After reading my two most recent entries, you may be thinking, "What about Orange?" Trust me, she does not think she is missing out. In fact, she rather enjoys her alone time. Orange is most happy in her home territory. She loves sitting outside in the comfort of her tent (again, more to come on this in the future), but she has no interest in venturing any further.
So while Fiona, Oliver, or Owen are out and about, Orange can be found relaxing in various beds around the house completely undisturbed. Her favorite lounging location (when I'm not available, of course) is what I call the "window bed." My bureau is the perfect height to fit right under a large window. It fits three giant cat beds (yes I have four cats, but they like to share) perfectly in a row on top. Orange usually picks the one that is in direct sunlight and may move from one to the other as the day goes on. If she is feeling extra snuggly, she will even share her favorite spot. It's a little slice of kitty heaven.
When I am home, she velcroes herself to me. Orange is on my shoulder if I'm standing in the kitchen (only when it is safe, of course) and she is on my lap wherever I am sitting down. She likes to drape herself over my arms while I'm on my laptop and photobombs my Zoom meetings on a regular basis. When she wants a little bit of distance, she will lie on my legs instead. Orange is the definition of a shadow cat.
Orange certainly has her quirks. One of her favorite hobbies is shredding paper. She particularly loves shredding bills, but she is courteous enough to wait until after I've paid them. She has surprisingly only attacked the toilet paper once (and I'm pretty sure Fiona took part in that fiasco as well). Thankfully that occurred back in the day when toilet paper could be found in abundance.
Although destructive behaviors can be a sign of boredom or anxiety in some cats, I think Orange truly enjoys the activity. If you think about it, tearing and chewing are a natural part of a cat's hunt - they have to chew apart their prey to eat all the tasty goodness inside (gross, sorry). If a cat begins to chew obsessively or ingests the material, that's when we become concerned. Orange just likes to leave the pile of paper pieces for me to clean up.
Orange is also a mutual groomer. She loves her brothers very much and makes sure they are always meticulously clean and handsome. They have to be in tip top shape in case they meet any female felines on their walks! Fiona, being the prima donna that she is, has never allowed Orange to style her fur.
Mutual grooming is known as allogrooming and is seen as a sign of affection. Cats will also enlist their trusted siblings to help get those hard-to-reach places like the ears and the top of the head. Look at all this sibling love! There is some serious allogrooming going on. Baby Owen loves when his brother and sister help him out. Of course this is all happening on my lap while I'm trying to be productive.
Although Orange is quite clingy (in a good way), she has never shown signs of separation anxiety when I am gone. She does not become distressed when I get ready to leave the house and will voluntarily take some alone time if I'm home for an extended period of time. I think she really just loves my company. I did raise her, after all.
Separation anxiety can occur in cats, just like in dogs. Some cats feel that they need their person (or in some cases, another pet in the household) for a certain sense of security or well-being. What are some signs of kitty separation anxiety? And what can I do about it? Well that is too much for me to go into here, but I've provided some great links to check out if you want some more information.
Purina: https://www.purina.co.uk/cats/behaviour-and-training/understanding-cat-behaviour/cat-anxiety
The Ohio State University: https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats/problemsolving/separation-anxiety
Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/all-dogs-go-heaven/202004/do-cats-have-separation-anxiety
I will admit that I am concerned about how Orange is going to cope when I go back to work, especially since we've spent almost every waking moment (and every slumbering moment) together for the past two months. Honestly, I'll probably be the one with the separation anxiety and she'll just nap until I get home. I'm going to have to set up some cameras to keep an eye on the kitties to make sure they aren't sad!
But what can I do to try to prevent this anxiety from developing? I can start distancing myself from Orange (another reason why walks with the other cats is a good idea) so she continues to be comfortable with my coming and going. Cats also like classical and jazz music, so I can leave some soft music on while I'm gone. I will make sure Orange's favorite beds are positioned to get the most direct sunlight and her favorite toys aren't trapped under any of the furniture. I like to feed the cats right before I leave so that they are distracted during my exit - feeding time is everyone's favorite!!! I think that is more so for me than them. But hey, it works. When I get home after work, we will continue our normal routine: dinner, relaxation (aka me on the couch with the cats piled on top), and play time.
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