Overly Attached to me

friesiangirl

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My cat has been with me since she was 4 weeks old. We found her in oklahoma (we used to live there) and she was abandoned in a garbage can with 3 other kittens (all dead) I bottle fed her for 4 extra weeks and have had her ever since. She meows loudly whenever I leave and it bugs my parents a LOT. Why does she do this? Is she thinking I am her mom still, or is it normal?
 

sashacat421

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First of all, thank you for being an angel and rescuing her, that was a great deed.


Yes, she's experiencing separation anxiety and from what your story is, this is completely natural and rather expected....albeit a bother for family members who have listen to her....she's absolutely bonded to you and yes, you are her human "mama" and that's just the way it is. It's a beautiful thing, however, it needs to get under control.

There is an abundance of material on animal (dog/cat) Separation Anxiety on the internet, you can Google it as Cat Separation Anxiety and a lot will come up. TCS members here no doubt will give you great advice.

It's a slow process to train her to know that she is not being abandoned again, that's what is going on in her little head..... so when you leave, if there's a way you can leave an unwashed sweater or t-shirt for her with your scent on it, that would be great. If possible, play soft music or something nice for her, so she knows it's your "going away music but you come back" and she will understand over time what the music means. Does anybody play or hug and pet her when you are gone? That will help her acclimate to others, not just you, although you always will be "her person".

I'm sure you will get responses here, and welcome to wonderful TCS!!!
 

minnie_molly

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Originally Posted by Friesiangirl

My cat has been with me since she was 4 weeks old. We found her in oklahoma (we used to live there) and she was abandoned in a garbage can with 3 other kittens (all dead) I bottle fed her for 4 extra weeks and have had her ever since. She meows loudly whenever I leave and it bugs my parents a LOT. Why does she do this? Is she thinking I am her mom still, or is it normal?
Hey, I decided to google and see if I could find any help because my kittens are overly attached to me, and I found this site with you message!!! The answer that was given was good. I do play quiet music when I am gone and they seem to know what that means. I still find them sleeping by the door when I come home from work. They also will not be in any room except for where I am no matter what. Even if I get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom and they seem sound asleep they still have to follow me. I got them when they were about 6 weeks old. There mother had died. One of them Minnie was so tiny she fit in the palm of my hand and she is the one that has the worst time being anywhere that I am not. I love these little girls so much, but I want them to be happy and have fun and not always have to follow me around.
Thanks, Wendy
 
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friesiangirl

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Originally Posted by sashacat421

First of all, thank you for being an angel and rescuing her, that was a great deed.


Yes, she's experiencing separation anxiety and from what your story is, this is completely natural and rather expected....albeit a bother for family members who have listen to her....she's absolutely bonded to you and yes, you are her human "mama" and that's just the way it is. It's a beautiful thing, however, it needs to get under control.

There is an abundance of material on animal (dog/cat) Separation Anxiety on the internet, you can Google it as Cat Separation Anxiety and a lot will come up. TCS members here no doubt will give you great advice.

It's a slow process to train her to know that she is not being abandoned again, that's what is going on in her little head..... so when you leave, if there's a way you can leave an unwashed sweater or t-shirt for her with your scent on it, that would be great. If possible, play soft music or something nice for her, so she knows it's your "going away music but you come back" and she will understand over time what the music means. Does anybody play or hug and pet her when you are gone? That will help her acclimate to others, not just you, although you always will be "her person".

I'm sure you will get responses here, and welcome to wonderful TCS!!!
Well, she doesn't like my mother or father. She is 3 years old now and it seems that it's gotten worse since I started high school
I will try your idea with the music, she loves music so that should help.
 

kittyluver27

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It was wonderful of you to save your kitten. I would think that she was not with her parents long enough. I took my cat home when he was just a couple months old and now at 8 months old, he follows me and suckles on me. He is such a sweetheart. He does meow when I am outside. He is not an outdoor cat so he get very meowy and wants to be with me. I am not an expert, but just the fact that she wasn't even with her parents when she was 4 weeks tells me that she wasn't with them long enough.
 
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friesiangirl

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Originally Posted by kittyluver27

It was wonderful of you to save your kitten. I would think that she was not with her parents long enough. I took my cat home when he was just a couple months old and now at 8 months old, he follows me and suckles on me. He is such a sweetheart. He does meow when I am outside. He is not an outdoor cat so he get very meowy and wants to be with me. I am not an expert, but just the fact that she wasn't even with her parents when she was 4 weeks tells me that she wasn't with them long enough.
So maybe I should wean her off me like you would a kitten? With a smelly (my smell) blanket and a ticker in her favorite spot (to simulate my heartbeat) Will this help her cope?
 

kittyluver27

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Originally Posted by Friesiangirl

So maybe I should wean her off me like you would a kitten? With a smelly (my smell) blanket and a ticker in her favorite spot (to simulate my heartbeat) Will this help her cope?
I am so sorry, but I have no idea. I never tried to wean my cat off me because I love it when he purrs and follows me. I don't think it's as much of a problem for me as it is for you. I feel bad that I can't answer that, but I don't want to give you false information since I'm not an expert. So Sorry!
 

larke

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If you go to work at the same time every day, how about feeding her just before you leave (vs an hour earlier or whenever you do it now)? She may be anxious about where her next meal is coming from too (apart from all that luv :-) and it might just slow down her whining. And don't make a big deal out of leaving ('kissy kissy' etc.) so it just seems casual. I wonder about the music thing though... whether it might not just backfire (you said she loves music, but will she still do so after it becomes the signal you're going?).
 
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friesiangirl

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Well, she has a free range food dish with another cat. They are both a healthy weight so we've never needed to ration out the food.

I will try not to make such a deal about leaving, leave music on, and leave a me-smelling blanket in her favorite spot.

Thanks everyone
 

huyi

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my cat does it aswell, you are not alone, everywhere i go she wants to go, she is curious like that! if i leave the room for 10 minutes she screeches like a big baby so i have to tell her to shoosh!
 

deljo

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My two kitties follow me all oer the house. Even if they are sleeping. They sense the movement. One was abandoned at about 1 yr. but for only a day, the other was a feral kitten about 5 mo. old. she had never had human contact. They are strictly indoor cats and really have bonded. I really enjoy it and read somewhere that if your cat needs to be in the same room with you its because she loves you.
 

huyi

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Originally Posted by deljo

My two kitties follow me all oer the house. Even if they are sleeping. They sense the movement. One was abandoned at about 1 yr. but for only a day, the other was a feral kitten about 5 mo. old. she had never had human contact. They are strictly indoor cats and really have bonded. I really enjoy it and read somewhere that if your cat needs to be in the same room with you its because she loves you.
lol my cat is the same, she is like one big baby XD
 
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