My 7 year old cat suddenly isn't affectionate? Please help

nlevi42

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Hi, my cat, over the past year or maybe more, has become incredibly affectionate. He followed me everywhere, laid on my chest and demanded to be held, came up on my bed purring and needed cuddles for at least ten minutes up to ten times a day depending on how often I'm in bed. He is almost seven years old and all of a sudden he stopped. He still follows me around and begs for attention and rubs against my legs to be held but jumps down after less than ten seconds, bites me a lot, and only comes on my bed to sit on my pillow. He barely even purrs anymore. This is breaking my heart, I love him so much and I don't understand why he won't show me affection anymore. Will it be like this forever? Lately I have been a little more busy than usual and I haven't been able to lay in bed to cuddle him as much but I have never neglected him. He's stopped coming when I call his name, too. I cannot even put into words how upset I am over this change. The picture is of him before and I couldn't even get a picture of him now because he won't stay near me long enough. Can someone please tell me what to do, and how to fix this? 

 
 

molly92

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It's possible the stress of you being busier is the culprit, but I think you should take him to the vet for this just in case. Something could be causing him discomfort when he is handled. Cats are very discreet about being in pain, so even a slight behavior change can indicate that something is medically wrong.
 
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nlevi42

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I posted about my cat not being affectionate anymore last night and I think I figured out why. This morning before leaving for school he was purring for attention and i picked him up and cuddled him but had to put him down halfway through to get ready. He stopped purring immediately and ran away every time I touched him. This has been happening more often than not lately because I've been busy. How do I get him to stop being mad? I'll cuddle him as soon as I get home but he's coming to me for cuddles less and less and less every time I have to tell him no. 
 

nurseangel

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Hi and welcome to TCS!  I don't think he's probably mad at you.  Though one of my cats (Daisy) gets mad occasionally, it's mostly because she is a bit jealous.  If my husband or I show attention to the other cats, it hurts her feelings.  Cats are all different, but IMHO your cat likely just wants attention when he  wants it.
 

Kat0121

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I posted about my cat not being affectionate anymore last night and I think I figured out why. This morning before leaving for school he was purring for attention and i picked him up and cuddled him but had to put him down halfway through to get ready. He stopped purring immediately and ran away every time I touched him. This has been happening more often than not lately because I've been busy. How do I get him to stop being mad? I'll cuddle him as soon as I get home but he's coming to me for cuddles less and less and less every time I have to tell him no. 
He's not mad at you. He just loves you. 


When you are home, play with him and spend time with him. Unfortunately, we all have things that we need to do that take us away from our kitties. They don't understand this of course but all we can do is make the most of the time when we are home with them. 
 
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nlevi42

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Thank all of you guys so SO much. I can't put into words how reassuring it is to have a fellow cat lover reassure me :) everything is mostly back to normal, in case you wanted to know... lots of purring, sleeping beside my head and on my chest once more. Couldn't be happier, thanks again!!
 

mani

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That's excellent, nievi42.  It must be so nice to have him back to normal.


That is such a gorgeous cuddle photo of him!!
 
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