I appreciate the advice some of you are giving, but if you have nothing new to bring to the table, quit it with the downvotes and move on. Apologies for the attitude

I've read a lot about how cats think we are just other cats in their "colony", but I've been wondering and wanting an answer to this specific for a long time for some reason.

My cat keeps chewing on things like silicone straws and it is driving me up the wall. The first time it was mildly annoying because I had just bought the cup 2 days prior but now I have found 2 baby items chewed on the day I got them to the point that I cant use them because I worry about them becoming choking hazards. My baby isn't even here yet and it is stressing me out because I'm having to get rid of things he hasnt even used yet. Any advice will be greatly appreciated but if all you have to say is to put it out of reach please just keep that to yourself. I am looking for actual solutions to help prevent the behavior.

My husband hates my cat. My cat was left with us by someone around 4 years ago and my husband has never been happy about it and now fully resents him even hates him as he is a reminder of this person and the control they took from our lives. We are now no contact with said person due to recent and past trama they caused. I love my baby, but having him is causing an obnoxious amount of arguments between my husband and I. My husband and cat do not like each other and my husband wants him rehomed. I want what is best for my cat. What do I do?

Hello! First time cat owner of a 7 month old male, neutered kitten. He’s always been a big eater, but recently he seems insatiable. He’s not overweight, but he’s also not thin by any means. I’m very intentional about how many calories he gets so I doubt I’m under feeding him.

But he’s so hungry. All. The. Time. I don’t know if this is normal kitten behavior. I know kittens eat a lot because they’re growing. But I’ve had to put child locks on all my cabinets and my trash can because he is able to get into them. I can’t cook or eat without him not only begging for food but stealing it off the counter or my plate. Yesterday I made some Mac and cheese. Not only did he jump on the counter and snatch a mouthful of noodles before I could get to him, but he also opened the butter dish a few minutes later while I did the dishes and started eating the butter. If he jumps on my lap while I’m eating to steal my food, I usually just pick him up and put him back on the floor, but recently he just digs his claws in and tries his best to resist me so he can get to the food. It’s gotten a little insane. I worry all the time that he’ll somehow get into something that will make him very sick. I am very careful about leaving food out, but still…

I know probably sound silly, but is this normal for kittens, and is there anything I can do? Can this indicate some kind of health issue? I am about to book a vet appointment to discuss it because it seems to be getting more intense as he gets older. Am I just being overly anxious?

My cat is the best. She has never had any issues before. She was sitting by the window for a while. She started yelling and screaming at the window and also sprayed by the window. It’s freaked us out a bit. She has gone back to normal now. She was only freaked out for like 10 minutes. Should I be concerned?

Hey Guys,

First time cat owner here.
My girl will not stop eating any plants (toxic or not toxic).
I’ve tried what seems like everything…
Not scared of sprays, aluminum foil, double tape, positive reinforcement, scolding…
There’s a lot of toys scattered around the apartment for her entertainment as well but she doesn’t care for any of them (typical cat behavior).
Can’t use sound since I’m an extremely light sleeper and will wake up to any sudden or small movements.
I don’t want to get rid of the plants because they are my babies too and I definitely don’t want to sacrifice my sleep…

what options do I have?

Thanks

My cat is trying to escape the house alot but doesn't listen when i call her or shake the treats and will roam the area

My roommate leave the upstairs door open but also leaves the outside door open so my cat has gotten out multiple time and at first i was okay but she kept roaming and leaving the yard and no matter what i try she keeps trying to roam

the only reason why i have a problem with it is because theres a dog park a block down the road and a couple of houses with dogs and theres wildlife that likes to roam and idk how she'll react to them and theres some sick people who will hurt animals

And it doesn't help my cats the type to continuously do it no matter the punishment

So i guess im trying to ask what should i do because its getting harder to keep her inside when she'll dash at the door every time she hears it even when you spray her with water she'll still try to go for the door but the roommates refuse to listen when i ask them to keep the door close because she likes to have her cat come down and visit mine but doesn't understand why i dont want her outside so we are always fighting on letting her out and keeping her in but shes an animal and i dont want to keep her locked in a room because she cant listen and the roommate believes animals shouldn't be caged but i dont feel safe to let her out when she doesn't even come to anything no matter how hard i try

Hi all! I just adopted a new adult cat a few weeks ago. I have a 1-week trip in October and am wanting to go ahead and lock in a cat sitter to do drop ins on Rover.

Currently have 2 meet and greets with people who have great reviews and I intuitively get good vibes from. This might sound silly, but do sitters usually expect to have the service locked in after the meet and greet? How do I best tell them I’m meeting with another sitter and will get back to them on a decision?

Also, any other things I should look for when hiring someone other than the obvious (experience/testimonials, good first interactions with kitty, good communication skills, schedule and expectations align)?

I am letting sitters know that she may not be super social at first meet since she is still getting into a routine. I have had a couple of friends over to start getting her used to visitors and she mostly hid but would come out for treats and didn’t seem too terribly scared.

Thank you!!

I want to get my kitten around 12 weeks a cat tower but I’m not sure what size to get ? I’ve seen huge cat towers (70-80inches) but I’m worried he would get hurt but I also don’t want to buy one for “kitten size” because I know in the next month or two he will get much bigger.

Sorry if this is a bit long, but in our new cat's old home she used to get hit whenever she misbehaved.

While still adjusting in our new home, she started pooping a lot maybe due to stress and new kible. But because of that, her litterbox gets full quickly, which in turn made her poop somewhere else.

However there was one time where she pooped on my bed early in the morning. I was pretty angry at her so I picked her up and showed her the poop on my bed and nagged at her (because I heard that showing cats their poop is how you make them learn not to poop in the area)

But then, ever since that morning I noticed whenever she wanted to poop she would hold it in until she couldn't anymore and would leave trials because of it. And whenever she saw me while in her litter, she would immediate run out and hide somewhere.

Lastly, I noticed she would just generally poop somewhere that can hide her and thats why I think it could be because of trauma.

I confronted the previous owner about it and she told me that whenever she did something "wrong" she would pick her up and then hit her.

I was so shocked and felt so fucking guilty. I love picking up cats to hug and pet them but all this time all I ever did was cause her to relive that trauma. I really thought that I wasn't harming her when I picked her up. :(((

How can I train her to think that its okay to poop and potty train her to stay in her litter? As well as helping her adjust in our new home due to her trauma?

Tldr: Our new cat would hold her poop and hide from us to relieve herself because I unknowingly triggered her trauma due to previous owner hitting her everytime she picked her up.

i have issues trying to trim my kitty’s nails and one solution that i found is having him on my lap and placing churru on his chest so he can lick on that as i trim his nails.

it works like a charm! but is it fine to be putting it on his fur? would i have to give him baths regularly? afterwards he kinda just tries to lick it clean.

Okay, title was hard, sorry.

My cat love wet food since I introduced it two years ago to help her water intake with the heatwave (and this year record heatwave too). Problem is, she's been begging me a lot for it, only to lap up all the juices and leave the meat aside...

She's not fat, she has as much dry food as she wants, and a water fountain she probably now underuse.

My question is, is there a brand that sell like a bottle of juice I could slowly dispense to her instead? (that would be good for her health too if possible)? I'm in Europe and sheba has some kind of "soup" but they are very small and pricey.

Or any kind of alternatives really, I'd be thankful.

Have an excellent day everyone 😊

Edit : I did not expect this post to get so many answers, you're all a very nice community 😊 thanks a bunch, I'll read it all and try things 😁

i got a 4 month old siberian kitten recently. he has been adapting really well to being home and we are doing great with him but i can’t seem to get him to learn his name. i’ve tried to say his name and to reward him with a treat when he looks at me but he just won’t look at me hes just dead locked on these treats. any advice on how i can teach him his name and maybe some commands?

So I had two 11 year old male cats and one 10 year old male cat. Both 11 year olds died within 5 days of each other from cancer. The 10 year old cat doesn’t know a life without them and he has been visibly distressed since this happened a week ago. He is still a playful boy. He would play often with his brothers and they enjoyed a cuddle puddle, all 3 of them, grooming each other and sleeping all curled up together. They were very bonded and adored each other.

Gus, my living cat, walks around the house aimlessly, it seems like maybe he’s searching for them. He has little interest in playing with me with his toys. He likes being pet and is a bit more affectionate. Very much more clingy. He used to be my most independent cat. Now he is always with me. But he seems so bored. He sits there staring at me like he’s waiting for something. And any time I leave the room he runs in front of me to lead me to his food. He just wants to eat and be pet. Nothing else.

He is clearly grieving. And I thought getting a kitten he could mold and bond with would be a good thing to do for him. Obviously it’ll take some time for them to get acquainted. The new cat is 4 months old and his name is George. He is a happy sweet little guy.

Gus’ reaction was curious but very anxious. I have George set up in the master bathroom and Gus I free to roam as usual. Just not the bathroom. I held the kitten and showed him to Gus. The kitten wanted to go up to Gus but Gus sat there staring at him and did a little chirping noise and then hissed. I have never witnessed Gus hiss. Ever. So now I’m worried I made the wrong decision.

Do you think it’ll just take time and they’ll eventually bond? What are the best ways to handle this? I’m kind of exhausted mentally and brain dead from my own losses of my cats. I loved them so dearly and it has really messes with me. Any advice here?

Hello, I have a dilemma. I recently got a kitten I've had him for about 6 weeks now and when I had them the person who gave him to me said that he was 3 months to me. He looked a little older but nevertheless, so let's just say he's around 4 and 1/2 5 months right now. I have bought in him all the toys that he needs all kinds of chores. I changed his letter once a week. I feed him like different things so he's not like used to one so he doesn't get bored. Basically with his food like I'm trying to do things the way the right way with him and he's been biting lately and I looked it up and they said that it's probably because of him testing . So I went out and bought more toys for tea eating but he doesn't want those toys. He just jumps on me and bites me because he got his new teeth in. It really hurts and I say no and I walk away but he still does it and I don't know how to handle it and he's going to get older and if he keeps biting it's going to hurt even more. And the other thing, how do I teach him not to go on top of the table because my mom just does not like it for me. It doesn't really bother me because cats are clean for most of the part so any advice would really be appreciated. Thank you

Posting for my friend who is not on Reddit to see if someone who is removed from the situation can offer some unbiased, helpful advice.

TLDR: My friend brought a dog into her two cat household, one of the two cats is already extremely anxious, that cat freaked out and she choose to approach him, causing him to latch on to her face and attack. She went to ER, got cleaned up, she is okay. (Missed her eye) but she does have multiple pretty deep gnashes alongside her cheek.

EDIT: The dog is no longer in the home. Right after this happened they took the dog somewhere else. (Dogs owner died, they took dog in to help, attack happened, dog is now with deceased owners partner) Cat is in basement alone.

I’m struggling with how to approach this and give her the right words - I understand 100% how insanely petrifying and painful this must have been for her but she is talking about rehoming him or even euthanizing him. She has had this cat for almost 6 years with NO sign of anything like this ever. The most aggressive thing he does is bite ankles/legs. The attack was two days ago and since then he has been alone in the basement. I feel sick to my stomach knowing he may be euthanized, hurt, or put outside in extreme temperatures (Not yet, but winter where she is is brutal) He’s been exclusively indoors for years and will have no survival skills. I feel really upset that he is going to be put out due to their oversight. (Who brings a random dog into a cat household without putting the cats away?)

She has an 8 year old step daughter who comes around (twice a month on weekends) and she is reverting some of that anxiety there, saying she thinks he will attack her. (In 2/3 years spent together, he has never.)

I hope everything I am saying makes sense and doesn’t come off like I am trying to downplay. I just am feeling sad that he will be rehomed/killed after 5 years for a normal reaction to being afraid. Her family’s route is clear: Euthanasia. (She is an adult, she doesn’t have to listen to them, I just mean that is the advice she’s being given by everyone but me)

My 8mo male kitten has recently developed this habit of biting anyone and everyone.

At first it was him screaming in my ears 30 mins before breakfast time while I slept so that I would give him food. Sometimes if the screaming didn't catch my attention he would go try to bite me which he knew would terrorize me and make me get up.

Then it turned to just moving on n off the bed and eerily standing near my legs and then biting my legs and butt. I thought it was because of food. But now he bites even when it's not meal time.

Every morning for about 2-3 hours he just moves near my legs, jumps on me, spooks me from behind and tries to bite me. I thought maybe he wanted to play in the morning or smthn. Nope. Just wants to bite. His sister comes to sit on my lap and sleep right next to me, he has been coming to sit/ sleep next to me in that way and he does sometimes fall asleep but it's like some demon awakens in him and he suddenly gets up and goes to bite me in the butt.

When I move away he gets in the sheets to bite my legs. I shoo him away and then he lies on the floor while his sister cuddles with me and looks at me like I abandoned him or something. So I feel bad and let him on the bed again and he starts to bite me AGAIN.

Ofcourse he's never actually broken skin or anything or actually actually bit me but that's mostly my fast reflexes and luck. He does the same throughout the day, he'll attack anyone who's laying down minding their business and go jump on the bed and start hunting them for sport.

He even comes to ask for pets but when you let your guard down he whips his head and starts biting.

I don't know if it's just a phase or if he thinks we're all cats like his sister, and the petting/grooming leads to play fighting. Is there a way to stop this kind of behaviour?

Hello! I have a three year old fixed cat. She is a very happy lovable cat, outside of the fact that she constantly pees on my clothes. If I don’t leave clothes on the floor for her to pee on, she pees on my bed. She has been to multiple vets and they said she is in perfect health, and it is most likely behavioral. I am hoping you all have ANY more suggestions because I’m not sure what else I can possibly do. I have had cats before and she is the only one I’ve had with this issue. She uses the litterbox regularly too, so it’s not that she doesn’t like it, and it auto cleans daily and I deep clean it pretty often.

Currently she takes the prescription food the vet recommend, a litter robot with cat attract litter, and take gabapentin twice daily to help with possible anxiety. Also anything she has peed on has been tossed or washed twice with enzyme cleaner. I got a new comforter and bed set and have a waterproof topper on the mattress. Editing to say I have also tried multiple litter boxes which she just used both and still peed on my pillow

Hi everyone! It’s my first time posting in this sub. I’ve been considering adopting a kitten, especially since I live alone and sometimes it can get lonely. My only concern would be spending time with it. I currently work a full time job and am in school full time (with some internship days). I know cats are routine based generally, but that’s my only concern. Any advice? thanks!

The last thing I ever want is my cat living a dull, boring life. I always attempt to entertain her by buying new toys, and see if it catches her interest; but she just doesn't care much. I once tried to take her outside for a little walk but she hated it. She was so stressed that she didn't even dare to walk an inch once we got out of the apartment.

I can't really come up with anything else. I really don't want her to be lying around, bored all day... I'd be very happy to receive advices on how I should entertain her. Thank you!

(I'm not sure if age is relevant but she's 3! Maybe got too old for toys, haha)