Demanding cats - they’re exhausting

[strawberryredhead]

I’m finding our two cats exhausting. They want food or cuddles or attention 24/7. I had cats growing up and they were far more independent. I really struggle - it’s like someone is always needing me - as soon as the kids go to bed the cats are wanting me. There’s always someone pawing at me! I didn’t expect it to feel like this. It feels so much harder being a pet owner as a parent. Two more little ones to look after. I have so many chores to get done in the evening and they follow me everywhere wanting me to sit down and stroke them. I just feel overwhelmed by them

How old are the cats, they can be demanding, do they go out at all.

You are allowed to say “No”, OP!
Try getting them into a routine where you have set times for play, treats or cuddles. It can be lovely to have a cat snuggled on your lap while you’re reading or watching tv, for example. But if you’re busy, just ignore them or give them a stroke in passing.
If they’re fairly new, they may feel insecure and be trying to bond with you and ensure you feed them. This should settle with the reassurance of regular mealtimes.

They’re eight years old and do go out during the day a lot. The problem is I feel always busy - I do say no but I feel like I’m always saying no and feel guilty for not giving them enough attention. Maybe I should just give them five minutes of strokes and at least they’ve had something

Omg, I love cheddar but she's a nightmare at night. She makes biscuits and suckles my face. I've tried shutting her out but she makes so much noise scrabbling at the door I let her in. And I don't have the heart to shut Snorg out as she's as good as gold. I look forward to staying away from home just for a full nights sleep.
Can't complain to much though. She's a lovely lovely cat and I'm lucky to have her!

Be kind to yourself , you sound very stressed and tired.
They’ll survive and maybe you’ll feel less guilty, can your partner/ husband not help you ?

OP, are you working fulltime? It sounds like your finding it hard to cope in general and the cats are the finishing straw. I used to take the attitude if I'd been on the go since 6.30pm with working, kids, chores, then I was entitled to sit down 8.30pm. My fur babies were always looking for a lap after tea so did have to wait, but I knew I could give them a lap and attention, while relaxing myself later on. I appreciate you might not have an OH, but we used to pull together so we were both able to have a bit of down time from roughly the same time each night. Don't be afraid to ask for help.