In need of some catish insight..

[couponwitch]

We have this very opinionated, vocal Black Tortoiseshell. Her name is MeHa and she is 8 yrs old. She has been spayed since she was about 4 1/2 mos. old. She is a total house cat, only goes out with supervision. She is our Furry Purry baby.
Here is the issue... She has this green mouse toy. It is kinda shaped like a coil with a mouse like head and a furry tail. Our oldest son gave it to her went was living with us and finishing college. She was a kitten and he was her best friend.... they like watched baseball together, play computer games chased each other around the house. He lives in Oklahoma and we live in NM, sometimes I think she is looking for him. She carries this toy around and meows for hours.....if when she is not watching I get it and put it up, she sets at the door and just screams. It is a horrid guttural, heart wrenching cry. She never had kittens, altho we do call the toy "the baby" and she will bring me the baby and want me to rock it.....
Ok... How do I wean her from this toy??? or Can I???

[TBEventer2002]

Hi couponwitch!!! :)

One of my cats (a 3yo Calico) does that with one particular toy as well. We think she has "killed" it and is calling for "her babies" (my other two cats) because when she does this, they both always come running! It's a totally natural instinct which we do not mind. :)

Hope all is well with you and yours!

[navybrat]

My older cat Wylie does that too. Only he does it in the middle of the night. Very loudly. He'll carry a toy,no certain one though, all over the house screaming in this weird tone at the top of his lungs. I had to start picking up all the toys before I go to bed it got so bad.

[Cynthiabutterfly]

We had a cat like that, always crying and seemed like he was looking for something - but it was a boy! We discovered that he was just looking for affection, and cried like that because he was home with our other cats while DH and I worked all day. We had to give him to someone who was home enough to give him attention... she figured out when she started working full time that he really WAS spoiled- he would attack her things and pee on everything when she was gone.

Poor thing... the bad cat food got him and he passed away from kidney failure when he was only 5 years old.

[Lmnde]

One of my older cats used to do this --- only he would steal a pen or pencil from my desk and wander around with it --- and surprised? ---- looking to "gift" it to me, LOL. Whenever I took it from him, or he dropped it at my feet, he was all done with the crying. A bit of loving and petting will go a long way along with this too. It is just catty "gift giving" and "hunt sharing" along with begging for a bit more lovin' and praise for the hunter.

Let her keep it, if it bothers or worries you, get her some additional toys to play with and a catnip sock or some such, they tend to forget their woes when catnip [the real stuff] comes into play.

[couponwitch]

Thank you all....
It is good to know that she is not the only one. I think I have pet owners remorse..I worry that I should do something for her and maybe this is just nature. She is a very loved, spoiled lady. She gets snuggles and love when ever she wants from either of us. Since we are both retired and home all day she gets ALL of our attention. I will just have to continue to watch her and when she brings me the baby... I will take it and give her some love......