Needy, whiny cat

[Zoe Girl]

My cat is about 17 yo. He is in great shape, active, shiny fur, friendly. He has had a much better appetite as well. Our new place gives him more freedom to move around the house
And he is whiney and needy. I can sit in the comfy chair doing nothing and he ignores me. Then i start to get ready for bed and he is rubbing up against with a whiney meow. He also gets me to get him food when he has some in his bowl. If i don't leave the bedroom door open he comes and wakes me up by patting my face.

Once he settles down he snuggles all night, but it is frustrating to not have him sit on my lap when i am available

[Teacher Terry]

Old animals are like old people a pain in the butt)

[Sad Eyed Lady]

Sounds like a twin to one of mine. He is 15, but he has always been whiny.

[CathyA]

I'm all too familiar with older pets. It's a lot of work......but we love them and try to be patient and kind with them. But it can be very frustrating.
I'm getting old and infirmed, and I hope my "owners" are patient and kind with me.

[Teacher Terry]

Mandy who is 15 kept us up all night but she has kidney failure. Then in the morning she threw up many times.

[CathyA]

My cat was only around 11. We had a piss-poor Vet. Once I told him because of the cat's behavior, maybe we should check a thyroid? He said no, that wasn't necessary. Well, by the time it got bad, YES, it was her thyroid. But she hung on a long time.......whining all the time, seeming hungry, but not liking anything, throwing up, etc. We've since changed Vets. We still miss our titter-tat, but her last year was a lot of work.

My dog now has an adrenal tumor. She drinks tons and has to pee about every 2 hours. But she's doing okay.....other than being almost blind and deaf. But she thinks she needs to go outside, even after she's just come in. I think she forgets she just came in. Twice now, in the past several months, she's had what the vet thinks is either a small stroke, or "old dog vertigo". It's pretty dramatic, and you think she's dying. For about an hour, she runs around, falling over, panting like crazy. It usually resolves in 1-3 days, which it did, but it's pretty scary. And she peed a lot on the floor in that time. For the first time in 30+ years, I'm glad we haven't replaced that horrible carpeting!

Have you seen that picture/puzzle of the assortment of pets, looking at the rainbow "bridge"? It makes me teary eyed every time I see it.
So......even though they can be a hassle as they get old, we still want them to feel totally loved no matter how irritating they might get.

[razz]

Is this a change in behaviour in the cat from the past? In what way? Have you changed your agenda, routine and expectations in some way that is confusing the cat?

[Zoe Girl]

razz, actually he has been fine through a lot of changes. We have had 2 moves and at this place he is able to get out more. Our last place he was mostly in my room since my roommate didn't really want him to wander.

The biggest difference I have seen is that when I am offering to have him sit on my lap he doesn't, even if I pick him up and hold him. Then he is more needing attention from me and the other people in the house. The waking me up because he has been eating all night and ran out of wet food is the part driving me crazy. however with the wet food his throwing up has really improved.

[organictex]

since everyone knows about cats here, i am in a semi-battle with my DW about rescuing a "rescue cat" that her mother has.
her mom complains incessantly about his staying up all night and whining. (he was born in a shelter and spent 1st year of his
life there until my MIL adopted him about 4 years ago). anyway, i feel that behavior isnt anything a good shot with a squirt gun
cant fix, but my wife says i know nothing about cats. also, my wife says he is destructive and will tear the carpet up and she claims
he is too old to get his claws removed? we have been renting the same place for 10 years and i think the carpet is worn and needs
to be replaced when we move anyway...btw, i already cleared this with the landlord and he said okay, even though i did tell a little
lie and said that Phil is a geriatric cat which he isnt any thoughts or advice will be appreciated!
jim

[razz]

I would be distressed if a cat with known significant problems is brought into my home without my full support. Without knowing the time commitments, the other involvements of your wife and the peace and tranquillity that she needs, a needy noisy destructive cat would seem a poor choice to make.

As far as managing a stressed cat with a spray of water, others will have a better idea of that is a feasible behaviour management.

Lying to a landlord is a poor choice as he would not be expecting a very active stressed destructive cat.