Hi everyone,
I don’t know if anyone will see this post, but I’m starting to get desperate and I need some outside perspective.
I’ve had a cat named Hava for almost 4 years; we have an extremely close bond and it’s always just been the two of us. She’s always had access to window sills (I’ve lived in several different flats with her). Exactly a year ago, I moved back to my parents' for 3 months, where she had access to a very large garden (she already knew the outdoors a bit as I often took her out on a lead when she was younger). She really made the most of it and loved being outside. I eventually moved into a flat that wasn’t very stimulating in terms of the view from the window, but it had a small concrete courtyard of about 15-20 square metres—nothing fancy, but she loved going out there. It was a tiny 30-square-metre flat with only one window looking out. A month ago, I moved into a great flat with my partner. It’s 50 square metres and has plenty of windows; she has secure access to the window with the most stimulating view, but despite all that, she does nothing but cry at the front door, day and night, and bolts as soon as we leave it open for too long.
She has plenty of entertainment, lots of toys, I have a play session with her every day, she has a cat tree and scratching posts galore, a puzzle feeder for her dry food, and she eats her wet food from lick mats, etc. Given her frantic desire to go out, I tried taking her for a walk once in a park right next to my place, but it went badly because a dog tried to attack her and I got injured. I’m now a bit hesitant about taking her out again. I’m planning to install a cat wall circuit soon so she can climb in the living room and burn off some energy. But in the meantime, I feel like what I’m providing isn’t enough and that she’s bored despite my efforts to keep her occupied.
Hava has always been a cat who gets bored very quickly, and I feel like the fact that she had a taste of the outdoors when I lived with my parents has made indoor games much more boring for her.
People tell me to ignore her when she cries at the door so as not to reinforce the behaviour, but I feel like it doesn’t make much difference. It might calm down for a bit, but as soon as she manages to escape into the communal stairs, it just reinforces the behaviour all over again.
For those who might tell me that my cat isn’t happy and that it would be better to have her rehomed with someone who has outdoor access, I can understand that point of view. However, Hava is a very anxious cat who has previously been on medication and I’m the only constant in her life; she’s very wary of contact with other humans. So, I don’t think that’s the solution.
If you have any advice at all, or any theories to help me make my cat feel more settled in this new environment, I’m all ears because I’m miserable seeing her like this.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and have a lovely day, everyone.
