A Bit Worried, Not Really Bonding, with Leopold Options

[ladywolf]

I am a bit worried--I find that I am not really "bonding" with Leopold. He is SO independent that I forget to play with him and try to have bonding time--he spends most of his time outdoors, away from me. I guess the bottomline truth is, I'm just never as attached to cats as I am to dogs. I've had SO MANY of them--they have come and gone, probably twenty cats over the years--they all die young, except my last one, and even she disappeared and probably joined the food chain, but at least she was 15 years old...

So maybe I protect myself from getting too attached because of my past experiences? Or is it just that I am really more of a dog person than a cat person at heart? Or was it too soon for me to get a new pet, too soon after Ladywolf's death (a month).

Or is it that he is SO bold that he almost intimidates me? Not that I'm afraid of him, but that I perceive him as being bolder than I am, and I'm pretty bold!

Or is it that my tiny house is set up such that there is no sofa or easy chair, just the bed and the computer chair for spending comfortable time--and his forays up onto the computer desk infuriate me, so bed is really the only place that we can spend relaxed time together, which we do?

Or am I expecting too much too soon?

Maybe getting him altered will change his behavior a little; I don't know, but I hope so. He is an alpha male kitten if ever I saw one. And cute as a button--I just don't feel that I care about him as much as I cared about my dogs, and this makes me feel confused and sad. Of course, I would do anything I needed to to protect him from harm (except keep him indoors--we'd both go MAD!!!), but do I LOVE him? I'm not really sure.

Any and all input would be welcomed, as I worry about this a lot these days. I started a new thread so that it would get more attention.

Thanks in advance!

Hugs from Margi, Spiritwolf, and Leopold The King of The Universe

[sad]

Margi

Leopold is still so young and at that age they have the attention span of a fruit fly someitmes. :-) Some cats are very affectionate and will follow you everywhere and others are more independent but they are all different. It does sound like he is a "people cat" since you mentioned he goes to your neighbor's house quite a bit. It sounds like he is very sociable. When he is a little older and after being neutered he will slow down somewhat-that is almost a guarantee. He is still exploring his world and establishing his territory and making sure everyone follows "his" rules-lol. And it is hard for you to get him so soon after losing Ladywolf but you know he needed you and think how much he has made you laugh in this short time. So you are still greiving as well as getting used to a new and very different furbaby.