I adopted a 4 year old cat 2 weeks ago. She was in the rescue for a month (came from a loving home with 3 other cats) and was very shy and nervous in the rescue.
Spent 1 week in hiding, made it to my lap after that.
Since then her neediness has been exhausting. I pet her for 20 minutes in the morning. I work from home so make it clear I won't engage with her while at the desk - she pushes her luck with this, around my ankles, stretching up at my knee, appearing on table behind me and miaows a lot but it's do-able. I take a 10 minute break every couple of hours and get on the couch to pet her - she knows that this is the sign I will pet her and comes running over.
It's the evening that's the problem - she wants to be petted for literally hours, however long I do it it's never enough. She lies on my chest and wants to put her face to mine and be cuddled like a baby. sometimes she will move on to my lap but as soon as i pick up an ipad or phone she is back on my chest and wanting me to gaze at her. She will take quick breaks to eat or use the litter but will hurry back. If I get up for any reason she yowls the house down. It only ends when I go to bed (I don't allow her upstairs in the evening).
Does the neediness die down? I'm not massively into watching TV and it's the only thing I can do when she's on me. I'm glad she's happy, but I'd like to have a bit more of a varied evening than telling her what a good girl she is and petting her! She doesn't play with toys with me, it's always the cuddling she wants. Getting another cat to keep her company isn't an option. She's a shorthair crossbreed but I think might have a bit of Burmese or something in her, she is very vocal in general.