New Kitten In Lockdown

[SplayedRose]

Hi all. Just after a friendly bit of advise. We lost our 17yr old cat in Nov and even though i vowed to never get another, 15yr old DD persuaded me(well didnt take much persuasion ) that the time was right to have another. So we went ahead and adopted a kitten from Cats Protection a couple of days before lockdown was introduced. Lockdown being introduced has turned out quite handy as even though im still going out to work, DD and DH have been at home constantly with him.

He has settled in amazingly and after only week of being upstairs with only small introductions to our two collies, he brazenly walked down the stairs, squeezed through the baby gate we had bought especially and has ruled the roost so to speak since. He has settled in amazingly and even though it feels like i have spent on fortune on kitten toys from the shops i can get access to, his favourite toy is a rolled up cupcake case, and only stripy ones at that. He turns his nose up in disgust at plain ones . He was 4 months when we got him so is nearing the 6 month mark now and we will be letting him out when we have his injections done(we couldnt get the second one done in time before vets closed for emergency only). Little bugger is trying to get out all the time into back garden when we let dogs out.

With DD and DH being home all the time he has never been left on his own at all and has always had constant human interaction wether by playing iwith him, talking to him etc. Im stressing now that we maybe playing too much with him and he dosent know how to entertain himself. My worry is that when DH comes off furlough and DD goes back to school he will find it a massive shock to not having company, regardless of if we have started letting him out by then. I work 6-2 and normally my DM comes ours ea workday just after DD has left for school until 11 to keep dogs company( so she says i reckon its just to get out of DDad way ) so in the grand scheme of things he would only be on his own for a few hours anyway.

So onto my point. He was one of four male kittens; 2 tabby and 2 B/W. The two tabby had been reserved to be collected before we went to view him and we chose him out of the 2 B/W. I felt guilty that we couldnt take the other B/W at that time but DH thought it would be too much esp with already having 2 dogs. We went a couple of times to view and they were always play fighting. The night lockdown was announced i checked the local Cats Protection website and the other B/W hadnt been reserved and the 2 tabby werent showing as collected either. Currently the website is still saying no cats up for adoption. Im serisouly thinking about emailing them to see if the other B/W is still available for adoption when we finally do come out of lockdown. My DH thinks im mad but i think it would be good company for him and know we could give him a good home. Do you think after such a time apart they would remember ea other or if its a good idea or not bearing in mind 6/7 weeks have passed?(thats if we could collect after current lockdown)

Sorry for the ramble. Fingers crossed obligatory pic has attached.

Do the dogs ignore the cat or do they get on? They can be companions. It's been two months now so no gaurantee the cats will get on, and your cat may now feel a new one as an unwelcome challenger! Once your cat can go outside it will have plenty to occupy himself with.

OP I'm so happy to read that you are giving so much thought to helping your new article settle in.

I'm a dog walker and also care for cats and have owned many over the years. I'm very concerned about her effect of lockdown on dogs, and puppies in particular. However, in general I think it is less of a concern for kittens and cats.

Cats only suffer with separation anxiety extremely rarely. Kittens are naturally playful, but usually cope well with periods alone and honestly don't think you should be concerned.

Enjoy this precious period with your fluffy bundle as they playful phase tends to wane as they grow up.

If your kitten is able to sleep and doze alone and isn't following you round constantly it's highly likely they will adjust to being alone without issues. They will most likely find a comfy spot and sleep most of the day, greeting you nonchalantly if you're lucky when you get home.

It used to be thought that cats were very solitary, and were best kept singly. However, many cats do enjoy feline company, especially bonded siblings or pairs. I think though, that it may be too late for the litter to have retained bonds.

Your kitten may bond well with a sibling, or it may not. In my experience a multi-cat household where the cats don't get in can be incredibly stressful and in my opinion can cause a lot of worry and guilt.

I had 2 brothers from the CPL. When they were new to us (about 4 months old) I do think they played a bit. I have one photo of them asleep together. That was 15 years ago and if it were not for the photographic evidence, I would not remember it. They have spent the intervening 15 years totally ignoring one another. Usually, if one comes in to a room and sees the other, they either turn round and walk straight back out again, or they stay and the original occupant leaves.

My point being, presumably as kittens, someone thought they were bonded as I remember they were offered as a pair. But they really haven't enjoyed each other at all.

I think your kitten may miss you when you all go back to work or school, but he will have the dogs, and he will soon have the freedom to come and go and I think that will quickly become his norm.

I would also like to add that my current cat (2yo) is not particularly impressed with lockdown.

DS is off school, DH is wfo, I'm self employed and not able to work. The cat is most put out that his usual routine has been affected, and there are humans everywhere.

Thanks all for your replies. Its like having a new baby again, fretting over every move etc He gets along with dogs very well. He likes to lie across the dogs paws when they all lying in the window waiting for me to come home. They all come up to bed with me for a cuddle and will lay snoozing together. Im probably overthinking things but just want them to be happy.

He's lovely - what a sweet face.

My 2 house cats make a point of completely ignoring one another - they both have a better relationship with the dog!

@SplayedRose you've hit the jackpot to have a dogs that tolerate your kitten and visa versa!

Try not to worry. Cats are so resilient and singleminded that he will be just fine.

Thank you for this thread. It's been lovely to take cats instead of corona.

I've been trying to caution people against getting a puppy, and to try to minimise effects of lockdown on dogs. But I've no such concerns about kittens and cats- enjoy your lovely fluff ball!

Love how he only likes stripy cake cases. He's got you well trained! He's gorgeous.

I think people say after 3 months cats tend to forget things, i don't know how true that is. Similar situation happened to me (and unfortunately the woman we got the cats from was mistreating them😭) but we were drawn to one of the two kittens but i couldn't face leaving one by herself so we got both of them, lucky we did too as we later found out they were riddled with fleas, were 5 weeks younger than expected, were being left all day without care and not ready to be adopted! They are fine now but they are definitely not close. I think you should ring them up if you can or email and explain you want to get the other cat after lock down 😻 either way they will be good company for each other if they remember each other or not!