Clingy Elderly Cat....

[DontBeBitterGlitter2023]

My cat is 15 - she has an underactive thyroid and congestive heart failure but this is well managed with medication and she still seems fairly normal and happy in herself.

My issue is that she won't leave me alone... she's always liked to sit near me and next to me and sleep on the bed which I don't have a problem with but now she seems obsessed with actually sitting on top of me the second that I sit down. I WFH and she wants to be on my knee while I'm on the laptop constantly and rather than sleep next to me in the bed like she always has done she is insistent on sleeping on top of my leg or even on my back which gets really uncomfortable for me! She also then gets upset and yowls if I mover her away from me. I feel awful moving her but I have stuff to do!

I have just been away for three weeks (she was seen twice a day during this time) so I didn't know if that could be it but it's been two weeks since I've been back now and my other cats have been exactly the same since I came home...

My old cat did this, he'd got dementia. He was mostly deaf with dodgy eyesight and I guess he just felt safe and secure with on me. Tough couple of years but I loved him to pieces so I did what I had to do and let him have as many cuddles as possible.

It sounds like a bit of feline dementia - there is medication that can help so it may be worth another trip to the vets.

My cat did this when he was elderly and did the yowling too. It could be deafness, but I think most likely, dementia. He was 17 and also thyroid. Became very enamoured of my husband and wouldn’t leave him alone, it ended up with husband carrying the cat around with him, like a baby. Like some humans with dementia, I think touch becomes important to them when their other senses are deteriorating.

Oh these responses have made me so sad 😢she seems ok in herself otherwise and it's not really yowling more an indignant meow...the vet wanted to review her next time she was due for a new prescription which will be in a couple of weeks so will speak to them then and see what they say

Harley was fine in himself too. Bit arthritic, which he had Metacam for, but otherwise fine. On the whole as long as he was being cuddled he was a happy chappy 🥰

This is HarleyBogz aged about 16.

Do let us know how you get on 💐

She may also be wanting warmth, possibly because she has a bit of arthritis (or possibly just because elderly cats do like a bit of warmth!)

Our elderly ones love their heat mats. You could try putting one in her favourite place, or near to you?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B08GKDNGQJ?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

One of ours is a bit like this but there are five of us to cuddle and fuss her - plus she has always liked attention, both cats do. They don't come downstairs because of the dog so we give them a lot of attention when we are upstairs.

Our cat is 15, he was always super independent, but we definitely see a lot more of him now than we used to. I think he just wants reassurance that we're there, we've had him since 8 weeks so of course are more than happy to oblige.