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I was home on medical for 6 weeks pretty much house bound. Now that I have returned to work, our one girl is despondent, purrs, eats, drinks, but lays around most of the time and seems down. I'm assuming it's because of the change of routine and she has gotten used to me being home 24/7, now I'm gone most of the time and my partner is the stay at home mom as before. Anybody else have this experience and how long does something like this last? I'm the neurotic one that uses my pets as a substitute for children so you can save your sarcasm "30to65at55".
The answer to your question is that cats, under the circumstances you described, will stay depressed as long as they feel like it. They are cats and they do what they want.
I'm gonna agree with 30to66at55 on this one. The cat will adapt to the situation when the cat is ready to do so. As long as she doesn't stop eating or assume any other harmful behaviors, I wouldn't worry about it.
If the cat purrs, eats and drinks... it is not despondent.
Exactly. Not getting out of bed is a common symptom of depression in people, but even individuals in that "down" state will still take care of their life's necessities. Then again - since cats are said to pass up to 22.5 hours of each day in some state of sleep, who could tell?
Does this cat get all dog-like when you arrive home or does she stay out of sorts?
Felines can no more be pigeonholed, so to speak, into types or categories than humans should be. Weasie, Blaliko, and Seteria don't behave any differently (past tense for Weasie, RIP) when I'm away for two days or more. Their cat-sitters tell me so.
The "grrrlz" are rescued strays - mother and daughter, incidentally - so have yet to warm to very many persons besides me. Weasie OTOH had a following that numbered well into the dozens. She would've been a party girl had she been human. There were no bounds to her affection, and she grew especially fond of one cat-sitter in particular. When circumstances dictated that this woman leave our neighborhood, she rarely cat-sat any more and couldn't visit very often. Zero sense of separation or loss was let on by Weasie. Nor did she ever react when other two-footed beings she'd gotten to know moved away never to be seen again. It really does depend on the cat. And yes, she'll phase back to "normal" when she damn well pleases.
I was home on medical for 6 weeks pretty much house bound. Now that I have returned to work, our one girl is despondent, purrs, eats, drinks, but lays around most of the time and seems down. I'm assuming it's because of the change of routine and she has gotten used to me being home 24/7, now I'm gone most of the time and my partner is the stay at home mom as before. Anybody else have this experience and how long does something like this last? I'm the neurotic one that uses my pets as a substitute for children so you can save your sarcasm "30to65at55".
Cats are very sensitive and perceptive creatures . As a human its quite challenging to speculate how they internalize thoughts and whatever inferences we make of their behaviors is also a guess .
One observable feature is that any change has a significant impact on them .
As long as the cat is safe , fed, medically cared for and most importantly loved then it will adapt .
How long will vary depending on the cat and the circumstances .
It's nice to see that you care about your pet's feelings and I think its all going to be OK .
Thanks for the responses, after a week of laying around [big change for her, she's 3 years old and loves to race around the house and play with our other girl who is less interested and more prone to sleep all day than the cat in question] we took her to the vet, and she had injured her left paw, had a claw partially ripped out and a split in that pad, so pain much worse when walking/climbing has probably been the issue and despite us examining her paws repeatedly, we didn't catch it. Vet said she'll heal completely, no concerns.
I was home on medical for 6 weeks pretty much house bound. Now that I have returned to work, our one girl is despondent, purrs, eats, drinks, but lays around most of the time and seems down. I'm assuming it's because of the change of routine and she has gotten used to me being home 24/7, now I'm gone most of the time and my partner is the stay at home mom as before.
Your routine may have nothing to do with her being despondent, if indeed that's what she is. She may be developing an illness. Let's hope not.
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Anybody else have this experience and how long does something like this last? I'm the neurotic one that uses my pets as a substitute for children so you can save your sarcasm "30to65at55".
If it's a simple change in her routine, not for long. Cats adjust quickly to new routines. However if it continues for days and if she stops eating or shows other signs, I would take her to the vet for a checkup.
Your stupid mindless "pickle" suggestion to the person asking a serious question about her pregnant cat wasn't pointing out the obvious. It was juvenile and meant to make her look foolish. The more of your posts I read, the more convinced I am that you are nothing but a bored troll.
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The answer to your question is that cats, under the circumstances you described, will stay depressed as long as they feel like it. They are cats and they do what they want.
Another stupid remark - as if animals or people DECIDE to be depressed for one week, or three months, or maybe a year....
Last edited by =^..^=; 03-21-2013 at 11:00 AM..
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However if it continues for days and if she stops eating or shows other signs, I would take her to the vet for a checkup.
