On Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:28:50 -0800, Andrea wrote:

Hello! I am a new cat mom with some worries. I am having a hard time
leaving my cat Rudy (1.5 year old Tabby) at home while I am gone even an
hour. I think part of it is I am worried he will get into something and
get hurt or be lonely and decide to be overly snoopy. This is my first cat
ever and my husbands first in many years. He says everything will be fine
because we cat proofed, but I still worry about something we missed! Help!
I am going crazy! We have a lot of toys laying around and a couch next to
a window so he can peer out, but I still find myself overly anxious
leaving for even an hour!

Any suggestions?

Most single cats spend their days mostly sleeping when no one is around.
You really should get a second cat, preferably a kitten (considering the
age of the one you have). Both must be neutered. Even a lone house cat
must be neutered. With two, they help keep each other busy and help
reduce excess weight gain.

Actually, most cats, alone or not, spend most of the daylight hours
sleeping, even when there is soneone around, just more when there isn't.

I've been living with cats for over thirty years, and in all that time,
the worst damage was a few broken dishes, and one cat that fell off a high
shelf and hit his head hard enough to suffer temporary brain damage. The
latter cat is currently kneading my right arm as I try to type. I don't
know who knocked the dishes off the counter - I wasn't home at the time.

It is important to keep breakable things well away from the cat, also
poisons. I have child-proof latches on all my lower cabinets except one
(it has a piece of rug in it for the cats) and turn-to-open bars on the
upper ones (CJ, the one kneading me, and Snowball will climb into any
cabinet they can open).

I currently have fourteen indoor/outdoor cats and for about half the time
living with cats, I've had at least three. Multiples are better.

BTW, you are not a cat mom, you are a cat slave. Get used to it - the cat
is in charge, and knows it.

May I recommend lurking in rec.pets.cats.anecdotes? It's both
entertaining and enlightening - it's a community of and for cat slaves ...
and sometimes their cats.

--

T.E.D. ) MST (Missouri University of Science and Technology)
used to be UMR (University of Missouri - Rolla).