If your cat won’t leave you alone, this post will show you a number of possible reasons why and what you can do about it.
So, why won’t my cat leave me alone? Possible reasons why your cat won’t leave you alone 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.
There are a number of possible reasons why your cat won’t leave you alone and it might be doing it due to a combination of reasons. 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 won’t my cat leave me alone?
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 bother 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 won’t leave you alone, it will likely do it more.
Related: Why won’t my cat leave me alone?
Fear
Another possible reason is that something has been causing your cat to be fearful. This would be more likely if your cat won’t leave you alone 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 reason 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 won’t leave you alone 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 not leaving you alone
Below are some things to consider when figuring out the main reason why your cat has been doing it.
If your cat has always won’t leave you alone
If your cat has not always not left you alone, it would help to consider what else happened when your cat first started doing it. 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 won’t leave you alone
If your cat tends to do it more at a certain time, it would help to consider what else is different when it does it. 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 not leaving you alone
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Limit reasons why it might be anxious
It might be the case that your cat 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 won’t leave you alone.
Why won’t my cat leave me alone suddenly?
If your cat won’t leave you alone suddenly, it could be due to things such as a change in its environment that has been causing it to get anxious, illness, injury or because you stopped letting it stay with you when it wants to such as at night.
Why won’t my cat leave me alone at night?
If you do not let your cat sleep in your room at night, the cause could be that it has separation anxiety. If it can sleep with you, the cause might be that it just feels safer around you or that there is something that happens at night that causes it to become anxious.
Why won’t my cat leave me alone in the morning?
The most likely reason why your cat will not leave you alone in the morning is that your cat is hungry. If your cat will not leave you alone after you have fed it and it does not sleep with you, it could be the case that it has some separation anxiety.
Why won’t my cat leave me alone at when I’m eating?
If your cat won’t leave you alone when you are eating, the cause is most likely to be that your cat wants some of your food, especially if it does it when you are eating things such as fish.