It's no secret that cats aren't always the most sociable of pets and no matter how much you want a cuddle, sometimes they just want to be left alone.
One man from Salford Quays, Gtr Mancs, has found that his pet really wants some time away from him, after spending £80 on vets bills.
Harry Jones had become worried that his nine-month-old kitten, called Helen, had been acting rather strangely, as she'd started peeing inside and scratching on the front door.
So he took her for an emergency appointment, thinking she might have an infection - only to discover she was just sick of him.
The 25-year-old comms worker had been home more often as he'd been recovering from an op on his eardrum and Helen was clearly in need of some space.
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Harry, 25, said: "She has been a little bit off the last couple of weeks.
"She’s been acting a bit strange, clawing at the front door and meowing loudly, just generally acting out of character.
"Then it came to a head a couple of weeks ago when she weed on my bed, and then she weed on the floor. She was just really letting me know that she wasn’t happy.
"I was quite worried. I thought she might have an infection or something."
Fearing the worst, Harry, set off for their local vet.
He explained: "I got an emergency appointment and the vet told me she is physically absolutely fine.
"The vet asked me if anything had changed recently and I explained I’d had an operation on my ear a few weeks ago, so I had been recovering at home.
"But she said I had changed Helen’s routine, that she was used to me getting out and about and working usually.
"She said: ‘But now you’re sat at home with her all day, she wants a bit of space’.”
Harry ended up spending £50 on the emergency appointment, plus another £30 on gadgets and diffusers to try and calm the cat.
But it turned out he needn't have bothered, as all he needed to do was leave the house for a bit.
Harry continued: "I was just so worried because she had never done anything like this before, and she’s only about nine months old.
"She’s usually quite cuddly and likes sleeping on my bed with me and things like that.
"But she clearly just got a bit sick of me."
He adds that it's "quite iconic" his kitten had gotten fed up with him so quickly and he hopes they can repair their relationship once he gets back to the office.
The singleton who lives with a flatmate said he’s been filling his recovery time with reading and watching old movies like Matilda.
Helen is so fed up with humans by this point she even gets cranky when Harry’s flatmate comes home from the office.
Her owner admitted that despite her strops, she is a "bit of an attention seeker".
In 2021 vets issued a warning that some moggies were becoming seriously ill with stress as lockdown forced their owners to stay home.
A spokeswoman for Cats Protection said any change in a cat’s routine can upset their mental health.
Cats are creatures of habit and thrive within a routine.
But vet medics warned owners to look out for more serious symptoms of anxiety that could even be deadly, like straining to pee or peeing in strange places, and other signs of cystitis.
Owners who are spending more time at home are advised to create safe hiding places for their pets to escape to when they’ve had enough of their human pals.
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