How to Deal with Attention Seeking Behavior in Cats

Co-authored by Ryan Corrigan, LVT, VTS-EVN

Last Updated: January 17, 2023 References

Attention seeking behavior can be annoying or even harmful, but you can take steps to effectively manage your cat's behavior. Schedule a vet visit to ensure the behavior isn’t related to an underlying health condition. If you can rule out medical issues, ignore all undesirable behaviors, like excessive meowing, demanding to be pet, and aggression. Reward your cat when it’s calm and relaxed and take steps to enrich its environment. Get it on a consistent schedule and play with it more, especially before meals, to prevent it from getting bored.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Identifying the Cause

1
Identify attention seeking behaviors. A cat can start displaying attention seeking behaviors at any age. Attention seeking can indicate loneliness, boredom, or can be accidentally encouraged when pet owners respond to undesirable behavior. Specific behaviors might include:^{[1]
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- Excessive meowing
- Constantly walking around or circling your legs
- Jumping
- Stealing things or knocking objects off tables
- Biting, clawing, or other aggressive acts
2
Rule out any medical causes. Excessive meowing, aggression, and other attention seeking behaviors might indicate an underlying medical condition. Your cat might be signaling pain or discomfort from an issue like dental disease, arthritis, or central nervous system conditions. Schedule a vet visit if you’re concerned about your cat’s sudden unusual behavior.^{[2]
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- Common signs of pain in cats can include hunching, hiding, lethargy, and decreased interest in their surroundings. Extra meowing can also be a sign, especially if it is accompanied by decreased interaction or irregular behavior.
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3
Determine if the behavior is age-related. Attention seeking behavior can also develop or become more noticeable in older cats. Lots of meowing or crying, aggression, and constantly demanding to be petted can indicate cognitive disfunction or age-related anxiety in senior cats.^{[3]
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- Discuss your senior cat’s behavior with its vet. Have them rule out or treat an underlying physical condition.
- Ask your vet to check your cat's hearing and eyesight. Increased meowing can be a cat's way of trying to figure out its environment, and your vet will be able to tell you if this is the case.
- Ask the vet about treating age-related behavior issues with anti-anxiety medication, cat pheromones, and by making your home more comfortable for your senior cat.
4
Observe when your cat displays undesirable behavior. If you can rule out underlying causes, keep track of when and how your cat exhibits unwanted behavior. Look for patterns that might indicate if the behavior is due to loneliness, boredom, or accidental reinforcement.^{[4]
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- For example, if your cat whines and meows excessively at night, it might mean your cat is lonely. Keep in mind some breeds, like Siamese, tend to be more vocal than others.
- Aggression, chewing, and eating non-food items can indicate boredom.
- It’s easy to accidentally reinforce behaviors like persistent rubbing and demanding to be pet. If you consistently respond to these behaviors, your cat might end up constantly craving human contact.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Correcting Attention Seeking Behavior

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Ignore undesirable behavior. The first and most important step to correct attention seeking is to ignore your cat when it displays undesirable behavior. Don’t give your cat any attention at all when it meows excessively, demands to be pet, or acts aggressively. Leave the area or, if the cat needs to be removed from a location, do so quickly and without extended interaction.^{[5]
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- When you first start ignoring undesirable behavior, note that it might get worse for a brief period of time.^{[6]
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2
Avoid physically punishing unwanted behavior. Your cat will interpret punishment as attention, so it can actually reinforce unwanted behavior. If you’re trying to correct unwanted behavior by ignoring it, punishment will interfere with your attempts to manage your cat’s behavior. Further, an aggressive cats might interpret even a slight tap on the nose as a challenge and become more aggressive.^{[7]
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3
Reward your cat when it’s calm and relaxed. Offer treats, verbal praise, petting, and other forms of attention whenever your cat is calm and relaxed. Reinforcing acceptable behavior while ignoring unwanted behavior will teach your cat which actions will result in positive attention.^{[8]
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- Reward your cat when it’s calm and relaxed, but don’t disturb it while it’s sleeping or sneak up on it.
- Try to interact with your cat when you first get home. Coming home and not playing with them can bring on unwanted behaviors. Give your cat a little attention when you come through the door to acknowledge that you are available to them once you're home.
4
Work with everyone in your home to manage your cat’s behavior. Make sure everyone in your home understands how to ignore unwanted behavior and reward acceptable behavior. Consistency and constantly monitoring your interaction with your cat are key to managing its behavior. Look for ways other members of your household might be reinforcing attention seeking behavior, like by offering too many treats or caving in when your cat demands to be pet.^{[9]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Changing Your Cat’s Environment

1
Get your cat on a consistent daily schedule. A set schedule can help lower stress, anxiety, and attention seeking in cats. Feed and play with your cat at consistent times, and clean the litter box daily. If possible, leave for work and come home around the same times each day.^{[10]
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- If you free feed your cat, consider feeding your cat at scheduled meal times.
- Try to schedule specific games to play with your cat and involve all members of your family. This helps your cat feel more connected and involved with the whole family, which makes them less likely to be destructive.
2
Spend more time playing with your cat. If you believe your cat is seeking attention because it’s bored, you should spend more time playing with it. Play chase using interactive toys, like feather wands, to engage your cat’s hunting instincts.^{[11]
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- Try playing with your cat for 15 to 20 minutes before each meal to simulate hunting.
3
Try incorporating treasure hunts and puzzle toys at meal time. Energetic cats benefit from a little challenge at meal time. Offer physical and mental stimulation by hiding treats or food around the house and placing food in puzzle toys.^{[12]
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- Monitor your cat during treasure hunts or when it plays with a food dispensing puzzle. Feed it if it can’t find or get to food and seems frustrated.
- Look into toys that release treats when you interact with them. These can be great to help stimulate your cat when you're not home.
4
Get a cat tree. A cat tree will enrich your cat’s environment by expanding its vertical space, offering mental stimulation, and giving it more exercise. Cats evolved to love heights, since tall perches allow them to survey their territory. Giving your cat a good view over its turf will keep it busy and lower its stress.^{[13]
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5
Keep your cat indoors if it kills wildlife. Sometimes outdoor cats seek attention by bringing home fresh kills. To prevent this behavior altogether, consider keeping your cat inside.^{[14]
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- You can also discourage wildlife from entering your property by getting rid of bird feeders and keeping all trash receptacles tightly lidded.
- Remember that your cat bringing in animals like small rodents and birds is a sign of love. If these gifts of affection truly bother you, keep your cat strictly indoors.