If your cat is obsessed with you, this post will show you a number of possible reasons why and what you can do about it.
So, why is my cat obsessed with me? Possible reasons why your cat is obsessed with you are that it has separation anxiety, it has learned that the behavior is rewarded, fear, it wants something from you, or that it is naturally affectionate.
Your cat might be obsessing over you for multiple reasons 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.
Why is my cat obsessed with me?
Below are a number of possible causes and what would make each of them more likely.
Separation anxiety
The cause could be that your cat has some separation anxiety. This is where your cat gets anxious when it is left alone. This would be more likely if your cat often follows you around and tends to obsess over you more just before you leave home.
Encouraging the behavior
It could also be the case that your cat has learned that the behavior gets rewarded. If you tend to give your cat extra attention when it obsesses over you, it will likely do it more.
Fear
Another possible cause is that something has been causing your cat to be fearful. This would be more likely if your cat does it more at a certain time such as when there are loud noises or when there is another pet around.
It wants something from you
Another possible cause is that your cat wants to get something from you. This would be more likely if it does it when you are eating something that it likes such as fish or if it does it more at around the same time that you normally give it food.
Nature
If the way your cat obsesses over you is by getting you to pet it, one likely reason why it does it is that it likes it when you pet it so it wants you to do it more. This would be more likely if it shows positive body language when you are petting it and when it is getting you to pet it.
Things to consider about your cat obsessing over you
Below are some things to consider when figuring out the main reason why your cat has been doing it.
If your cat has always obsesses over you
If your cat was not always obsessed with you, it would help to consider what else happened when your cat first started getting obsessed with you. If it started doing it suddenly, it might be due to things such as a change in its environment or because you stopped giving it as much attention.
What is different when your obsesses over you
If your cat tends to obsess over you more at a certain time, it would help to consider what else is different when it obsesses over you. For example, if it does it before you have fed it, in the morning, it could actually be the case that it is waiting to get fed.
What to do about your cat obsessing over you
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Limit reasons why it might be anxious
It might be the case that it has been doing it due to being anxious. It would help to limit possible reasons why it might be anxious by doing things such as giving it access to the litter box and letting it stay where it wants to when you are away.
Give it attention throughout the day
It would also help to give it attention throughout the day so that it is less likely to do things to get you to give it attention.
Give it distractions
Another option would be to give it things to be distracted with such as toys. Doing so should help to reduce how much it obsesses over you.