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Problems with my cats bad behaviours worsening my anxiety

My cat pisses me off so bad sometimes :s I get REALLY stressed out when I'm trying to do my school work sometimes and then he'll come in with this really ear jarring whiny meow... If I try to pay attention to him so he'll stop, he just squirms to get away and keeps meowing... Normally the way he meows isn't a big deal, but the way he's doing it at times like this literally just causes me pain and makes my anxiety sky rocket.... So once or twice I've shut him in another room, like taken him to the bathroom or living room and just like, shut the door, so that the horrid meowing wouldn't be right beside me any more... It makes me feel like such an asshole to do that, but the noise he makes is just SO SO SO horrible and then when petting him and paying attention to him won't make him stop I don't know what else I am supposed to do about it, it makes my anxiety worse to have to listen to him screeching in my ears and it makes me so mad that he won't stop when I try to pet him or what ever, it makes it seem like he's doing it for absolutely no reason except to infuriate me, cause it's not like he's doing it in another room, he'll stand in the same room as me and do it and it's like "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?!?!?!?!".... And he doesn't do it often, only when I am extremely busy and anxious (which occurs like, maybe once every 2 weeks), so it's the fact that it's like he only ever does it when I am feeling my absolute worst that is also very annoying

Re: Problems with my cats bad behaviours worsening my anxiety

Animals are a lot smarter than we realize, and I strongly believe that they sense things. If your cat knows that you're pretty stressed out, he might be trying to help in his own way. I don't think locking him up in another room for a while is wrong, as long as he has some food and water in there. We do that sometimes because my cat is quite a moocher. Does he have any toys around the house? If not, maybe you could invest in a few toys and a small scratching post to keep him occupied. If you're a person who is able to work while listening to music, you can try that, too!

Re: Problems with my cats bad behaviours worsening my anxiety

Have you tried taking him to the vet? Locking him elsewhere or trying to punish him won't accomplish anything, especially if you don't know the cause of the meowing.

He may be picking up on how nervous you are and may be feeling nervous himself or trying to help. In this case, trying to act normally and distract him and yourself with something else may help.

If he just wants attention, maybe setting aside some time to play with him could help, since he'll then be less likely to want to try to disrupt your attention when you're doing homework. Check also if he's trying to get your attention about something, maybe he's distressed over something (hunger, the other family members not being around, animals outside, lack of toys to play with).

He may also be in pain or ill and meowing because of that.

Because it's hard to just tell from your description, I recommend taking him to a good vet (look for reviews online if you can or ask for recommendations from people who know a lot about cats) and asking. If your cat is sick or if there's any way to make him feel better you'll want to know sooner rather than later. A good vet will be able to help you figure out why he's been acting this way and how to make him feel better, for example, maybe he needs treatment for a disease or needs a different meal schedule. Don't be afraid to ask for a second opinion from another vet.

Shutting your cat in another room, especially a small one like a bathroom, won't do anything to help if your cat is nervous, scared, or in pain. If anything it will make him more nervous than just trying to create a calming environment, distracting yourself with some music or something can help you feel calm and make your cat see everything's normal and stop.

Re: Problems with my cats bad behaviours worsening my anxiety

Hey there,

Cats will usually meow in an annoying way when they want something. You just need to figure out what it is he wants. You said you gave him some attention but perhaps he wants feeding or he just made a mess in his litter box and wants you to clean it right at that moment. Cats are weird and sometimes have strange demands.

It also wouldn't hurt to take him to the vet for a check up just to make sure there isn't anything wrong with him. Better to be safe than sorry.

I hope this helped, good luck with getting him to stop :)