# Cat being extra clingy & having a fit to be inside!



## RachelMC (Jun 30, 2011)

If I read correctly, I have to post twice in this forum.. So here's my issue.
My cat, Leo - that I've had for nearly 4.5 years now - , has always been a little different. VERY affectionate. Always wanted to be with me. Always had a tendency to get in strange places to "hide" or lay down. Always aware and even maybe nervous or anxious at times. Pretty clingy. But I've never minded, I love him! :smile: My whole family has always called him weird or crazy. Bless him.
But lately, he's been acting stranger than ever. At night he had started to actually climb the house to hang on the windows and meow in at us. If that wasn't odd enough, the past two nights he has gotten really determined about it. We have an "attic" crawl space. You can get to it from the outside back porch and in the kitchen on the ceilings, there's a wooden panel you slide out of the way to get in and out of both "doors". He has been climbing the house, clawing at the outside panel, moving it enough to squeeze in, coming to the panel on our kitchen ceiling and sitting on it & scratching at it until he moves it or makes it fall with him on it so he can be inside. After trying to pay him more attention, petting him, feeding him, letting him sit in for a little (hoping that it's not acting as a kind of reward for his behavior, I've read you have to be careful with that, but I'm just trying to make him happy I guess), I put him back outside, only to have him do the same thing again. & it always starts late at night. As in bed time or after. So I'm exhausted and concerned. He also doesn't seem to want to sit still too much. He's always been kind of like that but it seems like he's worse the past few days, OR maybe it's how he's always been but I'm making into some kind of sign to go with his other strange behavior, lol. He's always been a climber too, since he was a kitten. It seems a lot worse lately though! I'm just tired and worried.
I have people in my family telling me I need to get rid of him. I CAN'T do that. I don't know what's gotten into him, but I was hoping someone could shed some light or offer advice. 
He's always been an outdoor cat, well, since he was around 5 months old, that's when I started putting him out at night. Him being, and wanting to be, outside grew more and more frequent and normal he eventually became an outdoor cat. I let him in to feed him and if he, occasionally, wants to sit inside for a little bit, which he usually doesn't want to very long. Until lately, I guess.
It's not like him to get THIS worked up and act so strangely. Where he comes into the attic at there are electric wires, too, of course so I worry about him getting hurt or worse. I worry about something happening to the house as well.
Can anyone help? I would REALLY appreciate it. I don't want to get rid of him, he's my baby. But I can't let him carry on with this behavior. I have to sleep sometimes, lol, and my family won't tolerate it.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Poor little guy! He wants inside to be with his family, why can't he come in?


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## RachelMC (Jun 30, 2011)

I agree with you. I wish that I could just leave him inside with me. He just acts so odd. He'll sit somewhere, then move, and there's almost always climbing involved & it's usually in strange places he's not allowed to be & he knows it. I can't let him roam the house like that at night with no one up to be with him. He would hate being alone in the dark house anyway. That's how he is and has always been. :/ We also don't have a litter box inside, all of our cats are outdoor. The litter box we do have & used to use has been too small for him to use for some time now anyway. :/ I'm having to listen to my family complain and gripe over and over again about this and him.


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## its.alice (Jun 15, 2011)

um, then get a bigger litter box, and leave him in your room with you guys at night. simple?


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Oh, okay. We're not here to judge. And I forgot to say "welcome!"

I don't know of any ways to try to keep a cat out, a lot of members here are trying to find ways to keep cats happy to be inside. :grin:

But we do have members with stray cats and outdoors cats, maybe they'll have some suggestions.

Black cats are so special. :luv:


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## MinkaMuffin (Apr 1, 2011)

Maybe he used to not like to be in the house at night, but now he does? I would leave him in for the night and see how it goes.

You shouldn't have to bring in a litter box; my moms cats are indoor/outdoor and they know to only go outside and since he spends the majority out there, he should be fine being in for just the night.


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## Xanti (Nov 4, 2008)

Sounds like normal cat behaviour...he wants company.


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## RachelMC (Jun 30, 2011)

I love him to pieces. I know he wants to be inside. It upsets me, a lot. If it were up to me he would be inside with me all the time, as long as that's what he wanted. The rest of my family feel differently. Believe me, I've went a few rounds with a couple of them before. Especially over them trying to tell me "He has to go!". 
He likes to climb up things and sit on things he knows that he's not allowed to. I can't seem to break him from it. Kitchen counters. Shelves. Heaters. Headboards. The desk.
& I can't just keep him in my room, there are three doorways into my room & only one actually has a door on it. So, no, not simple. Nothing about this situation is simple, if it were I wouldn't have had to ask in the first place. I've had cats my whole life, they've all been outdoors.


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## RachelMC (Jun 30, 2011)

I found just a couple pictures of him being in places he knows he shouldn't be (our main heater & our amplifier). He's just so cute though that I have to take his picture before I correct him. This may not be helping the situation, but to be fair, I've not done it in a long time so, does that count?


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## RachelMC (Jun 30, 2011)

One is a gas heater hanging on the wall, dangerous for him and us. The amp isn't mine, it's also pricey if anything were to happen. The rest I think are a given. Kitchen counters, tables, etc are for food, dishes, and things of that nature. The desk has a lamp, the computer, pens, important papers, files, cds, etc. etc. All pricey things as well & not all mine.


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## MinkaMuffin (Apr 1, 2011)

If you don't want him up on anything (which is a normal cat behavior), you can't keep him inside because of your family, and you don't want him begging to come inside at night, the only solution is to never let him inside. Not to feed him, not to play with him, not for any amount of time at all.
It's kind of the reverse of having an indoor only cat. If you don't want them to beg to go out, you can't ever let them roam around outside.


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## brezofleur (Dec 13, 2010)

If you don't mind me asking, but how old are you? If you're able to, have you thought about moving out? Studios, one-bedrooms, or houses/apartments looking for roomies (kitty-friendly, of course!  ).


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## bkitty (Aug 17, 2009)

There may be coyotes in the neighborhood or other critters at nite that he is leary of, does he a safe place where they can not get to him? Can he be caged at nite in the garage or basement?


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## Fyreflie (Mar 5, 2011)

BKitty beat me to it, if this is a new behavior perhaps there is something new in the neighborhood that he's very afraid of? A new cat that is acting aggressive, a big animal that is taking over the territory? If this was how he always was at night it would be one thing, but from what I understand this is a behavior change, so why is he suddenly afraid to be outside alone at night? 

Maybe a "cat only" refuge could be built for him (and your other outdoor kitties) outside? Something high up that only they could get in and out of? Perhaps you could put bedding in it that smells like you and/or something that they like, and see if you could get him to sleep there instead? 

I guess another option if you have someplace appropriate (enclosed, safe, sheltered from weather, able to be warmed in the winter) would be to kennel him outside at night? That way he would be safe, hopefully be somewhere he wouldn't be able to bother you guys or do anything to the house, and would be safe from predators as well?


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## konstargirl (Feb 4, 2011)

Xanti said:


> Sounds like normal cat behaviour...he wants company.


That what I was thinking too. lol

When Francis used to be by himself, he would always jump on things even if he's not allow him to do it. He would also pounced on peoples feet, biting them. e was bad. But after Vinnie came long all of that changed. Although he still jumps on things, he stop pouncing on peoples feet.


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## RachelMC (Jun 30, 2011)

So sorry, I've been absent for so long. His behavior has been a lot better. I don't know what had gotten into him. The only new thing was there were kittens, we don't have the litter anymore and since they've been gone he's back to normal. Bless him. Maybe he just felt really needy like he wasn't getting proper attention, which is never the case. But thank you for all your suggestions and opinions, if it should happen again I'll have options to think about. But thank you guys.


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## kkaschke (Aug 9, 2011)

Cats are very curious creatures by nature. They like to explore their surroundings.


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