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Cats/Excessive Attention-Seeking

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Expert: - 3/18/2009


Question
My boyfriend and I have had a Maine Coon, Lucy, for 2 1/2 years. While she has always been wanting of attention, she would go through short phases of preferring one of us over the other, spending evening time with that person, and then disappearing for the majority of the day in the house, either sleeping in her spots, or playing. Recently she has begun to follow my boyfriend around obsessively. If he gets up out of his chair, she gets up from her seat. Because our bathroom door doesn't latch at all, she busts the door open whenever he is in there. She screams at night if she can't come into the bedroom, and is constantly staring at him, swarming around his feet, and yelling at him. We both give her attention, I try to do so more than he so that she will just leave him alone...but it doesn't help. She doesn't even need his petting, just to be near him, or be touching him, or on his lap. I would understand if she had been like this the past two years, that it was just part of her personality, but it just started recently. Please help, the behavior is becoming unmanageable, and making moving around the house difficult!!

Answer
Molly,

Is she spayed? If not, this might explain the fixation.

Has she had a vet check to make sure there are no physical problems (especially the thyroid)?

Why do you not let her in the bedroom at night?

As for the bathroom door, why not just install a simple latch?

Cats do get fixated on one person or another and there is, usually, no obvious explanation.  I would ignore the behavior and just appreciate that she craves the affection without being too possessive.

Best regards... Norm.  

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Norman Auspitz

Expertise

I can answer most non-veterinary questions about cats. My particular expertise is pedigree cats, breeding and showing. However, I am versed in feline behavior, cat breeds and their characteristics, general feline husbandry, and the like.

Experience

I judged for the Canadian Cat Association from 1975 until 1982. I am currently an approved allbreed judge for the Cat Fanciers'' Association (the world''s largets cat registry), and have been judging for them since 1991. I have been breeding pedigreed cats since 1971 and have been exhibiting pedigreed cats in shows since 1970. I obtained my first pedigreed cat in 1970 and have never looked back. In 1971, I obtained my first Abyssinian which has become my primary breed. In addition, I have bred Manx and Persians. Currently, besides the Abyssinians, I am also breeding Maine Coons.


Organizations
Cat Fanciers'' Association, inc. (CFA) and the Manx, Maine Coon, and Abyssinian breed councils. I am currently Abyssinian breed council secretary.

Publications
Cat Fancy Magazine, The Abyssinian Chapter in The Cat Fanciers'' Association Complete Cat Book, and Articles for various editions of The Cat Fanciers'' Association Yearbook

Education/Credentials
I received a B.S. from Drexel University in 1968, a M.Math from University of Waterloo, in 1970, a Ph.D. from University of Waterloo in 1975, and a MBA from McMaster University in 1980. I received my approved allbreed judging status in the Cat Fanciers'' Association in 1999.

Awards and Honors
We have produced a number of Cat Fanciers'' Association (CFA) National winning Abyssinian and Maine Coons. We have produced a number of Abyssinian and Maine Coon Distinguished Merit females (an award for a top producing cat), including the first Distinguished Merit Abyssinian in the red (sorrel) color. I am the CFA Abyssinian breed council secretary and belong and/or hold office in a number of cat clubs. I am also a member of the CFA Judges Association.

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