Cat Constantly Begging for Attention

trey10long

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Hi, I have 2 Nebelungs, one male and one female that were adopted when they were probably 6 weeks old. My male cat could not be any sweeter, he's constantly talking and love to be petted, also has pretty much no fear of strangers, he'll walk up and want attention from pretty much anyone. My female cat on the other hand has an odd personality.

To start, my male cat has always been much bigger than her, so obviously he establishes dominance and will "attack" her at times, overpowering her easily. But my female cat does NOT like it, although she'll retaliate sometimes. I feel like this has led to a lot of anxiety in my female cat, which may be contributing to her issues. Her whole life she has been very fixated on playing. Wherever I go she'll follow me, find some kind of toy or cord near me that she wants to play with, lay on top of it and stare at me for hours on end. I play with her plenty, usually several times a day. I've also tried to wear her out by playing until she's panting and physically cannot chase after the toy any more, and then repeating multiple times , but she doesn't seem to ever be satisfied with how much we've played no matter what. She'll just go right back to laying on top of a cord staring at me.

Recently, she's also found a few new obsessions. All of a sudden she will go in the kitchen and cry until she gets her food (she knows when dinner time), I don't mind this much though, since she'll remind us to feed her. She will also beg to go outside whenever someone is in the kitchen. It's currently the middle of the winter and around 0 degrees outside, so we let her out to show her that she wouldn't like it and she'd stop crying. She went out for about a minute until she got cold and wanted to come back inside, but a few minutes later she was right back at the door crying nonstop. She also keeps begging for treats (which I don't even think she likes that much). She'll sit outside the pantry door and cry constantly.

At any given time of day if she isn't sleeping, she's begging for something. Is there anything I can do to get her to stop with this obsessive behavior? She has to be seeking attention, but why? We have 6 people that live in our house, she gets plenty of attention. She also will "shy away" when you try to pet her, even though she loves being petted, but you have to physically pick her up. But even then she'll spot a cord while you're petting her and dart over there to lay on top of it. Please, can anyone help? Her behavior makes absolutely no sense to me.
 

neely

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Welcome to TCS! :wave3: It sounds as though one of the problems might be her stressing out from her male counterpart thereby seeking attention from you. Have you worked on trying to acclimate the two of them slowly? You can start with short sessions. Just because he is bigger does not necessarily mean he is showing dominance. Our last female cat was a force to be reckoned with, she stood up to our German Shepherd and wouldn't back down to anyone. ;) If as you mentioned she has anxiety you may want to try using a Feliway diffuser: FELIWAY CLASSIC Diffuser

It's currently the middle of the winter and around 0 degrees outside, so we let her out to show her that she wouldn't like it and she'd stop crying. ease, can anyone help? Her behavior makes absolutely no sense to me.
Please do not leave her out in zero degree weather. These temps are not safe. She's a cat, not a person, and does not realize she won't like it. Rather try to distract her when she wants to go outside, e.g. offer a treat or favorite toy, or ignore any negative behavior and reinforce with positive behavior.

I thought this list of interactive toys might free up some of your time and you can rotate some of these toys. Don't be misled by the title of the Article but check out some of the good options: 17 Best Toys For Lazy Cats – TheCatSite Articles

Regarding your last comment about her behavior making no sense to you - that's what cats do, they all have their own unique and individual qualities. :biggrin: No two cats are alike and with time and patience hopefully the situation will improve, fingers crossed. :crossfingers:
 

Katy Perkins

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Can you spend 15 minutes playing with him every morning before work to get some of his energy and attention worked out of him? Focus on things that will use up his energy, like playing fetch or chasing a feather on a string. If you take regular breaks during the day (e.g., lunch, coffee) consider giving him attention at those times too. And before you go to bed spend another chunk of time with him focused on wearing him out. With time, he will get used to this routine, and things will get better.
 
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