My fiance and I took in a stray female kitten about 3 months ago. She was 2 months old at the time, so 5 months now. She showed up at my fiance's coworker's door and once my partner saw the pictures, she wanted her.
I'm going to be honest and say that I didn't want to take her in. My fiance must have asked over 30 times in 2 weeks. She was in tears pleading before I finally caved. And I regret it. I regret it a lot.
We are not equipped to handle her. We live in a loft style apartment with only one door (to the bathroom). She doesn't have enough space to be a cat, and we're gone an average of 9-10 hours a day for work.
Our cat can be really sweet when she's calm, but that's increasingly rare as she gets more bored with the lack of human companionship. She's even losing interest in her toys and I just don't think this environment is good for her.
Beyond that, I just need space from her. My job is stressful (as is my partner's) and I don't have the mental or physical energy to give this kitten attention, and nowhere to go to get a break. It's reached a point where I dread coming home and I enjoy work more.
This cat is just an unrelenting ball of energy. She's destructive, she doesn't know what boundaries are, etc. And while none of that is her fault, I'm just not ready for it. I have too much on my plate already. I even started therapy just to try to find ways to cope, but I'm frequently the target of our cat's play aggression and none of the therapy exercises help me deal with that.
I am stuck doing most of the cat duties because, despite her repeated assurances, my fiance will not step up and do much to care for her.
But at the same time, I worry about what her life will be like if we send her to a shelter. Where should I even begin? The vet we got her fixed at just said "well, what did you expect? She's a kitten." Which is true, but not very helpful.
I feel your pain, friend. My wife got a kitten back when we were dating and shared a 1 bedroom apartment, and this creature was an absolute menace. Unrelenting energy, didn’t have a chill bone in her body, very destructive, no boundaries. We were both a little afraid of her for a while there. My wife thought about rehoming her many times. By the time she was 2 years old, she was a totally different cat. Sweet, cuddly, lazy, all around a joy to have in the house. We used to worry about what we’d do with this cat if we had kids - we didn’t trust her. Now, we just had our second baby, and I 1000% trust this cat to be a model citizen. She lets the toddler chase her around and pull her tail (she doesn’t like it, but she puts up with it and never bites back).
Here’s the thing: Kittens are insane. It doesn’t matter how much space or attention or toys you give them, they’re insane. Cats, on the other hand, are generally pretty chill. Ours is trained to come when we call her, stay off of the furniture, and beyond that she just kinda hangs out.
If you love this cat and can tough it out for a few years, you very well may end up with a totally different kitty. If not, kittens are a LOT easier to re-home compared to adult cats. Maybe reach out to your local humane society, ASPCA, or other no-kill shelter or rescue. They may even be able to get her listed for adoption while you continue to foster her, and she can go straight from your home to her forever home.
Also, it is 100% okay to crate-train a cat just like you would a dog. I wouldn’t leave her in the crate any more than you need to, but may be worth a try if you need a break when you’re home.
Good luck, and please, don’t forget to pay the cat tax!
Cat tax:
Yeah, I really wanted to get an adult or senior cat if we were going to get one. I've had limited exposure to caring for cats, and kittens are challenging.
She actually tolerates her carrier, but our apartment doesn't have enough space for a large dog crate so we could put food and water in there with her if she needs it.
I'm going to mull over whether or not I can hang on that long. I'm not optimistic considering how tough 3 months was. That said, we're going to make sure she goes to a good home no matter what. She's a good cat and someone with more experience and a better environment would no doubt love her.
Aww she’s a cutie.
Regarding the crate, usual practice is that they wouldn’t have food/water in there. They’re supposed to go in there and sleep. Granted, you shouldn’t leave her in there all day while you’re at work without food and water and a litter box, but a few hours in the evenings is fine.
If you do want a larger crate, there are some dog crates that double as furniture. I’ve seen a few that are coffee tables / dog crates. For our kitten, we just had her in her carrier in a corner when she (or we) needed a few hours of timeout. We’d put a lightweight breathable blanket over the top to make it dark and cozy in there.
In any case, I applaud your commitment to making sure she ends up in a good home, whether it’s yours or another.