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This thread is interesting reading. Jasper was skittish, and has major anxiety, but he had to adapt to his situation, my life does not revolve around him. As a result, he adjusted.
Cats, like children, and people can meet expectations, but will do the course of least resistance if they are not encouraged to learn new skills, and adapt to higher levels of behavior.
I am not disagreeing with the choices you all have made to accommodate your cat, but if you challenge the cat to learn new skills, he or she may surprise you.
That's probably true in most cases. I think a lot of folks tend to project their feelings onto their pets.... we miss them when we're away from them, and we tend to think they feel the same and are sad & lonely without us. I'm as guilty of that as anyone. My brain tells me they will be fine without me for a day or 2 or 3, but my heart tells me otherwise. If a situation should ever arise that I HAD to leave home for a few days, I would make arrangements and do what I have to do. But I would hate leaving them (my 5 cats) and the ordeal would probably be harder on me than them.
........ It's quite a challenge just getting him to the vet once a year.Both of our families are out of state,so it's becoming quite a
problem especially around the holidays.
There has to be affordable boarding facilities where you live. With shy cats we used to cover 2/3s of the front of their cage to give them a feeling of security. Most would do well but there were always a few that refused to eat and we would have to call their owners. We have our own RV so take our 4 kitties everywhere with us.
There has to be affordable boarding facilities where you live. With shy cats we used to cover 2/3s of the front of their cage to give them a feeling of security. Most would do well but there were always a few that refused to eat and we would have to call their owners. We have our own RV so take our 4 kitties everywhere with us.
Affordability is not the problem. We have had pets(dogs and cats) that we boarded and took with us. They were natured entirely different than this one. It's also more serious than being shy.
This thread is interesting reading. Jasper was skittish, and has major anxiety, but he had to adapt to his situation, my life does not revolve around him. As a result, he adjusted.
Cats, like children, and people can meet expectations, but will do the course of least resistance if they are not encouraged to learn new skills, and adapt to higher levels of behavior.
I am not disagreeing with the choices you all have made to accommodate your cat, but if you challenge the cat to learn new skills, he or she may surprise you.
I second this. Cats are much more adaptable than they're given credit for.
This thread is interesting reading. Jasper was skittish, and has major anxiety, but he had to adapt to his situation, my life does not revolve around him. As a result, he adjusted.
Cats, like children, and people can meet expectations, but will do the course of least resistance if they are not encouraged to learn new skills, and adapt to higher levels of behavior.
I am not disagreeing with the choices you all have made to accommodate your cat, but if you challenge the cat to learn new skills, he or she may surprise you.
Do you really think that we are revolving our lives around our cat?
This thread is interesting reading. Jasper was skittish, and has major anxiety, but he had to adapt to his situation, my life does not revolve around him. As a result, he adjusted.
Cats, like children, and people can meet expectations, but will do the course of least resistance if they are not encouraged to learn new skills, and adapt to higher levels of behavior.
I am not disagreeing with the choices you all have made to accommodate your cat, but if you challenge the cat to learn new skills, he or she may surprise you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by eunicemendez
Do you really think that we are revolving our lives around our cat?
I admit I let my life revolve around my cats to a degree. But then I take responsibility for them. They rely on me for their care and also in some way for their happiness. One cat had special requirements and so I made the sacrifice to give up traveling. True, that was my choice. But I loved her like a child as she was with me for 19 years of her life. I'd do it again.
Yes, our pets can evolve and become conditioned to certain situations and learn new skills to cope. With my new cats this is possible. But I still do what I can to make that easier - adding feeders for when we're gone, having a pet sitter to check in on them and give them wet food, etc.
With my first cat, she didn't adjust and so it became necessary to do what I could to help her maintain her quality of life. She didn't need the angst and medical issues associated with her separation anxiety and I didn't either !
I think what you can do varies a lot by different cats. And also that can change during the cat's life. Earlier in her life I had no problem leaving Amber alone for a week or more, with someone checking in. Or even sometimes a long weekend without someone checking in. (I wouldn't likely do the latter again though, with any cat.) In later years I was very worried, and indeed I wonder if during the trip I basically couldn't get out of, just before she died, if the wonderful vet tech who came in and syringe fed her was worried she wouldn't live through the week. She only lived through about a week or so after that.
So I think saying that we can or can't do such things or that cats are more adaptable than we think or whatever in such a blanket way is not very useful.
The main thing to focus on, short of any known health problems, is eating. IMO, it's okay if the cat eats less while you're away. It's okay if the cat hides every time the sitter comes in. These are things the cat can get over, and as long as someone is watching to make sure the cat is not in trouble, and the cat can be FOUND by the sitter even if it won't come out, I think that is okay. You can even minimize hiding issues by closing off some areas of the house. It's not going to work if the cat won't eat at all though, because as most of us know you can't force that short of someone actually forcing food into their mouths. A couple days of that and you're already in trouble.
I admit I let my life revolve around my cats to a degree. But then I take responsibility for them. They rely on me for their care and also in some way for their happiness. One cat had special requirements and so I made the sacrifice to give up traveling. True, that was my choice. But I loved her like a child as she was with me for 19 years of her life. I'd do it again.
Yes, our pets can evolve and become conditioned to certain situations and learn new skills to cope. With my new cats this is possible. But I still do what I can to make that easier - adding feeders for when we're gone, having a pet sitter to check in on them and give them wet food, etc.
With my first cat, she didn't adjust and so it became necessary to do what I could to help her maintain her quality of life. She didn't need the angst and medical issues associated with her separation anxiety and I didn't either !
I know what you mean. We had one that was over 18 years old and had terminal cancer that I would not leave unless I absolutely had to up until her death. My life definitely revolved around her and her needs. Sometimes you have to consider them and their needs first just like you do your children. All pets are different and adapt differently just as all humans and you have to deal with it accordingly.
Thank you all for your input and thoughts. Some I totally agree with and some I don't. Some have been helpful and very thought provoking. You can call it what you want,but we will continue to do what is best for our "furkid".
Blessings to all "fur kids" and "furparents"!
Thank you all for your input and thoughts. Some I totally agree with and some I don't. Some have been helpful and very thought provoking. You can call it what you want,but we will continue to do what is best for our "furkid".
Blessings to all "fur kids" and "furparents"!
You're quite welcome Eunice and thank you for your input and blessings. I think you are doing the right thing putting your "furkid" first. They are "God's Innocent" and deserve that. Bless you as well for taking him in and giving him the care and love he needs.
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She only lived through about a week or so after that.
