Needy cat

[Sazzle2012]

Is anyone else's cat really needy? We adopted our cat 9 months ago, rescue cat around a year old at the time.and don't know her background.
For reference she goes outdoors but doesn't venture far from our garden. She seems content to potter about on her own but at certain points of the day demands attention and if she doesn't get any, starts scratching my lovely hallway carpet. We do play with her a couple of times a day so it's not like she's ignored.

She's also very food oriented, fed 4x a day. She knows it's feeding time almost like she's wearing a watch and will turn up almost to the minute before her feed is due, except in late afternoon when she starts fussing from 4pm and will generally sit in the kitchen waiting until her 6pm dinner.
Sometimes she's happy to sit and wait, other times she'll start scratching the carpet to get attention which is frustrating for me if I'm in on my own and on a work call.

Is anyone else's cat like this?! This is my first cat, though DH was around cats as a child and doesn't recall them being like this.

She is a lovely cat (here she is waiting for her dinner). Just wondering if her behaviour is typical ....

Quite normal. My DCat (adopted used to be a neighbours, she adopted me, all above board and sorted with neighbours) is a bit like this but without scratching of carpet.

If you don’t know her background it sounds like she may not have been fed much or not regularly or was maybe in a house with other cats so had to fight for her food.

Be patient with her. Do you talk to her? They like that and it might reassure her eg if she’s waiting.

She is absolutely gorgeous!
And yup. Sounds like my younger DCat who I’ve known since the second he was born (mummy was friend’s cat). So know he has been adored since he was born.
If he doesn’t get what he wants he attacks DDs curtains. Which he knows are the one thing in the house guaranteed to get action out of me.
And at 4.31pm today I sent DH a picture of him winding around my legs begging for his dinner.
Some are just like that. She sounds perfectly normal to me.

I would try giving her more attention and feeding her around 4 if she's hungry.

She's lovely.

Thanks everyone, she is very sweet (except when she's attacking the carpet).

We talk to her a lot, she probably gets fed up of us whittering away to her! Going to try a puzzle feeder for one of her meals, maybe she wants more stimulation?
Our boys love playing with her, usually getting her to chase a stick on the lawn!

Otherwise maybe she just loves a routine.

MrCat was definitely the under-cat in his previous home. Like yours he was desperate for food and would be waiting by his bowl for each meal. He was also obese, so we got him a feeder where he had to work for his dry food, which was left out all day. We feed him three times a day. It took over a year before he stopped being anxious around food.

He'll come and shout at you, and people assume he's begging for food, when actually it's attention he wants. MrCat adores being stroked and brushed. When he was new to us, he would eat any food that was put down (maybe that's why he was obese) but then we realised that he was hungry for cuddles, not food.

Does she have plenty of things to do while you're busy? Toys, scratching post, cat-tree?

Ours is a bit like this.

Incredibly needy in terms of affection.

Knows his breakfast and dinner times and will "lead" us into the kitchen.

Will do the rounds in the sitting room going from lap to lap until he's satisfied.

Needs numerous laps and pets a day. He is insatiable.

He's also smart, funny, gorgeous and a great mouser.

She has scratching posts and mats but ignores them, prefers the carpet or furniture!
She has some toys - used to love chasing a ping pong ball but doesn't seem as interested now.

Does she like catnip? Try spraying the scratching post with catnip spray - but do this outside.

Ha ha. Do tell what happens when you did this inside @Dilbertian

I would get her some interactive dogs she can play with, and a big cat tree with lots of surfaces, hideaways and beds to explore.

If you spray with catnip (or buy her some catnip toys) that might help too. Mine go insane for catnip!

Toys, not dogs 🙈

😂 I didn't. I learned from a friend's disaster. She spilled catnip on her carpet, and even though she hoovered and hoovered it, the cat ripped it to pieces in a frenzied high.

She's a beauty. I've had 10 cats over the years and I'd say about half of them have been very needy.
My current old girl will come and pat my arm every 5 minutes and will keep doing it until I stroke her. It drives me nuts sometimes but I love her very much.

My current younger girl is like this. She wants me to lie on the bed and pet her whenever I'm home.

I have a needy cat and I have mastered the art of stroking him with one arm whilst on a work call so he doesn't yowl or scratch things- basically it's like a naughty toddler at times! I agree all cats aren't like this, many cats are a lot more self-sufficient but some orient a lot around their owners, and plus if you talk to her a lot then she probably sees themselves as just like you and doesn't understand why all of a sudden you don't want to chat! The positives of a needy cat are that they are interactive, don't wander far and love to be part of the family, the downsides are as you have described. I'd have scratching posts inside and outside and everytime they use them, give praise or a treat- basically it is like a toddler...