My cat is very possessive with me, what should I do?

As with humans, cats can be jealous and very possessive of their guardians. While some people see jealousy as a demonstration of love, the truth is that a possessive cat It can be a risk for yourself, for your tutors and for other people in your environment. Many times we see that a possessive feline becomes aggressive or hides when visitors arrive, or when a new family member is not properly presented before entering their territory, which makes a healthy coexistence in the home impossible.

Do you feel that your cat is jealous and does not want to share your attention with others? So, we invite you to continue reading this article to know what to do if your cat is very possessive with you.

Why are cats possessive of their owners?

To answer this question we can think about human behavior itself. When a person feels jealous of someone, it is usually a sign that they have fear of losing your attention or be replaced by another person, for a job or for a pet. This means that the arrival of a new individual is not seen as an opportunity to share new and better moments, but as a possible threat to the stable relationship that existed before this arrival. This fear of losing makes one person become possessive in relation to the other, rejecting the possibility of sharing it with other individuals.

Like human beings, cats can be possessive with their guardians, and not want to share their affection and their moments of fun with other individuals. However, the feeling of jealousy as such is proper to humans, in the animal world this behavior is defined as protection of resources because they protect what they consider to be their property. Why? First, because felines cling to a routine as a way to preserve their well-being and avoid dangerous or unpleasant situations. A cat’s routine includes not only its habits, environment and schedules, but also the people and animals that make up their environment. If a cat is used to living alone with its tutor, it can be very “jealous” with the arrival of a new cat or a new person to the family, and we say jealous in quotes because the animal does not feel jealousy as we understand them. humans. As we said, the possibility of a new individual altering the stability of their territory generates a natural rejection in cats. Not because of malice or deficiency of character, but because of an instinct of survival inherent to all species. In this way, it is not that the animal feels jealousy as such of other people or animals, understands that its guardian is its resource, wants its attention and affection only for him, and to maintain it has the need to defend it.

The protection of resources occurs, above all, with cats that have not been properly socialized and, therefore, they have not had the opportunity to learn to relate positively with other individuals, with their toys and accessories, and also with their own territory. When they are exposed abruptly to coexistence with an unknown being, without a previous presentation, they will feel that their space is being invaded and they will immediately reject the presence of this new family member.

On the other hand, a cat may feel displaced if your tutor stops paying attention to dedicate himself mostly to another feline or another person. Unfortunately, this behavior is very common in couples who decide to have a child. As a child requires a lot of care and requests constant attention from their parents, it is common for tutors to reduce the time they spend with their kittens. Then, the cat relates the arrival of this unknown individual to a rupture of the stable relationship he maintained with his humans, which generates an important rejection. For this reason, we recommend consulting the article on “Coexistence between the cat and the baby” to know how to carry out a correct presentation.

How to recognize a possessive cat?

Cats use mostly their body language to express their feelings and perceptions. Therefore, having protection of resources or feel possessive with their guardians, will demonstrate these moods through their positions and their behavior. To know if your cat is possessive with you, you can pay attention to the following signs:

• Alterations in the mood: the cat can be depressed to feel abandoned by their guardians, or develop a certain hyperactivity to catch the attention of their humans and invite them to play.
• Behavioral problems: a cat possessive with its owner can showaggressive with other people or animals, and express their rejection explicitly. If you receive visitors and your cat is possessive of you, you can also hide and refuse to leave until strangers leave, for example. On the other hand, if you abruptly introduce a new member into the home, your pussycat can show more irritated or anxious, spend a lot of time hidden or isolated from living together, lose interest in their toys, follow their tutors throughout the home, meow excessively, be aggressive with a new animal, etc. To prevent this from happening, do not miss the article on “How to present your cat with another cat”. Likewise, if it already happens, the tips of the post will also help you to reverse the situation and restore stability to your possessive feline.

What to do if my cat is very possessive with me?

When we speak of a possessive cat, we must follow the same basic rule we use for diseases: prevention is better than cure. If you want to prevent your cat from being possessive of you and its territory, it is essential that you socialize it early. During their childhood, puppy cats form their notions of coexistence and their character is more flexible, which facilitates their education. Therefore, the ideal is socialize your pussycat in its first months of life, after completing its first cycle of vaccination and deworming. However, if you adopted an adult cat, you can also count on our advice to know how to socialize an adult cat.

If you decide to adopt a new pussycat, it is essential that you prepare your cat for his arrival and present correctly before imposing a daily coexistence, as we said in the previous section. It is also essential that you prepare your home to receive your new member. Thus, the new cat must have its own toys, drinking fountain, feeding trough and sandpit, with its own space where it feels safe to develop and adapt to its new home. Remember not make a difference in the tract What proportions to your cats: dedicate the same time to play with both and reward both for their good behavior.

On the other hand, if you intend to start living with another person, or if you decide to have a child, you must present your new member correctly to your feline. In addition, it is crucial that Do not stop playing and give affection to your cat for the arrival of a new family member. We know that a child is an unconditional love that deserves all our dedication and needs a lot of care to guarantee their health, well-being and education. However, our pigs should also feel part of the new family, and do not deserve to be away from the happiness and love that means the arrival of a baby at home or the formation of a new partner. Therefore, always remember to dedicate your time to create and enjoy quality moments with your animals.

If you notice that your cat is becoming aggressive and is still excessively possessive of you, you should go to a specialist veterinarian feline ethology. On the one hand, it will be important to rule out any pathological cause that may be causing alterations in the behavior of your pussycat; On the other, it will be essential to have the guidance of an ethologist to establish specific guidelines in the treatment of your cat’s problems.

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