My Cat Appears to be Lonely

Question
Hi,
My cat Minnie seems to be lonely/bored. We just moved to an apartment which is a bit smaller than the house we lived in with my parents. At our old house there were two other cats that lived with her. She seemed to like one of the other cats (Simon) & the other one she definitely did not like (Zeke). It seemed that she always wanted to play and
Zeke wanted nothing to do with her. So at times they would fight. Also more often than not there was someone at the house during the day. Since we have moved Minnie seems to be much more needy that usual, meowing constantly when we get home from work, and always bugging us for attention. Nothing seems to fix the problem either. We bought her new toys as well as a new cat tree which seems to have helped a bit, although I'm not sure for how long. We make sure we play with her everyday before we leave for work as well as when we get back. She is normally an attention monger & quite vocal, but she has gotten more insistent to the point of getting in the way of what we are doing to make sure we pet her. I had a cat prior to this who had the same problem (A Bengal that was used to be around someone all the time) We got him a new friend (another bengal kitten) & he was fine. I'm thinking this may be the solution but because of her shaky behavior with one other cat I'm not sure how to proceed. Should I get her a friend ?? Or do you have any other suggestions I might try prior to that ??

Answer
Leslie,

You may want to discuss treatment for separation anxiety with your vet. It sounds to me like as long as you are paying attention to Minnie she is fine and as soon as you turn your back she is vocal and a little annoying. If you do decide to get Minnie a companion I would suggest a kitten that is 8-12 weeks old. As I mentionned though I do believe that she would be better served at the moment with some treatment for her separation anxiety. You could try an over the counter homeopathic remedy available at natural food stores called Rescue Remedy. Rescue Remedy is a Bach flower essence that is designed to help alleviate anxiety, about 6 drops in fresh water daily should help. The decision to get another pet should not be entirely up to your cat, it is a 20 year commitment that should be taken seriously by everyone involved. A new kitten comes with a fairly expensive first year and the need for a lot of patience and training within that first year. Good luck resolving the separation anxiety issue with Minnie and be aware that she ended up with separation anxiety partly because you and other family members were too nice and too attentive to her, so you will have to follow your vet's guidance as well as a behavioral program in order to get a happy and healthy Minnie back. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me again, I am always willing to help out with issues that may come up.