Cat Help Required

[AussieEm]

I need your help please. I have a lovely, energetic, playful cat that I adopted and although I am trying my best, she needs more time with me than I can provide. When I arrive home she runs around and around my house and becomes quite aggressive towards me, so much so that I feel that I am always 'disciplining' her and never get a chance to play with her. She is a lovely cat but wants/needs more attention that I able to give. I need some help please. I am feeling very guilty because I think that its my lack of time that is causing the problem. Please help me! At this stage I am thinking that the only solution is to find her a home with someone who has more time for her than I do.

Thanks in advance

[PickwickLi]

Yes, your cat is almost certainly overexcited because she's bored during the day. At the very least, try to set up some toys, hide toys containing treats, etc., or purchase a "cat tv" type of video to entertain your cat while you're not at home.

You might think about calling a pet sitter to play with her a couple times a week. Another alternative is to get a second cat that your current cat will get along with. If you introduce them carefully, the second cat will be a great playmate for your current cat.

Try to avoid giving her away if you possibly can...it would be very stressful for your cat, and the insecurity would probably make her even more energetic/agressive with her next home, so the problem could just repeat itself. Good luck!

[David91]

"I have a lovely, energetic, playful cat that I adopted . . [but it] becomes quite aggressive towards me"

As you are probably aware, there is quite a serious feral cat problem in Singapore. If you "adopted" one "off the streets", you invited a wild animal into your house which is why it can be aggressive towards you. For anyone living in an HDB flat note that the law requires anyone with a cat to keep it indoors at all times. Conversely and more generally, if you allow your cat to roam around freely, you cannot complain if it disappears in one of the routine culling exercises.

[micknlea]

Instead of disciplining her, play with her first. Make it a priority when you come home to give her lots of attention before you do anything else, if you get changed or whatever then play a game that keeps her occupied but lets you do things too.

Find out the things that she likes to play with and if possible leave them around for her during the day. Is she only a young cat? If so then she will gradually grow of out this, it is worth persisting.

[AussieEm]

Dear David,
Thanks for your time in reading my post. I'd like to clarify just for your information. I adopted her at 8 weeks old from some very caring, kind woman who resued her from a drain at 3 weeks old!
Also she is an inside only cat!

Thanks Again!

[David91]

S'OK. I'm a cat person and covertly encourage the local food patrol ladies who come round every evening to feed the packs. We had a cull about two weeks ago, but the numbers are rapidly picking up again with lots of kittens frollicking around. It's a shame the local people are, by and large, so hostile to them.