I adopted a 3-month-old female kitten a few days ago. However, she meows as soon as I shut myself in a room (bathroom, loo, etc.). Interestingly, she doesn't meow when I leave the flat. At first, I didn't want her to sleep in my bedroom, but I had to give in because of her crying. I play with her for several hours a day and she has plenty of toys. I adopted her from a rescue centre where she was with her mum and brother. I'd like to know if this could be linked to her previous life at the rescue or if it's something I'm doing wrong.
On top of that, she licks and nibbles my fingers, and when I'm eating, she jumps on the table to eat from my plate and drink from my glass, even though she has everything she needs in her own bowls... Obviously, I tell her off and put her back on the floor, but she couldn't care less!
I'd love to hear your thoughts and get some advice! I've always had cats, but this is the first time I've had to properly train one from scratch!
Thanks in advance
Translated from French
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I’m having much the same trouble with Shelby (a 6-month-old female). We adopted her in August after she was fully weaned. I’ve never known a cat to meow so much! She sits in front of the window and acts like she’s having a proper chat with her own reflection – it can go on for hours, and she makes these little "meow" sounds as if she’s got a piece of chewing gum in her mouth! It’s a bit odd, but we’ve got used to it.
On top of that, she meows constantly and quite loudly. Naturally, to get our son to open his bedroom door, she’ll sit outside and meow to get his attention – which is fairly normal, really. But during the day, if one of us goes to the loo, for instance, she stands behind the door and cries until we come out. She isn’t allowed in the kitchen yet because we have a large house and we’ve restricted her to the living room, dining room, hallway, and the kids’ bedrooms (if they’re okay with it). She’s understood that now; I don’t even have to close the kitchen door when I’m in there anymore, she just sits at the doorway and watches what I’m doing. However, she very often stays in the living room and cries – well, she meows loudly, but I interpret it as crying.
My brother has a theory; he says that because we’re a chatty family, the cat has turned out the same and talks all the time, even to herself. I’m not so sure, but it’s true that we got her during a strange time with all the lockdowns and everything, so I’m worried she’s just got used to us always being around, except at night of course when she’s alone in the living room. As a result, the second we leave a room, she starts "crying". Having had cats for years, I’ve learnt to recognise the "I want something" meows – when a cat’s run out of food or water, or if the litter tray is dirty… but this is something else entirely. I’ve never had a cat behave like this before.
It’s the same with cuddles; she’ll demand them and hop onto our laps, then while we’re stroking her, she’ll suddenly bite your hand – not hard, obviously, but still. We don’t really understand why she does it; I’ve read it could be because she wants to play, but we play with her loads. She’s got the whole lot: fishing rods, feather teasers, little mice, wands with multicoloured ribbons… anyway, with this kitten, it feels like we’re starting from scratch with training. I suppose cats are just like humans, each with their own temperament and way of doing things, and there’s not much you can do about it. We still adore her, mind you – she’s the baby of the family, and as the saying goes, she’ll probably end up being the most spoilt! 😂😂
Hi there,
Your kitten has developed a bit of an 'over-attachment' to you. It makes perfect sense given that she was with her mum and brother before; you’ve now become her entire world. However, that doesn't mean she doesn't need training. You shouldn't let her get away with jumping on the table while you're eating or biting your fingers hard. When she does it, give a loud, firm 'NO', maybe even a little tap on the nose, take her off the table and stop playing immediately the moment she bites. Don’t worry that she’ll love you any less; on the contrary, she’ll actually feel more secure once boundaries are in place.
The little one seems to be a real velcro cat. She clearly adores you already and wants to be with you all the time. Some cats are just like that. I’m not sure there’s much you can do about it, really...
She's just over three months old, and I adopted her as soon as she was weaned! Other than that, she's absolutely lovely, but I was just worried I'd done something wrong or that she might be unhappy...
Hi there. How old is she?
The change might leave her a bit unsettled for a while, what with being separated from her mum and littermates, on top of moving to a new place. Just give her some time to get used to her new surroundings. Everything should settle down soon enough.
