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Advice wanted for my demanding cat

7 replies

GingerLiberalFeminist · 03/02/2019 22:07

Last year, September, I rehomed a rescue cat. She's a 12 year old ball of fluff and I wanted to give an old cat a retirement home. She's black, and had been in the shelter for seven months because no one wanted an old black cat 😢

I knew she'd be quite anxious at a move and got feelaway. And to begin with she hid behind the books on the bookcase, coming out for food, litter and a fuss.

Now she sleeps on or under the bed and is affectionate if not a lap cat.

However she is also very demanding. She meows at me a lot and demands play. She is unsatisfied with toys on her own when I'm around and wants me to dangle string and bouncy things for her which she clearly loves.

I've tried to limit play to a few times a day, and reward her with dreamies if she sits with me quietly. She also gets rewards for a daily grooming session. But she is still incessantly demanding play.

Does anyone have any more tips on how I can decrease the demanding behaviour?

I live alone and she has access to garden etc but doesn't go out much. I have a set routine of work and home which she seems to get.

All advice welcome! I know it's still early days!

Advice wanted for my demanding cat
OP posts:
SpoonBlender · 03/02/2019 22:24

Our rescue was all over the place for the first six months - play, hide, scared, sleepy, cuddly, standoffish, scared again...

She's mostly settled down now, and is a 99% indoor cat. We've (us and the cat, I mean!) got a routine together which goes eat/play ten mins/leave each other mostly alone until next meal, with occasionaly affection.

She's a funny old bat.

adaline · 04/02/2019 07:46

Can you hang one of her toys from somewhere for her to play with? When we got our first cat (she's nearly three now) DH attached one of her catnip toys on a long bit of a string to the ceiling and she loved it - spent hours attacking it and jumping at it and biting it.

squee123 · 04/02/2019 07:54

does she have lots of vertical space to explore? It is suprisingly important to cats and can be good as a distraction for demanding cats. Check out the Catastrophic Creations range for ideas, but you can easily make your own.

Also I really recommend cat wheels for high maintenance cats so they can wear themselves out. The Cazami one is very good. You would be surprised how many older cats take well to them.

Beamur · 04/02/2019 07:59

Get another cat? Provided they get on ok, two cats will amuse each other. My boy cat was vv hard work as a kitten, needed lots of play and attention until our second kitten arrived. But we had planned on getting 2, they just weren't ready at the same time. They are nearly 5 yrs old now and still spend a good chunk of the day playing.

Aprilshowersarecomingsoon · 04/02/2019 08:01

Quite obviously you need another retired old black dcat....
Until you become the crazy black dcat lady.
Then your work is done....

Shouldbeworkingnotreadingtalk · 04/02/2019 08:12

... sounds like hard work! Well done for taking her on. When any of my (many) animals are driving me a bit crazy for attention / hard work / generally getting in the way of what I actually want / need to be doing I try to smile, chill and remember this great saying .... "a cat / dog etc is only a small PART of your life - but to them, YOU are their WHOLE life"... made me feel quite humbled when I first heard it, so just ❤️, cherish, and enjoy. No practical tips to share I'm afraid. 🐾🐾

missmarry · 08/02/2019 20:53

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