We have a cat. I feel like a terrified new parent.

[dameofdilemma]

We have a (grown up, spayed, vaccinated, gentle) cat. I've never had a pet or been around animals.

Dp and dd wanted a cat, dp is looking after it and showing dd how to but sometimes I'll be home alone with it. I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do apart from feed it.

The cat follows us around meowing. I have eczema so can't handle it/stroke it much or have it on my lap.
Yesterday it curled up next to me and fell asleep while I made soothing noises. I tiptoed out trying not to wake it. It woke up and followed me meowing until I sat with it again.

We can't let it outside for a few weeks so maybe once it can venture out it'll stop looking so forlorn.

I tried playing with it but it wasn't interested in any of the toys we bought it. It ignores its cat bed too and instead sleeps in front of the fish tank.

This feels harder than when dd was a baby!

My pair rejected the proper bed they were bought, in fact they would contort themselves to avoid touching it when they went past it. They go through phases of liking the igloo I got them. They tend to sleep in loads of different places - on my bed, in the wardrobe, on the cat tree (Girlcat only), on the seats or back of the sofa, on the living room (laminate) floor, on my bedroom floor, under my bed. So just about anywhere except the expensive purpose made place. They are cats, sort of says it all!

Other interesting places cats I have known to be fond of include - on top of a very narrow garden wall, on top of the flat garage roof (rough roofing felt surface), in a gap in the bookcase, half way up the stairs, under cars, on a towel rail (yes, that one overlapped by a LOT either side), on top of stereo speakers (not on at the time), on the wooden fence railings.....

on top of stereo speakers (not on at the time)

Was it boycat?

How did you resist?

Not mine - Boycat is far too clumsy to get up on my rather tall speakers, and if he managed to get up he'd probably fall off again. Remember this is the cat who took about a year to find his way up on the windowsill!

One of my DSiL's Burmese who was a real adventurer, she used to jump up onto the top of the living room door when it was open and balance there yowling at them to come & look at her. She would also tiptoe along the front of books and DVDs in the bookcase.

Congratulations OP, sounds like your cat is successfully training you already.

I agree that he/she is acting like this in the morning because cats are primed to get outside at dawn so by the time you get up it is bursting to get outside especially as its now warm and the dawn chorus is in full throng. Don't let your cat outside yet though, leave it at least 2 weeks.

Tricky to train a cat tbh. They often like high places from where they can observe their territory hence the jumping on tables.....This is why indoor cat trees are popular as many cats like to make their way to the top section- having said that they also often show disdain for anything that you specifically set up for them to sleep on.

I'm torn between cat-sitter and cattery. My two old cats used a cat flap reliably and were free to come and go as they pleased. I used a cat sitter for them. My newer cat still comes in at night (if I can persuade him) and I shut the cat flap, I've not yet graduated to being relaxed enough to allow him to come and go all night. So for him I use a cattery as its a bit much to expect a cat sitter to get him in each evening and I would be highly likely to get a call to say he had disappeared.

I’ve had more luck with my neighbour to be honest then a professional cat sitter who has done the bare minimum and charged a bomb. I love my farm cattery and they do too and if I’m away for a week plus that’s where they go. It’s no more expensive than a sitter. If you had a niece or nephew that could sleep over that would be the ideal. My niece was a godsend when I was in hospital recently.

Anyay do you know how to post photos on here??

My cat is noisiest in the mornings. It’s like she has all the overnight chat stored up and needs to tell someone. She wants fed, out, and all the curtains open so she can look out, all at once, and Right Now Or Else.

The kitchen table thing is a nuisance - if we don’t have a cloth on she goes up less, but can scratch it - but we did essentially “train” her not to go on the worktops with non-stop removal, and NO. I figure having constant table cloths in the wash is better than hairy work surfaces, so choose my battles. She likes sitting on the garden table too.

wrt to cattery or catsitter...

I would always prefer catsitter (either a reciprocal arrangement with neighbour or friend ) to cattery. However, to keep the cattery option available you will need to make sure all vaccinations are up to date, and keep the paperwork to show the cattery.

Does anyone know why he would reject his comfy cat bed or favourite rug on the sofa for sleeping next to the toilet??

He's a cat, it is not your place to question his choice of sleeping place you must just accept it.

Future plaese to sleep may well be in front of the television, on your head in bed or keeping you from seeing a screen such as a phone or tablet.

This is what cats do, mere mortals do not have the brain power to understand it, just have faith he knows what he is doing.

Allergictoironing

I had a foster cat that would walk along the curtain pole between wardrobes, it was a double pole but even so it was impressive.