Clingy, anxious cat.
Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 12:24 am
Hi all,
We adopted our lovely senior cat a year and a half ago. We know very little of her history except that she had some trauma to her tummy, operations to correct this, she was found in the home of someone with dementia and her rescuers were unsure of if she belonged there and if she was being fed.
She took a long time to settle in and has always been a bit clingy and extremely vocal. She needs attention constantly. She also overgroomed initially but this improved along with her general neediness. Even still, my partner and I learned not to leave her alone for long periods and never overnight.
She’s had a really tough year. We decided to have a trusted family member take care of her in our home for three nights and this really shook her up. It took her a good while to settle back down and we’ve decided not to try this again. She has also had a wealth of health problems which have resulted in some very stressful vet visits, including her first ever night away from home.
I’ve had a 2 month career break and have noticed she is more clingy than ever. She follows me everywhere and cries when she can’t see me. She is eating less and has lost weight, and is also overgrooming a little again. She has always been rubbish at entertaining herself when alone and will just sit and stare at walls.
I’m really worried as i’m back at work full time next week. My partner comes home around lunch time but her bond to me has grown in a way it hasn’t to him. The vet felt she was stressed so no more vet visits for a while, and we have previously tried feliway and velerian with no luck.
I try to make her feel secure so have always indulged her, but I do let her meow a little if she simply wants me to follow her around the house.
What can I do to help her independence when I return to work?
Thank you so much!
Edit: I should also mention she is deaf, hence being very willing to let her know where we are in the house when she calls.
We adopted our lovely senior cat a year and a half ago. We know very little of her history except that she had some trauma to her tummy, operations to correct this, she was found in the home of someone with dementia and her rescuers were unsure of if she belonged there and if she was being fed.
She took a long time to settle in and has always been a bit clingy and extremely vocal. She needs attention constantly. She also overgroomed initially but this improved along with her general neediness. Even still, my partner and I learned not to leave her alone for long periods and never overnight.
She’s had a really tough year. We decided to have a trusted family member take care of her in our home for three nights and this really shook her up. It took her a good while to settle back down and we’ve decided not to try this again. She has also had a wealth of health problems which have resulted in some very stressful vet visits, including her first ever night away from home.
I’ve had a 2 month career break and have noticed she is more clingy than ever. She follows me everywhere and cries when she can’t see me. She is eating less and has lost weight, and is also overgrooming a little again. She has always been rubbish at entertaining herself when alone and will just sit and stare at walls.
I’m really worried as i’m back at work full time next week. My partner comes home around lunch time but her bond to me has grown in a way it hasn’t to him. The vet felt she was stressed so no more vet visits for a while, and we have previously tried feliway and velerian with no luck.
I try to make her feel secure so have always indulged her, but I do let her meow a little if she simply wants me to follow her around the house.
What can I do to help her independence when I return to work?
Thank you so much!
Edit: I should also mention she is deaf, hence being very willing to let her know where we are in the house when she calls.