I hate the cat

Also just to add, it interrupts my Zoom calls and screams like a baby being dismembered... When the rest of the family are trying desperately to lure it towards them to play!

I also don't understand all the crazy cat ladies on here who dictate that everyone within a 1km radius of cats MUST worship the animal's existence

I genuinely find lizards and snakes (especially when they're shy) cute but if I brought a bloody snake home, promised to take care of it alone, and it decided to latch on to my DH, he would be within his rights to get annoyed wouldn't he, it's not his pet

God I understand because I have the same problem! I don't love cats but the cats (which I had no part in buying) LOVE me and only me. Sometimes they're cute but it's very annoying how clingy and disruptive they get.

My DS (cat lover/expert) says cats tend to gravitate towards non cat lovers because they're calmer and less grabby. Cat lovers tend to want to stroke and grab and fuss a lot. So maybe we need to start cooing over the cats to make them stalk off lol

After my dad died my parents cat decided I was his person now. Every single sodding time I'm at the house I have a needy furball trying to get on my lap/get my attention/following me everywhere.

The furball gets plenty of affection and attention from my mother, who loves cats. But it's determined to get the same from me...I'm at best indifferent to the existence of cats - I worst I actively dislike them.

YANBU for being irritated that the cat has decided to pummel you with attention.

I video call my dh to speak to our cats when I'm away with work 😬 after 2 weeks girl cat hears my voice on the phone and will bump her head on it.

I love our fluffy owners, not helpful at all to you op. You just have to come to terms with the facts. You do not own the cat, your cat allows you to live in his house pay all the bills and be at his beck and call. There are no boundaries.

Poor baby just wants a little affection. My dd also phones just to see how her cat is.. so she loves it.. so what? Just show him a bit of love of if that's impossible, get another cat for him- he'll leave you alone then.

We don't even have any actual cats, but started feeding one very calm feral boy who wasn't being fed, then started feeding 3 feral kittens when their mum got run over, then two barn cats [one a kitten] decided to steal any remaining food at night, and then a mother cat brought her kittens to our garden as she knew we'd give her food...I can't do anything in the garden without beween 1 and 5 cats/kittens following me/running around playing hide and seek with me/leaping onto each other/meeping at me for food.

And the original calm boy sleeps over regularly, snoring and starfishing on my bed the little bugger.

So just the one, meh - amateur hour.

I don't mean this in a snarky way, but cats are pets that require bonding, attention and effort as much as any other animal, and yes, as much as a dog would. I think people often believe a cat is such an easy pet that you can just have one in the house with you and it'll be fine. You say "we might have the world's only clingy cat", well, no, many people have cats that are attached to them! My cat is very closely bonded to me (had him since his birth), and now to my partner. He would become very bothersome if we neglected to spend proper time and effort on him, because his needs for companionship and stimulation wouldn't be being met.

With respect, you took on an animal - you now have to put in the effort to bond with him and stimulate his mind properly, or yes, you'll have a very "annoying" animal on your hands.

Cats hate change. He will be feeling anxious and unsettled, hence following you everywhere.

Does anyone play with him? They need stimulation, about 30 mins of playtime a day. It also helps them bond with the human, so DD2 and DH could take on play duties.

If he's scratching at the door, ignore him. If you give in it just reinforces the behaviour. He needs a good play before bed to tire him out.

If he's up on your desk when you're working, put a cat tree or a bed he likes in your office and put treats in it every day so the tree/bed becomes more appealing than the desk. When he goes into his designated place then give him a fuss - positive reinforcement. If you don't like the behaviour, ignore it. If you like the behaviour, give him attention.

I know this is probably a lighthearted thread but there are things you/DD2/DH can do. It's frustrating when people get annoyed with cats' behaviour but don't put effort into training them. Look up Jackson Galaxy for training info.

My cat is veryyy clingy too. She literally follows me everywhere. I can't even pee in peace. Now im sat on the sofa and she is watching me looking smug.

'This is why I prefer dogs (or no pets)'

Oh I'm a fully paid up member of the no pets club! No pets is just the absolute best 😊

OP, this would drive me bananas so I feel for you. Theres no reasoning with cat lovers - as you can see from this thread, you're an absolute monster unless you embrace the role of cat slave and decide that you prefer it to all human beings. I have a friend who used to have four cats and they all slept, not just in her bed, but PHYSICALLY ON HER (legs, stomach, chest and head). Just thinking of it makes me want to scream

Honestly though, did you not see this coming? Sounds like the rest of the family made all sorts of promises about how very responsible and involved they would be, but it hasn't quite worked out 🤔

I concur that cats pick the one who loves them least. My DDs have a cat each. I have zero cats. I dislike and distrust cats and I am allergic to them.

I wake up every morning in desperate need of a piriton with a cat on my pillow and another at the end of my bed. They congregate in my room and wait for me when I am not in. When I am downstairs with my dog (who they despise) they scratch and cry at the door until I go up to see them.

Saying that, I have become quite fond of them. I would never have chosen to get a cat of my own but now they have adopted me as their own I have grown to love them. I don't love that the white one tries to kill me every night by sleeping right by head causing me to itch and wheeze but I don't kick her out either.

Oh, he is beautiful! Personally, I would court the cat. Make the cat love you the most, forsaking all others. Let cat demonstrate how much he loves you by ignoring your daughter when she comes home, just so he can gaze at you adoringly. When she gets annoyed at how little the cat thinks of her, you can whisper, 'Payback', while rewarding the traitorous feline with Dreamies.

If Op really hated him, she would not have taken that photo and whispered in his ear how handsome he is, or took a second photo as the first did not show him off properly 🤣

There has been some cracking threads the last couple of days!

He owns your soul now op. Nothing you can do. I think you should start an Instagram account of his life then dd can view him to her hearts content 😄

Idk , I'd rather give the cat advice tbh.

Gorgeous cat!

He is gorgeous 😍

Christ some people cannot detect tone

He's beautiful.

Sorry @WarriorWalrus I have had many cats all my life and I’ve never convinced a single one to change its mind. They enjoy being stubborn and annoying. The more they know you are annoyed, the more they will do it.

I have managed to get one of mine to mostly annoy someone else, but that was by moving my mum into my house permanently… so a bit of a double edged sword 🤷‍♀️

This is why I prefer dogs (or no pets). I lived in a househare and the landlord neglected his cat so I ended up feeding it etc. I really don't like cats but the fecker latched on to me and kept following me about. One night I was watching telly and the cat jumped up and lay on me - after a while it bit my hand in an entirely unprovoked attack. Another time it got into my room and weed on my clothes. Little fuckers, I don't even like them.

Oh he’s a beauty. The poor cat; he obviously thinks DD1 is his Mum; he must be missing her terribly 😞 please be kind to him.

I'm a dog person but I feel like Socrates just might be the cat to change my mind.

I mean, he's a pretty cool cat.