A few days ago, I was reading a book and one character said “You are who you’re with.” Of course, I’d already heard that phrase before, but it gave me chills. Why? Because if you are who you’re with, then why is my cat so annoying? Am I just like her? Oh God, please don’t let it be.
Maybe that’s why my best friend canceled our plans last minute. I knew I couldn’t risk it, so I immediately started searching for answers. I just had to know whether or not I’m as annoying as my fluffball, so – you guessed it – I spent the whole day reading up on it.
And at the end of the day, I figured that both my cat and I are annoying, but in completely different ways. Since I did loads of research (probably too much for my own good!) I wanted to share what I found with you. I promise you’re going to like this, so let’s start!
The most common annoying cat behavior
The first thing I wanted to determine was some of the most common annoying cat behaviors. I spend a lot of time at home with my cats, so I’ve seen lots of weird things they like to do. But I wanted to see whether I have such a unique cat, or if it’s just something all of them do from time to time (even though their “from time to time” is still too often for us).
But I guess we’ll manage since we all love our fluffballs to the moon and back, despite their quirks. Anyway, if you’re always asking yourself “Why is my cat so annoying?” then you’re at the right place.
I’ve split this article into three interesting sections for you, so let’s check out the first!
1) Loud meowing
All cats have the need to meow loudly sometimes. Maybe it’s their way of singing or practicing their opera skills, but whatever it is, it can drive you around the bend. Especially if they do it while we’re sleeping or trying to actually work on something!
If we’re honest, though, most of us also tend to sing and dance around the house when the mood hits us. So if our cat’s loud meowing annoys us, do cats feel the same about our concerts? Well, probably, considering their amazing hearing senses. Well, I guess it’s “my house, my rules.”
2) Destroying furniture and other things
Okay, their singing moments might be annoying, but they aren’t really harmful to us (if we ignore the fact that our eardrums are assaulted). But destroying our furniture and other objects around the house! Oh God, that hurts on a completely different level.
To spend months saving up for a new sofa, and then only a few days after you buy it, you notice scratches on it? I hope you never experienced that, and if you did, I’m so sorry! How are you handling it?
It happened to me and I was beyond peeved because I trained her for years not to scratch any furniture, and she did so well… Until I got a brand new piece.
3) Getting aggressive all of a sudden
I mean, it’s true, we all get some random flows of energy during the day. But the thing is, we know how to control it or channel it in a good way. But our kitties? Oh, that’s a totally different story.
When a cat has to deal with unexpected bursts of energy, she usually becomes so annoying. Why? Because she doesn’t know how to control it, so she just suddenly gets all aggressive.
That leads to her scratching us, our furniture, breaking things around the house, or even accidentally hurting herself too. It’s just a messy situation that can make us really irritated.
4) Trying to eat things that aren’t food
If you’re a cat owner, then you’ve probably seen this a hundred times. What am I talking about? Your fluffball trying to eat things that aren’t edible! Be it her favorite toy, a blanket, a pillow, or your shoe – sometimes you might see her even trying to gnaw on a chair or table.
Did you know there’s actually a named condition for this behavior? It’s called pica. Cats usually do this when they’re stressed. So if your kitty is trying to eat non-food items a little more often than she should, then I advise you to call the vet and tell him you suspect your feline is dealing with this behavioral issue.
5) Constantly running around
And finally, the last most common annoying cat behavior that needs mentioning is the constant running around. I know that our fluffy roommates are playful and love to explore everything, but sometimes it just becomes too much to handle.
Every day we have certain tasks that require our focus, but with our cats constantly running around, it can seem impossible. It happens to me a lot, and unfortunately, whenever I’m working remotely, my Ziggy and Pearl decide that it’s a great time to get their marathon training in.
Why is my cat so annoying?
I hope you had fun reading about the most common annoying cat behaviors. But we’ve now reached the main part of this article! And those are the reasons your kitty is behaving like that. Is it because you spoiled her too much or is there something else behind it?
It’s your lucky day because I have all the answers you need! So let’s not waste any more time, and get into it.
1) They want more attention
One of the most common reasons a cat does anything that’s a bit weird is to get your attention. It’s likely that you spend lots of time working, studying, or with friends, and that your kitty just misses you. So, she wants you to notice her more when you’re at home.
Cats are smart and they know that since they can’t talk, they need to figure out some other way to grab our attention. I’m not saying their approach is always the best, since it usually involves some crazy action that can even scare us, but I definitely admire their will to achieve their goals.
2) They’re bored
Are you ever bored? I think everyone gets bored at one time or another, and when we do, we try to find anything that could be a fun activity. Sometimes it’s something simple like making pancakes, but it could also be something unusual like trying to paint the walls or practicing our (not so good) dancing skills.
Well, if you can get bored, your cat can too! And she will take the same approach as you. It’s just that she won’t be able to cook something or paint those walls, but she could make some mess trying to decorate her food or while exploring the hidden parts of your home.
3) They want to tell you they love you
Just as I’ve already mentioned that a cat might be a bit annoying because she wants more attention, it’s also possible that she’s using her weird behavior to tell you she loves you. I know, it doesn’t make sense, but do you remember when you made some DIYs for your parents when you were a kid?
You were so sure that they looked amazing, but when you take a look at them now, you realize they’re so horrible that it’s actually funny. But the thing is, it was the best that you could do at the time, so it still makes it cute. Maybe this is the best your kitty can do when she’s trying to show her love.
4) They’re stressed
When cats are stressed, their behavior might seem annoying to us. That’s only because we don’t realize they’re actually feeling sad or scared.
So if you notice your little furball acting much differently than usual and you’ve recently made some big changes, like moving house or bringing home another pet, then she might be a bit anxious.
If that’s the case, then you should forget the fact that it’s a bit annoying and instead, focus on helping her. Stressed kitties might also spend their time playing with their food instead of eating it, or they could also refuse to sleep (mostly because they are scared of something).
5) They’re natural hunters
And finally, if you’re annoyed that your fluffball climbs everywhere around your house, or she makes a huge pile of things she collected over time, don’t instantly get upset with her. I know it can be annoying to deal with it, but keep in mind that your cat is a natural hunter.
It’s in her blood to find new adventures, and adventure time always brings some troubles too. So if you know her favorite climbing place, don’t put many things there that can get broken easily. Or if she’s constantly adding new things to her stash, try to get them back to their place before the pile gets too big.
How to deal with your cat’s annoying behavior?
And the third and final part is here! Since you now know all cats are little troublemakers from time to time, and you also have the answers to “Why is my cat so annoying?” I thought it would be great to include a few tips and tricks for you.
As a person who’s lived with cats ever since I was a kid, I know a few things that could help you when you’re trying to deal with your kitty’s annoying behavior. I hope they’ll help you!
1) Spend more free time with them
The best thing you can do to stop this kind of behavior is to spend more time with your fluffy friend. As we covered above, one of the most common reasons she even behaves that way is to grab your attention. But if the two of you already spend lots of time together, your cat won’t feel the need to be annoying.
So, whenever you have some free time, play with her a bit, or you can even just cuddle while you’re watching your favorite TV show. She will definitely appreciate any kind of attention you give her. So this isn’t a really difficult task!
2) Be careful about giving treats
One of the best pieces of advice I have for you is to be very careful when it comes to giving her treats. If you accidentally give your cat a treat shortly after she’s done something wrong, she might think that you’re rewarding her for that kind of behavior.
And if she thinks that, she will probably continue doing it because she will expect a treat from you every time she does it again. So always keep in mind her behavior that day before you give her a treat.
3) Use scents your cat doesn’t like
If you’ve tried to train your kitty not to scratch your furniture but failed, no need to panic. There’s still something you can do. It’s not the best option, but it still works!
There are some scents that cats despise, the most famous of which is citrus. You can use that to keep her away from the things you don’t want her to scratch or play with. You could, for example, buy a fabric spray and spray it on your furniture. That way your fluffball is sure to steer clear!
Keep in mind that we are all annoying from time to time, but it’s what makes us interesting! So don’t get angry at your kitty – the two of you are equally guilty!
