My cat has gotten too clingy lately. I don't know what to do. While it's cute and endearing sometimes, other times it becomes annoying or downright dangerous. Let me tell you what I mean.

For example, my cat literally follows me around everywhere. No matter where I go, he's right there next to me. He can be in an entirely different room, and if I make even the slightest movement, he comes running. He'll be in the kitchen, laying on the kitchen table. I'l be in the living room sitting at the computer. If I stand up from the chair, he'll literally explode off the table and dash over to me, sometimes bashing into me or the chair in his excitement.

If I make a movement like I;m heading to my room, he'll run over to my bedroom door and wait for me. Even if I'm not heading that way. He also has a habit of walking right underneath my feet. That can be very dangerous for a lot of reasons. I could be carrying a hot bowl of soup from the kitchen to the living room, and he causes me to step on him and spill the hot soup everywhere. I also feel bad because it feels like my stepping on him could have hurt. But he never stops doing it.

If I go into my bedroom and shut the door behind him (or the bathroom, or the garage) he'll sit at the other side of the door and paw and claw and literally bash himself against it trying to get in. And he'll meow and meow and meow. He never stops. And when I say never stops, I mean it. He's literally gone on meowing at my door for almost 4 straight hours before, until I finally got annoyed enough to open it.

And when I open it even the slightest inch, he'll try to force himself into the room by bashing and sqeezing himself against the crack. Unfortunately, his meow is extremely loud and obnoxious sometimes.

ANd again, sometimes when he sees me, he'll make weird mewling sounds that don';t sound anything like a meow at all. It makes me think he's sick or in pain or something, even when he doesn't look like it.

I love my cat more than anything, but honestly, he's becoming way too clingy lately. It's both annoying and dangerous. What am I supposed to do?

3 simple words to solve this problem and they are:

GET ANOTHER CAT

Your cat is needing another playmate go to your local shelter and adopt him a friend, take him with you so he can pick him out with you, I volunteer at a cat shelter and most cats there are friendly with other cats,
I have three cats and two cats make just about of a mess in the litter box

I do have two cats, though. The one I mentioned is named Apollo, while my other cat is called Minerva. Apollo seems to bully Minerva a lot. WHenever I pay attention to her, Apollo runs up and literally headbutts her out of the way and then "takes over" my hand so he can be petted. He also has a habit of jumping up onto the couch where she sleeps, knocks her off and takes over her space. Stuff like that.

I can't get a third cat cause my mom doesn't want another animal in the house.

Is there any other solution that can help me with Apollo's clinginess?

I have had cats all of my life, as many as three at a time. Most recently, a mom and son. The mom died about three years ago. Mom ran the place. Boots, her son, was the follower and meowed very little.

Once mom died, then Boots became much more clingy to me and vocal. I welcomed this because he was not like that when his mom was living.

I know you love your pets. That's part of why we have them.

Whenever I have found it neccessay to change one of cats behaviors, nothing has worked better for me than the good-old squirt bottle filled with water.

I believe Apollo would soon get the message as far as what he can or cannot do.

It's not going to hurt him. It doesn't mean you don't love him. It's just "tough love" for a cat.

Thank you, I'll try that. Though Apollo actually likes water as he has no problem being out in the rain, maybe the sudden blast from a squirtbottle would surprise him enough

You cannot change a cat's basic nature. You can set boundaries. Cats do establish a pecking order, and it sounds like Apollo is trying to put himself at the top of it. One thing that you can do is consistently reward and punish his behavior. Like when he was howling outside your door... you have now told him if he does that long enough he is going to get in. So what incentive does he have to stop? Much better to close the door with him on the outside. If he starts howling and banging on it, you go out, pick him up like a sack of groceries (no talking, no petting, etc.) walk down the hallway and put him in a farther room and close that door. Then go back to your room and let him howl there. And you do that each time, so that he learns that howling gets him taken further away.

The other thing you can do is try and establish set playtimes. It sounds like he has a good deal of energy, and he may be a bit bored. Some times that he can look forward to having your undivided attention may be just what he needs. And you don't say how old he is, so if he is young, this may calm down a bit as he gets older.

The cat rescue person knows

I have a clingy tabby cat (Odie) that likes to be with me. When I need space to do things in rooms I don’t want him in, I blow a New Year’s Eve party horn. He runs away from the noise real quick and will not come back. When he starts all over again I do the same thing. He now gets the message and all I have to do is toot the horn once in the area I don’t want him in and he stays away and I can get my work done.