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First off, you're doing a very kind thing taking care of a stray like that, and if this is causing you mental anguish do not feel like you're passing on a problem by taking him to a shelter. Young cats are in pretty high demand right now thanks to the pandemic keeping people home, so it's likely he wouldn't have much trouble being rehomed and you'd have given him the care he needed to find a permanent home instead of being hungry on the street. As long as you aren't just throwing him back on the street you will have helped him have a good life, no matter what you decide. If you do want to make it work though, part of it is I think just keeping an eye out for him without being too worried. You don't need to let him on the balcony at all, so cat proofing it isn't something to worry about (keep the screen closed if you want to open the window for fresh air.) You can also keep him out of the bedroom at night by closing the door. He may fuss about this if you let him in there before, but there's ways to discourage that. You will need to come up with a new scheduled 'normal' that includes time to feed him, clean his box, and play with him, but how long that takes to feel good again I can't tell you. It seems like the schedule disruption has been affecting you pretty hard. Does petting or playing with the cat make you feel better about caring for it? Do you get good feelings at all from it?
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Sep 7, 2020 21:49
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| # ¿ May 15, 2024 11:03 |
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Awww, sounds like you're starting to figure things out! Remember you can laugh at some of the silly things he does even if they're problematic. He's never seen a toilet before! Clearly this is the best drinking fountain. (I had a cat who was a toilet drinker but he eventually grew out of it after a few months of seat-down.) What can really help with climbing behaviors is putting places he IS allowed to climb/hang out on near the places he shouldn't. A cat tree that lets him see into the kitchen might be more enticing than the counters/cupboards. He's curious, he wants to be able to watch you when you're doing Mysterious Human Things. Same thing with worries over furniture scratching, if you put a cardboard scratcher or a scratching post near the couch, he'll default to that and you won't need to worry about him attacking your couch. For cables they make something called Bitter Apple Spray that will discourage the biting but some cats don't care, you may need to be creative with wrappings or keeping them out of his reach. Play wise they make some toys that are for self-play that can be pretty popular depending on the cat. Jingly/crinkly balls are really cheap, there's some motorized toys like the butterfly on a wire or the mat with a moving thing under it, and of course the good old ball-in-a-track toy. It's hard to know what one your cat will love so you may need to try a few things.
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Sep 9, 2020 13:22
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