12-year-old cat attention-hungry 24/7

[emmyvm]

I have a cat that I have had for 12 years. I got her in 1998 when I was 11, and she grew up in a house of many cats. She was quite the stinker, it took her a long time to like the other cats. She mostly stayed in my room and I was the only one to give her attention most of the time, since she was "annoying" to the other members of my family because she has a squeaky meow. I liked her meow, so we'd "chit-chat" for hours after school while we grew up together, since she was a very very close companion for me living in an emotionally chaotic environment.

I moved out of the house in 2006 to go to college, and my mother wouldn't let me take Jewel (that' her name) because she'd be lonely with me being away at school all day and stuck in a small apartment (even though she's never really been much of an outdoor cat). I am pretty certain she did not get the same level of affection that I gave her living with my parents, although she wasn't deprived of it by any means. She became more mellow with the other cats, but developed an attention-starved attitude that my sister, brother and parents complained about all the time.

Now, this year I own my own home with my husband of 3 years, and Jewel is living with me again. I don't have the same amount of time available to give her undivided attention for *hours* like before, but I give it to her when I can (mostly in the evening around bedtime). She meows so much, begging for attention as if she gets none at all... I'm not really used to it, and I don't know how to ease her worries. She's 12 now, and I am afraid that I cannot train her in independence at this stage of her life. She's now the only pet in the house, and I don't know how much this affects her behavior since she is used to a multi-pet environment.

I am seeking some advice on how to understand her change in behavior, and how I can be happy living with my childhood friend again, and how I can make her happy. She's a bit different now that she's old, a type of different that gives me stress at times. I see lots of threads about kittens having this problem, but does anyone have any experience with older attention-hungry cats? She has always been rather talkative, but this is just too much to be talkative to me...

 

[GoldyCat]

First of all, welcome to TCS.

I don't really have any suggestions for you since I've not had this problem with any of my cats. How long have you had her with you? She may just need more time to settle in. You could try a feliway diffuser to help calm her. I think they're fairly pricey, but a lot of people here recommend it.

I'm sure someone else will be along soon with more ideas.

Good luck with your new/old kitty.

 

[ldg]

Has she been to a vet recently? While it's likely some of this is behavioral, all of the changes create stress, which can cause problems health-wise in cats. Our Spooky becomes VERY chatty when she's in pain: she has problems with her teeth and requires a dental every six months.

The first thing I'd do is take her to a vet for a thorough check up and a full Senior Panel blood work.

I'd also consider adjusting your schedule to include some Jewel-time in the morning.

We have a needy cat. We just love on her as much as possible, play with before bed.

We have a multi-cat home, so use Feliway anyway, but we also add Bach's Rescue Remedy to the water. (Flower essences). You might try this as well - even dab a touch on her (behind her ears, at the base of her tail, and under her chin). The Rescue Remedy is not a thing where "more is better," so go easy with it, and just add three drops or so to her water dish(es) every day when you clean them and add fresh water.

 

[stephanietx]

Be sure to give her attention, play, and snuggle time apart from the attention you give her at feeding time. She may be associating the attention at feeding time with you and that's the only way she knows how to ask for your attention. (I hope that makes sense.)

I also suggest the thorough check up at the vet. Have you recently changed her food?

 

[luvzmykatz]

Originally Posted by emmyvm

I have a cat that I have had for 12 years. I got her in 1998 when I was 11, and she grew up in a house of many cats. She was quite the stinker, it took her a long time to like the other cats. She mostly stayed in my room and I was the only one to give her attention most of the time, since she was "annoying" to the other members of my family because she has a squeaky meow. I liked her meow, so we'd "chit-chat" for hours after school while we grew up together, since she was a very very close companion for me living in an emotionally chaotic environment.

I moved out of the house in 2006 to go to college, and my mother wouldn't let me take Jewel (that' her name) because she'd be lonely with me being away at school all day and stuck in a small apartment (even though she's never really been much of an outdoor cat). I am pretty certain she did not get the same level of affection that I gave her living with my parents, although she wasn't deprived of it by any means. She became more mellow with the other cats, but developed an attention-starved attitude that my sister, brother and parents complained about all the time.

Now, this year I own my own home with my husband of 3 years, and Jewel is living with me again. I don't have the same amount of time available to give her undivided attention for *hours* like before, but I give it to her when I can (mostly in the evening around bedtime). She meows so much, begging for attention as if she gets none at all... I'm not really used to it, and I don't know how to ease her worries. She's 12 now, and I am afraid that I cannot train her in independence at this stage of her life. She's now the only pet in the house, and I don't know how much this affects her behavior since she is used to a multi-pet environment.

I am seeking some advice on how to understand her change in behavior, and how I can be happy living with my childhood friend again, and how I can make her happy. She's a bit different now that she's old, a type of different that gives me stress at times. I see lots of threads about kittens having this problem, but does anyone have any experience with older attention-hungry cats? She has always been rather talkative, but this is just too much to be talkative to me...

Sounds like she's acting out a bit. I'm going through a little bit of the same with my 13 year old persian who I got in 1998 too. He's not happy to have a new cat in the household and isn't happy unless he sleeps with me and even with that he's stopped eating very much. Cats I've found are very habit driven and any change causes them stress they can become spoiled and demanding too. It sounds like she moved households and changed caregivers a bit so she may just need time to adjust. Maybe buy her some cat toys, a cat good cat tree or give her accesses to a screened porch or somewhere where she can hang out stress free. If she gets to be too naggy put her in the basement for awhile or separate part of the house to chill out. She'll survive.