Is this normal solitary cat behaviour?

[ScaredButUnavoidable]

I don’t know what I’m after with this post, reassurance maybe?

I’m going to try and keep this brief:

At the end of March I had two cats from a reside centre, a mother and daughter who were classed as bonded. They’d come from a very neglectful home and had been through four foster homes before we took them on and adopted them. All was well for the first 2-3 weeks but then aggression started from the mother towards the daughter. Things escalated and escalated and after a month of trying all we could (with the support of our vet and the Rescue Centre) we made the hard decision to rehomed the daughter.

So for the last 6-7 weeks the mother has been a single cat and although she was so much happier at first and we saw a huge improvement in her character, she’s now really isolated herself.

She spends 90% of her time outside (including overnight) and I just worry so much that she’s sad.

When she’s in the garden (or house) she lets us pick her up and cuddle her, she’s really interactive with us, she loves her toys and plays with us, is always purring and chin rubbing us etc, wants to be around us etc, so there is an attachment/bond with us, but I can’t help but worry that she’s spending so much time on her own outside.

She never leaves the garden so it’s not even like she’s off exploring and having adventures to keep herself occupied and stimulated. She just plays with her outdoor toys, chases butterflies and ants, watches the birds, rolls around and messes about with feathers and sticks etc

We did consider whether another cat might be an option but after how volatile things were between her and her daughter prior to the rehoming I really don’t want to risk putting her through another stressful situation (and us).

Sometimes though I look outside and see her just sitting in the corner of the garden on her own and it breaks my heart.

Does any of this sound worrisome?

My boy hates other cats. He’s happiest on his own. Sleeps with us and interacts by shouting at us to do something for him but other than that he’s a loner x

Our cat spends 90% of her time outside at the moment, sleeping in the garden, chasing spiders and just staring at birds. It's only because it is warm and dry. When winter comes she will spend 99% of her time indoors. because she hates the cold.

She sounds like she has her ideal life , you will probably find she comes in more when the weather is worse .

@ScaredButUnavoidable So awesome, thanks for rescuing her!

Cat tax please.

She sounds like a very contented animal who enjoys being the solitary cat in the home. We've had a so-called 'bonded' pair of female cats before, sisters from the same litter, and they really got on each other's nerves. One of them decided she'd much rather live with our neighbours up the road, and we came to a happy arrangement with the neighbour. The cats were both much happier afterwards.

What is cat tax?

What is cat tax?

Thank you, I think she sees is a giant playground!

As well as her cat toys and cat trees, the garden is also full of our garden furniture, the children’s bikes, their swings and slides, their footballs and various toys, and she is just fascinated by it all. She always climbing up things, hiding behind things, trying to get in lots of little nooks and crannies etc, so as well as enjoying all the nature side of the garden she just seems to enjoy exploring it too.

I will just put it all down to her enjoying having access to the outside world and try not to worry anymore x

A picture of your cat.

One of my house cats demands to go in the outside pen 24/7, most put out that she is on the house overnight. The others are all cuddle monsters and outside is for warm dry weather only.

I imagine she’s quietly reflecting on her past and drafting her memoirs …

I love this. 😆

OP, she sounds like a completely normal kitty. She sounds like she's at peace. I have two cats who tolerate one another. They don't dislike each other. They just don't like each other. But I think they might love each other. Who knows?
Both of them spend hours and hours, day and night in summer, outside in the garden surveying their kingdom, contemplating life, possibly drafting their memoirs. They just look out into the abyss with such wisdom. Their inner dialogue must be filled with misunderstood meows. As a joke, my daughter and I say out loud what they're internal dialogue sounds like, which is just a series of languid meows peppered with annoyed ones.

You'll find that, once the days shorten, her time outdoors will diminish. Summertime is the time when cats will be outside more than in. They just love it sooo much. All that birdsong, those mice underneath the rotted decking (in my case), the squirrels rushing about, foxes engaging in staring contests from the shed roof, all creatures great and small catching our kitties' gaze. It's a wild and wonderful world out there. She's enjoying her little universe and claiming it as hers!

I took on a cat from the RSPCA who came in with another cat but she didn't seem to like sharing the space with him, so they were separated. I don't like some of the rescue centres who think they're a bonded pair when in fact its quite common for cats to like their own space. Mine goes outside for a few hours in the morning then I will see her in the afternoon when she asks for some food, then she goes and sleeps somewhere. She comes for another fuss at bedtime, then she goes off to sleep. This is entirely normal cat behaviour.

She sounds like my cat, she finds company when she wants it but spends 99% of the time doing her own thing.

Cats are self sufficient and independent 🤷‍♀️

Do not get another cat, she will not be happy having to share her since again!

Cat Law No. 2 sets out however many expensive beds you buy a cat, it will always prefer a cardboard box

Respectfully OP, your op is like "my cat is out there having the peaceful playful relaxed time of her life and I'm really worried about it" 😁

This sounds very familiar - we took in 2 cats who had lived together as exclusively indoor cats for years when their owner couldn't take care of them any more. They soon decided they were indoor/outdoor cats and then that they didn't want to live with us or our other residents, so one lives opposite us and one lives nextdoor and both will occasionally come by to have a little food but off they go again. Really quite hurtful!

🤣🤣

I’m just so used to having 2+ cats who play and cuddle each other so I’ve never had to worry about boredom and loneliness before 🤣

Oh bless her. She’s sweet.

Agreed with what PP’s said. She’s having a great time living her best life. Mine is out a lot, I don’t know quite how much as I go to work or WFH during the week but there 4 mornings a week. Agreed she’s monitoring places where mice live, or frogs and seeing off cats which are a threat to her territory.

My cat had a sister she lived with. They did a lot together less in recent years. The sister moved and I don’t think she minds, but if I say “where’s Lola?” (her sister’s name) to her she does respond a bit.

Yeah not all cats play and cuddle each other. Some do, especially as kittens. My old boy cat I think used to try to mate with his sister (I locked them in the living room at night) and she wasn’t impressed at all.

It is likely to be the lovely weather that she prefers to be outside. My cat is exactly like this when the weather is to her liking. In Winter, she will mostly be inside.