Is your cat too clingy of you but you’re too busy to cuddle with it? Or maybe it is too demanding of you?
Here are some tips on how to get your cat to leave you alone.
How to Get Your Cat to Leave You Alone?
You need to determine why your cat keeps on following you around. Check if its needs are being given and if it is healthy. If it’s not, then maybe that’s why it’s stalking you. If both of those are okay, then you should train your cat on when is the right time to bond with you and when not to. Your cat might also be bothering you because it has no comfortable place to relax. If that is the case, bless your cat with a cat sanctuary.
Provide its Needs
A reason why your cat might be following you around is that it needs something from you.
Maybe it is hungry or thirsty. Always supply your cat with water so it would not be dehydrated.
Provide the right amount of food at certain meal times so it would know the routine for eating. Do not give your cat food scraps, because it might get used to it and always beg for more food.
Check Your Cat’s Health
If your cat became clingy out of the blue, maybe it is not feeling well and is asking for your help.
Inspect its fur and try to look for burrs, splinters, or other abnormalities that must be causing it pain. You may also bring it to your local vet and ask for medical advice.
Some people also believe that cats can sense illnesses in humans. Maybe your cat was trying to tell you that you should check your health.
Remedy for a Needy Cat
If your cat’s needs are fulfilled and if it is completely healthy, then probably your cat is just downright clingy.
Your cat may become needy if it is insecure and has low self-confidence. It is very dependent because it sees its human as its protector.
The neediness might have come from an emotional issue like being abandoned or being a new member of the family.
A good way to reduce a cat’s neediness is through the “remove and reward” method.
When your cat sits on your work or in front of you, carry it to a place where you want it to stay. If it stays there, reward it with petting or a treat.
Repeat this process until it remembers that this behavior is beneficial for it.
You can put your cat in a box near your study/work table to make it feel secure.
Set a Routine
Cats can also become needy when their normal routine was disturbed.
This can be due to an erratic schedule or a significant life change (e.g., a new person and/or animal started to live with you or you moved out of your old house).
Therefore, to remedy this situation, try to set a schedule for eating, playtime, and other activities. They will remember it and it will reduce their anxiety.
Reducing a Demanding Behavior
If your cat is always following you around and asking for food and attention, then it might be a demanding cat. Your cat might have learned that every time it asks for things, you easily give in.
A good solution to this behavior is not always giving your cat what it wants. You should use the “Ignore and Reward” method.
If your cat was asking for something, ignore it or transfer it to another room. If it stops meowing and behaves itself, give it a reward.
Repeat this process many times. It will be able to remember that having a bad behavior will not be beneficial for it.
However, you should still give your cat its needs and attention at an appropriate time.
Distract Your Cat
A good way to take your cat’s attention off you is to provide toys for it. Example of things that your cat will enjoy is a cardboard box, string, cat tree, cat tunnel, and other toys.
Your cat might also be lonely which causes its neediness. Therefore, you can give your cat a companion so it won’t be alone.
It can be another cat, a dog, or another type of animal. There will be an adjustment period for them, but it will give your cat a playmate.
Those ways will lessen the pressure of the need to entertain your pet always.
Create a Cat Sanctuary
Your cat might also be bothering you because it has no comfortable place to relax.
Cats require many hours of sleep every day, and if they have no comfy place to sleep, it will disrupt their routine.
Therefore, they must have a cozy bed or a corner that serves as their private retreat.
It is also a great idea to have a catio. This will provide your cat with fresh air, sunlight, and a pleasant view that will distract and entertain your cat.
Praise your cat every time it goes to those spots. This will teach your cat that hanging out in those spots is good behavior.
Hopefully, over time, your cat will voluntarily go to those places when they want to chill.
Frequently Asked Questions about Getting Your Cat to Leave You Alone
Is it Alright to Set Boundaries with my Cat?
Yes, it will be ok not to adjust for your cat every time. It would be nice to set up your study room or workspace in a place where you can shut the door.
You may also keep your cat in a different room while you are busy.
What Other Tricks Can I Do To Avoid my Cat?
You can produce loud noises whenever your cat does something that you don’t like. However, do not antagonize your cat, just repeat a noise that it doesn’t like.
You can also spray a scent that your cat doesn’t like so it will stay away from you.
Conclusion
You should study your cat to learn why it won’t leave you alone. Try to give all its needs, and check its health because one of those might be the reason why.
You should reinforce your cat with the behaviors that it should or should not do.