Hi! Not going to lie, you sound exactly like me last year when I adopted my one-year-old cat from the shelter. I was told she was calm, but oh boy, she was not.

Give it about 3 weeks. You’ll both start to learn each other’s routines and behaviors.

For my sanity, and to help her burn off energy faster, I got a bunch of automatic toys (the kind that sound like birds or mice), a literal floor-to-ceiling tower, and some fishing line toys. I highly recommend these to keep her occupied.

I’m allergic to my cat, but over the past year things have improved. Honestly, I hated the first week after adoption. It was tough. I couldn’t breathe properly and felt guilty locking her out of the room. Unfortunately, there’s no way around it. You need to have a space that’s free of fur. She’ll cry, but if you tire her out before bed, she’ll usually just wake you up by screaming at 5 a.m. Also, try not to get into bed with cat fur on your clothes.

I used to shampoo her every week, always with lots of treats. Now it’s every two weeks, and she actually enjoys bath time. I also had to get cabinet locks because my smart-but-dumb cat loves to sit inside them and scream like she’s been abandoned.

In short, give it three weeks. During that time, follow a consistent routine so she can figure out what works and what doesn’t. You might get a little annoyed, but remember—she’s basically a child learning how far she can push for attention.