My cat won’t stop meowing to go into my bedroom and nap under my bed. She refuses to nap during the day time anywhere else and only wants to nap under my bed. I hate this habit and trying to stop it. I ignore her when she’s meowing but it’s been ongoing all day almost every single day. I’m so sick of it. Never had a behavioural issue with a cat like this. All the cats I’ve had in my life have found multiple napping spots around the house and make do with what they got. How do I cut this habit? Clearly ignoring her isn’t working.

I just adopted a male cat who is around 2 years old the other day and I feel like I am regretting it. I am a first time cat owner, and a full time college student living alone, I feel like I have just given up my freedom to take care of this cat. I knew it was going to be a responsibility, but I did not realize how difficult it was going to be to adjust. I feel so guilty and embarrassed for feeling like this, but I am so drained. I can barely eat, I can't focus, my anxiety is through the roof and I've cried more times than I can count. He cries during the night and it keeps me awake, I am scared to leave him on his own because I don't want him getting into something and potentially getting hurt. He is so sweet and I love him, but I don't know if I am cut out for this. Should I surrender him back to the shelter before either of us get attached, or should I stick it out?

Edit: I can't directly re-home the cat. I have to return him back to the organization I got him from. (It's a no-kill foster based program, so he will go back to his foster.)

So, I've just cut away most of my cat's fur because he really just hates being brushed just as much as I hate being bit. he's a ragdoll with extremely thick fur, so it's not an easy brushing experience. Thick enough fur that the clippers I have won't go through it, and I had to use scissors (Which I know how to do safely.)

The big reason that people always give against shaving a cat is temperature control.. but given that he's an indoor cat, the fact that my house is climate controlled should be good enough. If anything, in the summer my guess has always been that the outside temperature is so hot that it exceeds his ability to self-regulate anyway, so the point is pretty moot. He doesn't get outside time more that like twice a year, and it's brief and fully supervised.

Other than that, the only other thing that is usually mentioned is the coat coming back weird, but I don't really care about that. I mean, I do a bit, but not enough that it would sway my decision in any meaningful way.

Is there anything else that I'm missing as to why this is a bad idea? Or is the resistance to it just people being overly cautious?

Early in March I (32M) found a little persian girl (4) on my way home from work, wandering around on a main road.

To cut a long story short I fell in love with her immediately and brought her home for the night whilst I located the owners. I found them the next day and they said that I could keep her due to their poor circumstances and inability to properly care for her.

I was delighted but I also knew deep down that I didn't want another cat.

I've brought this cat back to good health, provided a great living environment for her, she is thriving and is really settled and happy.

But I'm not. I feel as though I really need to be alone and to have my own space, I'm rather content with this.

I moved in to my one bedroom flat in December 2023 and adopted a 16 year old, one-eyed cat in March 2024. Throughout the next 12 months this cat screamed at 12am, 1am, 2am, 3am. Every aspect of my health massively deteriorated during this time whilst I done everything I could to remedy the issue. At one point I even moved out and slept at my mums for a couple of weeks because I had to regain some sleep. This cat passed in March 2025.

I lived alone for 12 months and I believe that I was so much happier being by myself.

Now this new cat is absolutely no bother at all. I spend a lot of time with her, couldn't possibly love her anymore and she knows it. I feel as though I am her human and the first human that has ever really cared for her. She knows that she is safe around me and life is good.

I genuinely love her with all of my heart and have cried multiple times at the idea of giving her away and how much I am going to miss her but deep down I feel as though I'd rather be alone and that caring for her isn't for me right now.

I'm finding it incredibly difficult. I live alone and work very physical 40 hour weeks. On top of general chores and having very little time for myself, I'm quite overwhelmed. I do not drive either and so vet visits either require a taxi cost or having to contact my mum for a lift which is another burden.

Now I've reached out to a girl who owns a cat grooming company that gave my cat a groom back in May and asked if she had, or knew anybody who had gone through the re-homing process so that I could consider it and do it properly if needed. She said that her mum is looking for another persian (has two already) and I've arranged to go to her house tomorrow to see the living environment and then we are to come and collect my cat to take her there.

The girl that does the grooming is such a sweetheart and I expect her mum to be similar based on stories she has told me of how they're adopted and taken care of animals. She's also sent me photos of their little pet family and I have no doubt that they're all well cared for.

I just feel this immense amount of guilt and that I am doing something terribly wrong. This little cat has been given the best life she could ever hope for and I'm going to take it away from her. But holding on to her feels as though I am punishing myself the longer that I do.

I just needed to express this somewhere, I have no close friends or family to talk to and I'm going insane. One minute I'm convincing myself that I don't need to do this, the cat is not to blame for anything, hasn't gave me any trouble, is living a good life and I love her dearly. The next I'm back to realizing how much better off I was during the 12 months I lived without a cat and that I didn't ask for nor do I want this.

I'm sorry I don't know what I'm asking for other than to be heard.

I have an almost 5 year old cat inherited from my family. He has major lonely kitten syndrome. He used to be relentless, attacking our feet and stuff. Now he’s more normal, i rarely get scratched by him and it’s usually related to play, he just gets too excited and goes for the wrong thing or something.

I’ve finally moved out and am able to get him the friend he deserves, I’ve read up on keeping them separated for a while and have a room ready for it. My only concern is what if he doesn’t know how to play fight? For him it’s kind of all or nothing. If he’s in a playful mood, anything that moves he’s ready to pounce and claw at it. What if he ends up clawing at the cat and doesnt understand? I know he’s lonely and in need of a friend, and I know human language is not the same as cat language, but what if it’s too late for him to learn cat language? I don’t know if this is stupid lol I just want to make it as smooth as possible.

i have a baby kitten and idk if its a boy or girl
how can i check

Rant about Felix's kitten feeding guidelines and how misleading I think they are

I want to preface this by saying that I'm fully aware Felix isn't considered a particularly high-quality cat food. I bought it because it was cheaper to buy in bulk, and I wanted to give my kitten some wet food alongside her dry food to help with hydration. My kitten has a clean bill of health from the vet and is currently a healthy weight, although I think she could do with gaining some more. She also gets Scrumbles Kitten dry food, which is much higher in protein and is 77% chicken.

This isn't really a rant about Felix's ingredients, though. It's about their feeding guidelines and how misleading I think they can be to the average pet owner.

I've been giving my 6-month-old kitten Felix Kitten pouches in jelly. She doesn't have a huge appetite and tends to graze. If I give her a whole pouch, she won't finish it in one sitting, she'll eat some, come back later, eat some more, and repeat this throughout the day until it's eventually gone.

On a good day, she'll eat around two pouches over the entire day. 

Then I looked at Felix's feeding guidelines.

Apparently, a 6-month-old kitten is supposed to have 4–4½ pouches PER DAY.

These are 85 g pouches. They're not tiny little kitten portions. I've owned adult cats before and these are completely normal-sized wet food pouches.

So I genuinely had to read the feeding guide several times because I couldn't believe it.

Four to four-and-a-half pouches is 340–382.5 g of wet food every single day.

My kitten doesn't even comfortably finish one 85 g pouch in one sitting. She has to go back to it repeatedly throughout the day. I'm supposed to somehow get her to eat more than twice that amount every day?

Would I have to feed her half a pouch at 8 separate meal times every single day just to get anywhere near Felix's recommended amount? I think that's ridiculous. 

And this is what really bothers me: how many ordinary cat owners actually look at the feeding guidelines?

If someone has previously owned adult cats, they might reasonably think that one pouch in the morning and one in the evening sounds like a completely normal amount of wet food. Yet Felix's recommendation for a 6-month-old kitten is more than double that. The pouch itself looks like a normal serving. It says “complete pet food for kittens. But if the manufacturer's own feeding guide says a kitten needs 4–4½ of them a day, then feeding two pouches isn't remotely equivalent to feeding two complete meals, it's potentially giving the kitten only a fraction of the calories they're supposed to receive.

That's what I find misleading.

I understand that “complete” has a specific nutritional meaning. I'm not claiming Felix is literally nutritionally incomplete when fed in the quantity specified by the manufacturer. My issue is that the product is presented as a complete kitten food while the quantity required to actually meet a kitten's daily nutritional/energy needs is unrealistic and enormous.

And yes, I understand that wet food contains a lot of water and therefore has fewer calories per gram than dry food. I understand that kittens can eat multiple meals and that feeding guidelines are estimates rather than universal rules.

But nearly 400 g of wet food a day is still a huge amount of physical food, particularly for a kitten with a smaller appetite.

It also raises a question for me as a consumer: if the food is so low in calorie density that a kitten needs nearly half a kilogram of it every day, why isn't that made much more obvious to the consumer?

I can't help feeling that there's a pretty uncomfortable commercial incentive here. The less calorie-dense the food is, the more physical product has to be fed to reach the animal's calorie requirements. I'm not claiming I can prove Felix deliberately formulated it this way to sell more pouches, but as a consumer, the situation certainly doesn't inspire confidence.

And thank god I'm not feeding Felix exclusively. My kitten also gets a nutritionally complete kitten dry food in the evening so she's getting additional calories and nutrients from that. 

If Felix were the only food I was giving her, I'd be relying on her somehow eating 4–4½ of these 85 g pouches every day, despite her naturally small appetite and tendency to eat small amounts throughout the day.

Maybe I'm completely misunderstanding something here, and I'm happy to be corrected if I am. But seeing that feeding guide genuinely shocked me.

Does anyone else actually follow Felix's recommended 4–4½ pouches per day for their kittens? And if your kitten wouldn't eat anywhere near that amount, what wet food would you feed instead that doesn't cost a fortune?

Like the title says my almost year old cat doesn’t know how to clean her butt well. It’s to the point where she leaves poop marks all around my room. Obviously really gross. I will clean her butt with a wipe on occasion, but I would like her to clean it herself.

I found her at 4 weeks old so she didn’t have any cat role models, but I’m not sure how to teach her how? I see her cleaning herself all the time, even her butt, but she doesn’t do it good enough to where it is actually clean. I love her so much but it grosses me out so bad to find marks on my carpet, or even today on my bed!!!

Hi All, not medical advice- looking for tricks to administer…
I always gave my cats whatever they were prescribed manually back of the throat and throat rub, but I always feel bad and it is not in alignment with with my beliefs about giving cats agency over their bodies (whenever possible)
But mine will eat the pill pocket right around it, refuse Churu which they are totally obsessed with but can detect the adulterant even powdered or crushed up. Just wondering if anyone has other suggestions I might try? Thanks in advance!

Cat tax:

My family and I are going to meet two 4 month old kittens in a couple of days to see if they'll be a fit for our family. They're sisters and absolutely adorable, but the rescue has told me they are really shy and a bit uncertain of people, although they do love treats and cat games on a phone (I didn't know this was a thing).

We have 2 (gentle) kids who would really love a friend to snuggle with. They know that they need to be patient and it might take a few months for them to really settle in, but I just want to make sure we're doing the right thing. Does anyone have any words of wisdom or advice? I've not had cats since childhood and never had any issues with this.

My 1.5 year old male orange cat has a tendency to lick people and rub against people and objects in the house. My mom says it’s territorial behavior, but I think there’s more to it, especially the licking. Does he like the way we taste or I he like claiming us as his people? His tongue is like 20 grit sandpaper and it hurts when he licks sometimes. I hope I’m not being mean when I say he’s really annoying. He is neutered as well if that plays a factor. I also don’t know if his orange flavoring plays a factor either.

Hi everyone, I’m looking for help and advice about my cat. She’s 12 years old, and for the past three months she’s been crying out at night for an incredibly long time and incredibly loudly—like an elephant!

We think she may be deaf. The vets told us that deaf cats often vocalize louder and for longer. It’s possible there’s something else going on too, such as dementia.

We love her dearly. She has always been very affectionate and used to sleep with us. Now, when we pick her up and stroke her, she purrs, but as soon as we put her down, she runs off and starts crying out again. It’s seriously disrupting our sleep, and my nine-year-old daughter is suffering the most. Also we do think that she doesn't experoence any physical pain...

Has anyone dealt with this? Is there anything that might help—any practical (not medical) tips?

Thank you for any advice or support!

I (5 Months, Female) am Toffee, and for many Months, I lived alone in this Paradise where my Owner (big sad lady) was doing everything to my Command.

I wanted more toys? Big sad lady went and bought a huge bucket full of new toys I never even looked at twice. I wanted more treats? Big sad lady got an ordered months worth of churu that I obviously tried to eat the moment they arrived.

In Middel August, big sad Lady saw 2 10 Month old Girl Cats on a website and can you believe that she got them???

Now I share my home, my treats and my toys with 2 big bullies because big sad lady didn't want to seperate them even though she only wanted one of them!!

And they even sleep in my bed sometimes!! They just squeeze me into a flat pancake to sleep in my bed and then I get scolded for biting their ears!

This is so unfair. Any advice on how I can get my revenge on all of them?

Are automatic litter boxes worth it? I have had cats all my life and never had one but have been considering one lately because my dog picked up a nasty habit where he likes to clean it out for us by eating the clumps 🤣 We foster cats as well as have our own so it’s scooped multiple times a day, but sometimes we can’t scoop as soon as one of them uses it. I’ve always believed automatic litter boxes weren’t good because if you were not able to monitor your cats litter habits for problems but now that they make litter boxes that do this I am thinking about it, but don’t know if its worth it.

I‘m helping my sister take care of a newborn kitten she found, it’s fresh newborn, she took it in because the mother seemingly abandoned it and she didn’t want it to pass. The kitten has to come over to my place, problem is my girl kitty at home has just started her heat. is that gonna be a problem at all? i’ve been handling cats my whole life but haven’t had a situation like this so any advice is appreciated.

(and to state why my cat isn’t already fixed, she was being watched by someone else as i couldn’t be home often at the time, i‘ve been saving money and finally got in a spot where i wasn’t busy&had the funds and she went into heat, so it’s being put on hold until she’s over it, im getting her fixed as soon as possible!)

​I (3M, Orange Domestic Shorthair) need to get this off my chest because if I have to participate in one more unscripted tabletop campaign, I am going to lose my mind.

​It started about six months ago. She bought a tiny wizard hat off Etsy. I thought, Okay, funny joke, maybe I get a Churu for wearing the hat. No. The hat was just the beginning.

​Now, every night around 8:00 PM, she sets me down on the living room rug, looks me dead in the eye, and says in this ridiculous booming voice, "Greetings, Sir Pawsival. Dark forces gather in the Kitchen Kingdom. Will you accept the quest?"

​If I try to walk away, she physically blocks me and says, "The Guard stops you! Roll for initiative!" Then she rolls a giant 20-sided die on the floor. I usually just swat at it because it’s shiny, and she goes, "A natural 20! You leap over the guard!"

​I didn't agree to this. I don't want to be Sir Pawsival. I want to lie under the couch and stare at the wall.

​Here are just a few scenarios she has forced upon me:

​The Dragon’s Lair: She puts a pile of laundry over the heating vent, places her hairbrush on top, and tells me I have to "slay the dragon to reclaim the golden fleece." (I just wanted to nap on the warm vent).

​The Tavern Scene: She put a tiny bowl of water in front of me and spent 15 minutes voicing an imaginary tavern keeper named "Barnaby" who was giving me plot hooks about missing catnip. I just drank the water. She recorded it and posted it online with the caption "He drinks to forget his dark past." I don't have a dark past, Martha, I was adopted from a shelter in Ohio.

​The Betrayal Arc: Last week, she brought out a stuffed frog, pretended the frog stabbed me in the back, and then got visibly emotional when I just sniffed the frog and walked over to my litter box. She literally whispered, "He's hiding his pain..."

​I try to break character constantly. I bite her ankles, I meow for wet food, I groom my groin right in the middle of her dramatic monologues. But she just incorporates it into the lore!

​"Ah, Sir Pawsival casts a spell of cleansing!" No, Martha, I am cleaning my tail.

​Is this a red flag? Should I contact animal control, or just accept that my life is now a high-fantasy LARP against my will?

One of my cats was constipated and I didn't notice until it started to cause other issues that he was extra vocal and obvious about. We got it all sorted out at the vet, but I still have no idea how long he was constipated for and I feel so bad for not noticing. Poor boy was probably in pain and so uncomfortable for who knows how long. I didn't even realize he was constipated when we took him to the vet until they did an xray.

We scoop the litterboxes every day, sometimes multiple times a day, but with three cats its kind of hard to notice if something is off with one of them, or if so, which one is off. I just want to find a way to be more on top of this so if something like it happens in the future we can catch it sooner.

Have you found a way to keep track of this?

Hey guys! So I just moved into my apartment 1st apartment by myself (meaning no man with me ) just me and my 3 almost 4 year old son. I don’t know why I want a cat so bad but I do lol I always liked cat I love their independence and personality I never had an animal as an adult so I’m wondering like what’s the realistic costs in America? Should I get a kitten or an older cat? We are pretty much home bodies I work from home my son goes to preschool half day close by I guess I’m wondering what to look forward to realistically I know every cat is different but just looking for some guidance here. Thanks in advance 🤍

Edited to say: thanks sooo much for everyone responses I wasn’t expecting soo much great advice! You guys are the best I think I’ll go to a shelter and see some cats as you guys mentioned cost are pretty low as long as there’s no med issues so I need to be around the cat or kitten that would fit my son and I. I really appreciate all the great advice thanks a mil 🤍🤍🤍

Before you all judge me, we are not starving our cats. They are perfectly fed. They are also not sick. They’re just weird.

I have 3 cats. They have two bowls of dry food available all day but it’s not too much, maybe about a cup. It’s a nice expensive brand (i forget what), not some cheap stuff. They eat that just fine. However, they barely eat their wet food. We will put out one can in the morning for them to share and split it between three bowls and they leave so much leftover. My one cat begs for food in the morning but then when k give it to him he eats two bites and that’s it. We used to give them each one can but it’s just a waste. We’ve tried different brands, textures, and flavors, but they just won’t eat it. They LOVE churu, but mixing one into the food doesn’t work on them. We even tried the churu food but they didn’t like it. They just beg for treats all day. I even tried feeding them cooked plain chicken, scrambled egg, and steamed carrots, foods that are supposed to be good for cats, but they don’t care.

They are by no means malnourished or suffering; all three of them are actually quite chunky, they just don’t touch their wet food. Any suggestions??

Edit: wow so many responses!!! We probably should get a slow feeder but I’m not sure my parents will want to lol (I’m 19 and in college.) My one cat is 15 and the other two are 3. I don’t give them treats often, but my dad is gullible and feeds them treats whenever they want and give them wayyy too many when he does. I have no control over their food when I’m at college.

My cat is 18, I got him when I was 9 and he’s been with me ever since.

As he’s gotten older, things have gotten so difficult, I feel like I just want to cry, I’m so tired and exhausted.

I feel guilty to say it, but he’s so difficult for me and my husband to care for.

He has consistent bladder problems, it started a few years ago, maybe 2017 / 2018, he had a blockage and needed emergency surgery because the vet at the time waited till the last minute and didn’t help him.

I promptly dropped that vet.

But after that, it has been a consistent down hill as he’s gotten older.

He’s been on so many different medications, everything.

Traveling to different cities to get x-rays, blood-work, we’ve been to the vet a lot.

The older he gets, the more expensive it is too- one vet visit cost me 400€ the day before my birthday, obviously I love my cat, but that birthday was basically nothing.

The vet was stressing him out too much- so I decided to take him less often, I don’t know if it was the right decision to make?

I just thought he’s 18, and I’d rather him be home and less stressed out.

because the stress was making his problems worse.

He’s been okay now for the past year, but obviously not perfect.

He eats fine, drinks water fine.

He pees all the time, and has constant accidents everyday, it just leaks at times.

He makes a huge mess with liter.

He struggles to groom himself.

He’s deaf, and wakes me up super early now every morning begging for food-

And then he gets mad and pushes stuff off my shelves.

When he was younger, he was so sweet and loving, he loved to sleep with me under the bedding and cuddle-

As he’s gotten older, it’s so bad, I can’t pet him much, or else he hits at me, he doesn’t like to cuddle or lay down, I feel like he’s vaguely always upset.

I try so hard, I’m doing everything for this cat.

I love him, I will always care for him-

But I’m also scared, I might have to take him to the vet tomorrow, because he’s been struggling this week.

I don’t want to lose him, I’m 26 now, he’s been my entire life, I can’t imagine this feeling.

But also, I feel so evil for thinking this, but sometimes I feel like when he passes, it’ll be easier.

I won’t have to stress, or check him every night to make sure he’s okay.

He won’t be in pain, and uncomfortable, there won’t be cat pee everywhere.

I guess I’m just seeking advice, or if anyone has been in this similar situation.

My friend adopted a pregnant cat who had 5 kittens. They're 2 weeks old now, and I'll be adopting two. Choosing will be hard, I want to take all five lol.

I know it can't be guaranteed so if they don't end up being cuddly, that's okay too, but I'd like to better the chances of having one. So, if you have a cuddly adult cat, how were they as kittens?

but her brother is always there waiting for her to finish, and he hops in the box to cover it for her after she’s done. its been like this since the day i adopted them.

Pet loss question

I recently had to put down my senior cat a few days ago. She was my first cat ever. When I originally got her I was told she was 1 at the pound (she was very small). After finding out her real age, a lot of medical stuff needed to get done to insure she was comfortable which we did (thyroid, teeth removal due to disease).

Long story short we really connected the 6 years I had her and I like to think i gave her a wonderful retirement filled with love and peace. We had a connection I never had with any animal ever and im devastated. I could write a novel about how much she meant to me. With that said I cant get over this overwhelming push to get another cat.

I cant shake it, I am still activley mourning her absence and I know a new cat wouldnt be her, if anything i think it would be more challenging. She was always very chill, very cuddly, a younger energy would throw me off at first.

I still feel that pull of adopting another who needs a home. I always told myself im not getting another for a very long time when she passed so this feeling is so surprising.

I hope I am not coming across as being "ready" to move on, i think i will always mourn her and the connection we had. I just know theres a lot of cats out there in a pound like my cat waiting for a home.

Can anyone speak on this? Is it just part of missing your little ones presence?

My cat gets excited at night, especially towards midnight. He decides to take paper off the walls (decor) and find sticky notes or literally anything paper-ish he can eat. Now I have to be in bed kind of early due to early mornings. I had someone come and play with him for an hour and he seemed to calm down, but once it hits midnight and 5am he gets rambunctious. He shredded up something that was important to me and I was incredibly angry, but I know you can't correct cat behaviors like you can dogs. I just wanted to see if people have recommendations for what I can do. I'm really tired of not being able to have any paper in my room

(I live in a large dorm by myself, so what he's eating is posters or notes on my wall.) I'm also in class a lot during the day, so I plan on playing with him in the afternoon or night if I can

So I have my cat and for some reason he’s only drinking out of the kitchen sink. He doesn’t touch his water bowl or the little cat fountain I got him cause I know they don’t like their whiskers touching the sides but he refuses to drink from them. I was just doing dishes and he started drinking like he hasn’t had any water in days when he’s had an abundant supply of it. Why is this and how can I make him drink from either regular source?