Guide
Why does my cat do that? The mystery of purring
by Darina Schweizer
One of your housecats dies: here’s why you should get them a new companion
25.10.2023
Translation: Katherine Martin
Veronica Bielawski’s cat Luna has been yowling constantly since her feline roommate Loki died of bladder stones. Should the Digitec Galaxus translator buy her surviving pet a companion? Or would she be better advised to stick to one house cat? I asked an animal psychologist to weigh in on this controversial question.
It all started with cat litter
It’s winter 2023 and Veronica keeps noticing cat litter strewn around her apartment. «I had to vacuum five times a day,» she recalls. With neither cat acting differently, she suspects there’s an issue with their litter box and opts to buy a self-cleaning model. In the app, she notices Loki uses the toilet every ten minutes on some days. Growing suspicious,
she raises the issue with the vet at the cat’s annual check-up in the spring. Loki has his blood and urine taken. Aside from a slight decline in his results compared to the previous year’s check-up, the tests don’t reveal anything abnormal. «Since my cat was overweight, we thought it was because of that. So I paid attention to his diet and bought an automatic food dispenser. But none of the high-tech stuff helped,» says Veronica.
A painful goodbye
Here’s another way to remember your dearly departed pet:
A feline lament begins
Advice from an animal psychologist
Many cat owners face the same question when a pet dies. Animal psychologist Katharina Aeschimann (website in German) is often asked for her take on this. After all, she’s an authority on the needs of cats.
But what characteristics should you focus on when getting a new cat after one passes away? According to Katharina Aeschimann, the most important thing is to choose a four-legged friend:
- with a similar temperament
- of roughly the same age
- of the same sex
In Veronica’s case, it might be tough to find six-year-old Luna a companion of the same age. «Older cats in shelters are often free-rangers, loners who’ve lived by themselves for a long time. But you might get lucky. Otherwise, you can always ask a breeder. They often have slightly older cats to give away that needed to be neutered,» says Aeschimann, herself a breeder of Maine Coon cats.
She adds that if you’re set on buying a young cat as a buddy to an older one, just getting one animal won’t be enough. «You should buy two so that the youngsters can play with each other. You should leave it up to the older cat whether to join in. Either way, you should definitely give the older cat their own space. One way of doing this could be with a microchip cat flap leading to another room.»
The cat’s gender can also be a crucial factor. According to Aeschimann, male cats tend to play rough. Female cats, on the other hand, are often annoyed by this. «When it comes to house cats, I actually always recommend going for animals of the same sex. Unless the male cat is gentler because it was raised with numerous sisters,» says Aeschimann.
What’s next for Luna?
Veronica is still unsure whether she should get a new buddy for sweet-natured Luna. She’s giving herself a little more time to mull it over. In the meantime, she’s being especially attentive to Luna’s needs, scheduling in plenty of cuddles with her pet, who follows her everywhere she goes. In a way, it looks as if Veronica’s got herself a dog after all. At least for now.
What’s your take on house cats? Do you think they should be kept alone or in pairs? Let me know in the comments.
Header image: Darina Schweizer
Darina Schweizer
Senior Editor
Darina.Schweizer@digitecgalaxus.chI love anything with four legs or roots - especially my shelter cats Jasper and Joy and my collection of succulents. My favourite things to do are stalking around with police dogs and cat coiffeurs on reportages or letting sensitive stories flourish in garden brockis and Japanese gardens.
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