If your cat often sits behind you, this post will show you why and what you can do about it.
So, why does my cat sit behind me? Likely reasons why your cat sits behind you are that it finds it comfortable in that particular spot, it does not want to be bothered, or that it feels safer by sitting there.
There are actually a number of possible reasons why your cat sits behind you and it might be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things you can consider when figuring out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.
Reasons why your cat sits behind you
Below are likely causes and what would make them more likely.
Comfort
It might be the case that there is a particular way that it likes to sit or lay down in a certain spot. This would be more likely if your cat does sit with you when you sit in a certain spot but less likely if it sits or sleeps behind you even when you are in a different spot
It does not want to be bothered
The reason why it does it might also be that it wants to avoid being bothered. This would be more likely if it does not always sit or lay behind you and if it does it more when it wants to sleep.
In this case, it would help to make sure that it is able to sleep easily at night since it could be the case that it is trying to get extra sleep during the day due to issues sleeping at night.
It feels safer
It could also be the case that it has been doing it because it feels safer there. This would be more likely if it has a skittish personality and if it tends to hide when you are not around.
Separation anxiety
It could be the case that it has some separation anxiety and it sits behind you so that it can see when you are leaving. This would be more likely if it tends to sit behind you at around the same time that you would normally leave and if it shows signs of being anxious when you are leaving.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main reason why your cat has been doing it.
If your cat always sat behind you
If your cat did not always sit behind you, it would help to consider what else happened when your cat first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it could be due to learning that sitting behind you is rewarded, it likes the particular spot or you started bothering it when it was trying to sleep.
If your cat always sits behind you
It would also help to consider the timing of when it does it since the timing might have something to do with it. For example, if it does not sit behind you when you sit in a certain spot, it might be the case that it sometimes sits behind you because it is comfortable in that particular position.
What to do about your cat sitting behind you
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Let it do it
If your cat seems to be doing it because it just likes sitting in a particular spot and it does not seem to be avoiding you, the easiest option would be to allow it to continue sitting the way it wants to.
Encourage it to sit facing you
Another option would be to encourage your cat to sit where you want by rewarding it whenever it does with attention and rewarding it less when it does not face you.
Be calm with it
If it seems like your cat might be doing it due to avoiding you, it would also likely help to change the way you interact with it. It would help to be calm with it and to pet it in a gentle manner. It would also help to consider the body language it shows and to stop touching it when it seems to be wanting you to stop.