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New family member
We have wanted a cat for years but have always had rented accommodation with no pets allowed.
Just after the first lockdown we managed to find a house and put in an offer.
We managed to move while everything was open and just before the tier four restrictions hit we picked up our little Todd, a Burmese kitten of only 8 weeks old.
It’s been such a blessing to keep us active and positive as he needs constant interaction, cuddles and play. We watch him grow and love our little warm and furry bundle of feisty joy.
It could not have turned out better.
/ John and Sun
Cat Behavior – Hairs Loss
Thank you for gathering stories about our loved cats.
I have two cats, step brothers, same father and different mothers, both aged 5 at the time of first lockdown.
What happened is one of them Looping (a Real attention seeker – giving back so much love), had a massive loss of hairs on his back and tail. He was actually licking his hairs frantically and it broke them…
I went to two vets, and they had difficulties to tell what was the issue. To this day, we still don’t know and I can only assume it was our presence in the house. He also became even more hyperactive than he already was.
In the end we gave him (vets’ prescription) CLOMICALM médicine (French name), and he is now more calm, 95% stopped the frantically licking and his hairs have grown back on his body (still not full hairs).
He his still under medicine after 8 months and I Hope we can end it soon.
His Brother didn’t suffer at all our presence during lockdown.
Hope one day we will know what happened.
All the best Josie
😽😽😽
My cats and the pandemic
I have 2 cats, who are exclusively indoor cats.
I live in a country where people don’t consider pets as family and majority let their cats/dogs roam in the neighborhood but also refuse to sterilize them. There are packs of stray dogs making the rounds of their territory and from time to time someone decides to drop poisoned meat around to ”control the stray population”. So my cats are strictly indoor
With the pandemic, I was without work for 7 months and moved in my boyfriend’s house with his roommate.
The cats got a larger space and 3 humans all day everyday, and chickens out of the window (oh yeah there’s wild chickens everywhere in this country). But we realize that the house we were in was too small for all 5 of us and our stuff, so we moved again to an even bigger place with a little patio.
The cats now have a lot of room in the house, stairs to run up and down after each other, and sometimes we’ll take them on the patio with a harness on. And, they get all the attention in the world!
They have both really blossomed during this time, they’ve bonded with both my boyfriend and our roommate, but I’m still their favorite mommy and now that I’ve gone back to work they make sure to ask for attention and cuddle when i come home.
Thankfully my boyfriend and our roommate now work from home full time so the house is rarely empty.
Overall i think my cats are so much happier with everything that happened and where they are now, and have become very social little furry friends:)
Ginger
When pandemic started I was in depression.
I had a fight with my boyfriend, I hated my friends I didn’t like eating, I was sleeping more everyday was difficult I was suffocated in my own place, I hated being with family, cried without any reason and wanted to give up on my life too.
That time I met Ginger, a cute 4 month old Ginger kitten, who arrived at my place with his sibling and I was in a aww beacuse Ginger was protecting his sibling whenever he was scared after ginger’s sibling went to his forever home, for the first time he slept next to me that day we both felt safe.
During pandemic Ginger got sick beacuse he was not vaccinated by previous owner and seeing him in pain I took him to vet when there were no cab driver ready to travel 9kms I was standing in middle of the road where it was raining and I was crying and coving his carrier because his meows were really loud. There I found my lifesaver who drove me in middle of a cyclone to the vet’s clinic and looking at my condition he dropped me at my home too.
Well in middle of all the medical tests I could hear his loud meows almost like screaming and I sense for the first time for him I’m crying.
I covered my ears and closed my eyes because I couldn’t see him in that condition , days passed and he got better healthy and active and during this time I became his mama and to me he is my little baby boy without whom I can’t sleep.
His responsability took me out of depression and his purrs gave me life, a reason to live, the moment I saw his rebellious attitude and that beautiful green/yellow eyes I fell in love with him, every day his presence makes me want to work and everynight I feel safe when he is next to me.
I’m thankful he exist in my life
My beautiful baby boy – Ginger
Stella singh
Instagram- @stella.singh88
Behavioral changes during pandemic
I want to believe my cat was happy at first since I stopped getting so much hours at work and all my classes became online only.
He would always come to my desk or sit near me while I was studying.
Fast forward a few weeks and he didn’t even wanted to be in the same room as me, he would go out to sleep on the living room couch, wouldn’t come to my bed when I called him, started peeing on the other living room couch and things like that.
It’s been a couple months and I’m back to my regular work schedule so I go out for 10/12 hours a day and now he seems happy to see me every time I walk through the door.
I think he is happy that I’m not at home 24/7 anymore.
Pandemic and my cat
My cat must love this pandemic.
Never have I been at home for so many hours in a day.
When I get up she is allowed to go outside, never happened before. During summer the doors were open all day, never happened.
Now it is cold again, I have to let her out every now and then on her command, not only when I’m around because I’m constantly around.
A lot have changed for her this year, loss of her sister in January, lockdown in March with her best friend (my son) all day present and her buddy (my daughter) always available when she needs a cuddle and of course her servant (me) for food, water and being the doorman 😉
Adopting a kitten during a pandemic
I rescued a ten week old Ragdoll kitten during the pandemic. I’ve wanted a kitten my whole life and specially a Ragdoll. Me and my family decided now is the perfect time for raising a kitten and giving her all of our attention.
Indigo/ Indie for short came from a breeder and then to a family whose daughter was sadly allergic so they needed to re-home her.
We liked the owners and they liked us so we took her to her forever home immediately.
Within a day she was settled in really well and a month later, we can’t imagine our life without her. She’s such a happy, curious, cheeky, loving four month old kitten.
Since getting her she’s had two vet checks. She was very small but we suspect she was the runt of the litter. Vet drop off’s have been safe and contactless, payment has been via the phone and a very easy system.
Luckily Indie came with all accessories; her bed, scratching post, bowls etc and all food and litter supplies have been ordered online.
Getting a kitten has lifted mine and my vulnerable parents spirits. It’s been a horrible year for us all; I lost my job, my parents can’t travel. She really does make us smile and laugh every day with her personality.
Indies Instagram is @indieblogs_
A year without seeing my baby 😞
Hi Josie, I’d like to tell you my story.
I live in a tiny apartment in Southwest Michigan, USA.
Not being able to have my cat with me and any of my apartments thus far has been one of the hardest things I’ve had to deal with since I can remember.
My parents live in a log home north of here and have been taking care of my cat for 16 years. That’s right, she is 16 years old. I don’t get up there as much as I’d like to, as our relationship has never been the easiest, but I always make time to visit her as much as I can and spend some time with her.
She’s a muted calico tabby and is the sassiest, sweetest baby who loves to sleep by the fireplace. My dad likes to build fires especially for her to lay by and she adores them everyday.
This is the first year my whole life that I have not been able to see her. As the pandemic worsens, and my mother has an immunocompromised health situation, I mainly speak to them via zoom or FaceTime.
I have not seen her since February of this year. Christmas is one of the hardest times for me and I have to say that I am grateful that I am going to be able to see her on Christmas Eve for a few hours to deliver her birthday gifts (her birthday was October and I missed it) as well as some Christmas gifts.
I always feel the more I am away from her the less she still loves me – even though I know it’s just my anxiety – I know that cats have feelings too and don’t do well with separation that they can’t understand.
This may not be the happiest story to tell, but I wanted to share what it’s like to have a whole year without your baby, especially when they don’t even live with you to begin with. This year has been extremely tough on my mental health and I miss her so dearly all the time, and fear that one day she will leave me before I can say goodbye to her.
Thanks for listening, you’re the best.
My cat and me in te pandemic
Hello Josie, thank you for giving us the opportunity to tell this little story.
The pandemic gave me the opportunity to spend more time with my cat Milo, which reminded me the first 3 years of our life together (he is 6 years old now) and I was still a student, studying from home.
It was very enjoyable and I focused a lot on him, on his food habits, a lot of time to cuddle ❤️
I got back to work 3 months after the first lockdown, but I still enjoy quality time with my cat at night and I make sure to get back to see him in the middle of the day during my lunch break (which I didn’t always do before).
However, I’m a little ashamed to confess that the lockdown increased my addiction to social media (especially Instagram), and I’m spending to much time watching cat videos instead of cuddling my own cat. So I’m working on that and I’m trying to focus as much as I can on my little ball of fur, full of love (who is currently purring on my lap).
I hope our relationship is going to evolve more and more as the years will pass, because Milo has such a special place in my heart ❤️
We send you lots of kisses from France,
Emilia & Milo
Cats in a pandemic
We have three cats, and the youngest one really had no idea what was going on or any reactions/changes.
She’s only 2, so I think she isn’t as used to the “normal” as the two older ones to really know how much of a difference it was having four of us at home all day every day for a couple of months!
The two older ones are both 14, so they’ve got their routines and their ways, and the stay at home orders really differed from their routines.
We had to take one of them to the vet, and a couple weeks after we took her to that place it turns out that vet was a covid spreading location!
We switched vets (they weren’t all that great with the cats either, we switched to a cat-only one that is really good!) and her issue is all better now!
The other 14 year old, he’s our man and he is very very routine-based. Breakfast in the morning at 7:30 every day, dinner at night at 8:30 every night, has his nests he sleeps in and his nightly sit next to Mom while she reads.
So he is used to his alone time and napping during the day, when no people are home. He was so agitated at first when we were suddenly all at home, it was like he was saying “okay I love you guys a lot but why are you home so much????”
He started to get used to it, and then two of us left to go back to school, and one started leaving during the day for work again, so now he is all back to normal!
Nox and pandemic
Since the pandemic there is at least one person at home 90% of the time. Both of us atm.
The changes are subtle, but I’d say she’s more cuddly. She also uses spots in the room she rarely used before. (She always has a choice to be sociable or to be left alone.)
Also the routine became more obvious: after breakfast she comes asking for entertainment.
She’s an ex-feral cat so the progress she’s made in the last 3 years is amazing. However the process is faster the more time we spend with her. She even understands voice commands like come, stay, jump, show me and here 🙂
So that’s a good thing to find in a crazy situation 🙂
Kisses to your fluffy crew (love them!),
Anja
Happy Cats Happy me
Our lockdown in Amman Jordan started on 17th of March.
I went back to my job on 24th of April.
While I was wondering in the streets, just founded many homeless cats in the streets were discarded..
For me I started to buy good food and provide my grandfather balcony or its like patio for them to come over and sleep at night with lots of fresh water daily.
Now I got 12 cats happy cozy in winter.
The balcony got window and I provided it with a small stool so they can easily go out and come back especially for there private business.
I used to gather around them in summer got my laptop working online.
They really feel safe happy freshly running around my grandfather garden.
There purrs were like a healing music meditation for me.
I love them so much.
The most beautiful thing I got in this tough year.
The lockdown kittens
I just wanted to share my story about my pandemic lockdown experience.
Back in March we went into a full lockdown in Spain, which was intense and a bit scary as well. Months before my mother and me had been feeding a stray cat on our property.
Turned out she was pregnant.
So up until 4th April it was like our daily highlight to see if she had the kittens yet or not. 4th of April she had the kittens in a dog house that we prepared for her on our terrace.
We put lots of towels in so it would be nice and comfortable for them. She gave birth to 4 beautiful kittens. So everyday we would just check in and sometimes even just sit outside and watch them.
When we watched them we would forget about the world and what was happening and everything seemed back in place again.
Unfortunately after a few days, one kitten passed away. (I think they call it the faded kitten syndrome.) It was a very sad experience and we cried a lot. We had a little funeral for Kitty Kat (that’s how we named her/him).
After 6 weeks we decided that we didn’t want the kittens to live outside and be wild as their mother. So we took the 3 kittens in and they brought us so much joy throughout these hard times.
They have grown into beautiful cats. Their names are Mushu, Tippie and Piri. I can honestly say I am so thankful for them and having them with us through the pandemic was a blessing.
Pandemic Prudence
My adopted cat Prudence and I have spent so much time together during the pandemic and it has definitely brought us closer together.
I work in retail, so while my job was shut down from March until July, I spent a majority of my time at home with her. More recently I’ve been struggling with a back injury so Prudence and I have had the opportunity to bond even more during November and December, when I would normally be at work during the holidays.
We’ve established a routine for when I get up and feed her, when she gets treats, and now when she gets toys out of her advent calendar! It’s been fantastic to be with her and grow closer together during this weird time, especially since my family has continued working during all of the time I’ve been home.
Without Prudence I would have been so alone and she’s been such a bright spot in my life.
Trapped in lockdown with a cat in heat!
My cat turned about 4 months old as soon as we entered first lockdown in March.
I started to notice her pacing around a lot and yowling quite a bit. She went into heat – constant meowing, yowling all day and all night, peeing on things, screaming out of the windows, sticking her butt in my face, trying to seduce me.
Because we were in lockdown the vet couldn’t do any elective surgery so I couldn’t have her spayed. I think she had 3 heat cycles in the space of 4 or 5 months.
Just me (working from home on constant zoom calls), her and the constant 24 hour yowling.
Oslo and Melie
Since the beginning of the pandemic I’ve been living with my cats 24/7, and it’s been such a great experience!
I discovered so much about them, like how much they can sleep during the day, how Oslo makes cute snores when he sleeps or how Melie only sleeps on soft fabrics!
I feel like they like that I’m here too, Oslo often comes to see me on my computer and wants to cuddle more than before. I love that I can come and cuddle them whenever I want to make a break during the day.
Also it has been the occasion to give them wet food for lunch, which they definitely adore! I kinda worry about when I will have to get back to work on site, I’m definitely gonna miss them during the day and feel like they will miss me too… Especially for the wet food for lunch part 😂
Ett år kantat av sorg och kärlek
17 juni i år var jag tvungen att ta bort min livskamrat, min bästa vän, som varit vid min sida i 10 år. Pga av covid så fick endast 1 person närvara vid avlivningen, vilket gjorde att min man inte kunde följa med som stöd.
Det är det vidrigaste jag varit med om i hela mitt liv. Han fick dö i mina armar, lugnt och stilla. Men jag? Helt trasig.
Våran andra katt blev ensam kvar. Men ”tack vare” covid så arbetar både jag och min man hemma, så hon har sällskap dygnet runt.
Man märker att hon trivs med att ha oss mer hemma.
Dock är hon inte lika förtjust i att även sonen på 3år är hemma mer än vanligt haha.
Hebe My Beautiful Angel
My experience with my cat during the pandemic has been somewhat traumatizing and life changing.
I rescued Hebe 9 years ago. She was a long hair orange tabby, who loved to sing and snuggle. Hebe and I entered the pandemic together like everyone else in March, and have been staying at home since. Hebe and I live alone together.
Hebe got sick in the summer, and drastically lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time. During the pandemic, it was hard to get a vet appointment, let alone, how do I even get to the vet without risking my immuno comprised self?
Every trip to the vet, I’ve had to rely on my family, who lives in another city from me, to drive me to Hebe’s vet that is only 10 minutes away from me.
During this time, us humans weren’t allowed into the clinic with our cats, so I had to check her in each time while we stood outside the clinic. I wanted go in with her to hold her paw while she did she check up, I wanted to be there for her to hide underneath me when she would get scared of the vet — but I could not do any of this during the pandemic.
Shortly after, Hebe became worse and had to be checked into a bigger hospital that is now 3 cities away from me.
I would’ve never expected that bringing her out that day meant she wasn’t coming home with me anymore.
Hebe was squeezed into the emergency clinic, and I received the bad news 3 hours later. Hebe had really bad cancer that had already spread internally and the doctor said she was in a lot of pain. My family and I got to see and hold Hebe one last time when we arrived. The clinic had set up a room safely away from the other rooms for us to say goodbye.
It was devastating that I was losing someone I love the most during the pandemic, especially when it was just us girls at home living the life. Hebe passed away on August 30, 2020 and was cremated a few days after. An unforgettable experience of losing my one and only cat during the pandemic.
Thanks for reading my story.
