I adopted a dear little approx 6 month old kitten from the Shelter last year. He had an unsettled start to life - he had 2-3 homes before the Shelter, then was in the Shelter cage for 2-3 weeks, then came home to me.
Right from the start he was fiercely independent - no safe room for him! He wanted to be out, exploring the entire house. He went under everything, climbed on top of everything - he knew every pocket of my house within a week!
He was a typical kitten - very scratchy and always wanting to play (I asked advice on him before):
www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_litter_tray/4373635-Help-with-a-scratchy-kitten
and as he got older his scratching settled down. However he still (at now 18 months), doesn’t want to sit on my lap or purr at all or ‘make biscuits’. He does do slow blinking, and always wants to be near me (he will find me wherever I am - even the bathroom! And follow me from rooms). He wouldn’t have loved to be at outside cat, but he couldn’t be at my house.
Fast forward - I got a new job that required several moves, so my parents offered to take my Dcat for until I got settled (probably 12-18 months). They are not ‘cat people’ but they do like animals and have an older, small dog, that I thought DCat might like (as I think he would like company). They are also retired, and home a lot of the time (as I had started to go back to work, and he was a bit lonely). Also, they live on a bit of land, so DCat has been able to transition to going outside from about 8-4pm every day, which he loves. He climbs trees, hides in the bushes, goes adventuring, but always fairly close to the house, as he likes to be near people. Since he’s been going outside he has stopped playing with a lot of his toys and is v sleepy in the house - it seems clear he needed more mental stimulation than he was getting and the outside trips are giving it to him.
He would love to be friends with their little dog, but she is old and the friendship attempts annoy her. She just ignores him.
Finally, my parents also have a big roaring fireplace (it’s winter here), and he loves curling up as close as he can to it, and sleeping in front of it all night.
He moved in with them 3 months ago. I visited him last weekend (3rd time I have visited), and each time he has come running over to me, and licked my hand several times on arrival. After that, he kind of ignores me but always stays close to people. Before, when living with him, he wouldn’t come running to me or lick me, but would always stay close.
My question is - I am so upset about having to have left him. I miss him so much. Intellectually I know this is the way it has to be for now, and I am grateful my parents can give him a good home, but I miss him. I also feel bad that I am yet another home he had that didn’t last after those first turbulent 6 months he had (albeit, he was with
me for 7 months).
I guess I am hoping to know he is happy, and that he recognises me and loves me. I wish he would purr, but he never has.
Can anyone set my mind at ease….do you think cats have long memories, or is he just looking into the fire and has forgotten all about his first turbulent year of life?!?