I'm expecting for people to come for me here and some "what did you expect" comments but wanted to still post anyway just in case anyone has any words of encouragement or advice on how to feel better.
My cat is 6 months old, love her to bits. We have had her for just over 4 months now. I have a 4 year old cat as well who we have had since he was about 10 months. I did lots of research into getting a kitten and kept putting it off until I was sure that the time was right and we could handle two cats financially etc. I knew about how mischievous and mad kittens are and didn't expect anything different. However, what I DIDNT expect was how it would make me feel.
My kitten isn't bad. She isn't doing anything wrong. I never shout at her or punish her. I try to train her to stop her doing things like playing with her toys if she goes for my feet etc. But I'm so completely and utterly exhausted by her that I am miserable. I cry every day and I dread coming home. I dread waking up to another day of her relentless energy and destruction.
As I say, I was prepared for this and know it's what kittens do. I just can't help the way I feel. I have to have eyes in the back of my head and watch her CONSTANTLY otherwise she will end up getting herself in dangerous situations. She creates hazards out of things that I never even thought of. When we first got her we cat proofed everything and made sure there was nothing she could hurt herself on and confined her to one room while we are out etc. We still confine her while we are out but at 6 months old it's cruel to just have her in one room while we are home so we let her have run on the house. But we HAVE to watch her we can't just get on with our own stuff. She has been dangling from light frames, she went up the chimney and I didn't even realise she could get up there until I saw her tail disappear and I shit myself. We can't have any windows open because shes on them straight away trying to get out, if we forget to put the toilet seat down she's in the toilet splashing about, she's shredded the wallpaper of the landing while I was out (when I'm out she now has access to the bedrooms and landing). She makes my adult cat miserable by constantly chasing and diving on him. She scratches and bites even though for four months straight we have been trying to teach her to not do it. If she knows you're in the house but she's in another room with the door shut she cries so loudly. I can't do anything without her there. But if I need to shut the door, for example if I have to go into the garden I will shut the kitchen, she will cry so loudly and urgently that I feel like I have to rush through what I'm doing to get back to her. Also if I'm working from home I have to confine her because I can't watch her while I'm working, and if I don't watch her I constantly hear crashes from the next room where she's knocking things over. But then she cries if I put her in the bedroom on her own. It's really stressful.
I know none of this is uncommon so please don't think I dislike her or think there's something wrong with her. I'm never mean to her and I play with her and cuddle with her she is very well looked after. I am just finding this all very hard to cope with and I miss the days when I could just relax at home.
I guess this was just to vent a bit as I've spent the past 30 mins crying, but also if anyone has anything they could say to help i would appreciate it so much