I recently fostered three kittens and decided to keep one, and his siblings just went to new homes. Ever since then, he’s been extremely vocal, and I’m struggling to manage it.

He has food, water, toys, and attention when I’m around, and he actually seems fine if I’m just in the room. But the second I leave (even briefly, like going to the bathroom), he starts meowing loudly and nonstop. It’s gotten intense enough that it’s bothering my roommate since any noise she makes also activates it.

For context, I’m gone during the day (around 9–4:30) while at school and will be like that for the next 3-ish weeks until I graduate on the 12th, and when I get back he seems okay at first but the screaming instantly kicks in whenever I’m not directly with him, or even whenever I’m just not directly petting him or actively paying attention to just him. Aka, petting, talking, or playing with him.

I’m assuming this is because he’s adjusting to being alone after losing his littermates, but I’m not sure what the best way to handle it is without reinforcing the behavior or making things worse.

Has anyone dealt with this kind of situation before?

- How long does this adjustment period usually last?

- What actually helps reduce the constant meowing?

- Is this something he’ll grow out of, or do I need to actively train it out of him?

And while we’re here, how do I get him to stop scratching/biting so hard? I have a board he scratches but it doesn’t really seem to help, I know scratches are just part of owning a cat/kitten but like, these can end up pretty fucking deep. Any suggestions of toys that can help keep his nails in check? And toys that can keep him entertained even while I’m away?

Any advice would be really appreciated thank you so much guys! So so so much!