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Trust me, the situation is not as awful as the title implies. I got a kitten a few months ago because my dog needed a buddy and I did not have the bandwidth to get another dog. It's worked out great. They are playing energetically with each other as I type this and are frequently found lounging in the same pet bed. However, I have a lot of friends and family who are allergic to cats, so I'm confining her to the basement.
Now, my basement is the full footprint of the house with multiple rooms and lots of windows that let in plenty of natural light. I sleep down here and during the week spend almost all my time working in my basement office. The dog is down here with me, and the kitten is rarely alone unless I'm in the kitchen or taking the dog somewhere. I'm also leash training her so she will be able to spend time in my yard with me and possibly even go on outings with me if she wants to (she is a VERY bold little kitten - I've never seen her frightened by anything).
So my question is whether keeping her in the basement will keep the upstairs ok for visitors who are allergic? Also, is it practical and will she get used to it? She HATES being alone down there - screams for quite a while, and I have to give her a few squirts with the water bottle to get her to shut up (rinse and repeat). She also will bolt through the door into the kitchen and I have to stuff her back down the hatch, as it were. I actually considered getting another kitten to keep her company when the dog and I are upstairs or out, but that seems crazy. (Wouldn't make any difference to me - the dog would be over the moon, plus she's easy to take care of and I doubt another cat would add that much work, other than another litter box and more expense).
So is this feasible long-term and will it keep my upstairs (where I host guests) safe for all but my most allergic friends?
I don't know for sure about allergies, since I have only one close friends who's allergic to cats, and when she comes over I just put the kitties in various bedrooms upstairs -- hasn't been a problem for her. So hopefully others will chime in soon.
For times when you cannot be down there, I think it would be GREAT to get another kitty. Two really aren't much more work (or expense) than one, and once they get used to each other they will likely be great friends -- at least that has happened with almost all of mine.
If the kitten has to live in the basement 24/7 then no, I don't think it's a good idea. Meet your friends with allergies out or at their house. When people who were allergic to cats came to my house, I put the cats in a spare bedroom and did a quick cleaning (dust and dry mop rooms where they would be). Usually that was good enough (they did not stay overnight though). If that didn't control their allergies, then we met other places.
I'm also not sure that keeping the kitten in the basement will keep the upstairs OK for visitors with allergies anyway. One you and the dog will track cat hair and dander up stairs and AC/heating ducts will probably transfer some of the dander.
In short, I don't think it will work and it's not fair to the kitten. If you decide to do it anyway, please get another cat to keep the kitten company.
Yes, another kitten if this one is going to live in exile. I also don't recommend squirting the cat since she won't have a clue what you're trying to accomplish. Bad enough she's lonely enough to cry about it, then she gets squirted (punished), too. The fact that she runs out every chance she gets should tell you how much she wants to be down there alone.
Ditto on the allergies. If people are badly allergic, the fact that the cat (and dog) spend time in the house will bother them. If they're mildly allergic, you can vacuum with a HEPA before they come and hide the pets then. However, you and the place will still carry microscopic pet evidence.
Pets that live in the home should have full access to every part of the house, as well as to the people who live in that house. Otherwise, it isn't any different than getting a dog and keeping it chained up outside away from the family.
And STOP squirting her with water when she starts complaining about being left alone. Very cruel thing to do. Cats are not independent snobs, they like to be with their "people." My cat often jumps up on the bed and curls up with me when I am watching TV in my room. That's why I adopted her in the first place - companionship, not just to be able to say "I have a cat."
Hmmm ... I would have said the same as a lot of you ("don't leave the kitty in the basement"), but that is because MY basement is, well, a real basement -- not finished, just used for storage & utilities etc. (My kitties actually LOVE going down there as it is a totally new, weird area to explore, with mouse-y and buggy smells! ) But the OP's basement sounds like just another floor of her house, since her office is down there as is her bedroom. (OP, correct me if I am wrong, please.) Kitties really don't NEED to be with their human 24/7 (although a few might like that -- certainly not ALL kitties would, some are MUCH more independent!), so I think getting a 2nd kitty as a companion for the 1st is a good compromise.
OP, can you come back and give us more details, please? Clearly some believe you are not providing a "real home" for your kitty (I disagree, but I understand why they are saying that, if their idea of "basement" is very different from what you have -- I kind of wish you had put "basement" in quotation marks in the title to make it clear it is NOT a typical basement).
I'm also wondering how often you have guests with allergies? If it's only a few times a year for a few hours (as would be the case for me), maybe your kitties can have the run of the house EXCEPT when you have allergic guests, at which time they can stay in the basement. Would that work?
Can everyone stop clutching their pearls? I am in the basement more than most people are in their house as I work from home. It is well-lit, with windows she can access, and furnished just as a regular apartment - it is, in fact, bigger than many apartments and not a few houses. Most days she is alone for maybe a couple of hours tops. I doubt many owners of a single cat can say the same.
I sleep down here, shower down here, work down here and relax down here. I go upstairs to socialize with friends and cook. The upper floor of my house, when it is done will be a place to entertain, not really "live in". The dog stays down here with here whenever I'm out of the house without him.
The basement sounds really nice. But how often so you have guest with allergies over? Do they stay overnight & how much do you want to see of these people? It would also depend on how severe their allergies are.
I have one cousin that is allergic to cats, yet she came to visit me, in my old house where we had 5 cats & she did not show any allergic reaction, while she was there, just for dinner.
I had another g/f who was severely allergic to both cats & dogs, & she would not come into my house due to the cats. however, she did go & spend a few nights with her gd, who had cats & dogs. I think she boarded the pets while GM visited, & she seemed to do ok.
So I would find out how bad the allergies really are.
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