My 2 cats follow me from room to room and meow

by Anonymous

My 2 cats are healthy, well fed, have a clean litter box and get lots of attention, but they follow me from room to room and meow. It's driving me nuts... any suggestions?

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by: Tunnel Cats

My cats do this too. I'll think they're sound asleep and get up and boom, they're awake and on my heels! I call them my stalkers! They never do my husband like that except when he mows, they'll go from window to window watching him.
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starstarstarstarstar 		Following you from room to room
by: just another cat lover

The way I see it is that cats are discerning in who they choose to associate with. And if a cat is really fond of you they may very well enjoy your company. They like you. It sounds as though your cats want to be with you... Personally any time my cats pursue me is a time I feel honored.
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starstarstarstarstar 		My thoughts
by: Kurt (Admin)

I'm assuming this is a new behavior, or a behavior that recurs.

Did anything change in their lives just prior to the behavior starting? The answer to that may give you some clues.

The times when my cats have followed me around and/or meowed at me more than usual, however, have been directly related to their wanting more attention from me. This is the case even though I think I'm giving them enough.

Apparently, during these times, whatever attention I'm providing is not enough for them. I believe in listening to what your cat is telling you, and in these cases, the cats are simply saying that something is missing from their lives.

What I've found is when I add more enrichment (increase their exercise levels, have more play sessions with them using toys, give them boxes more often to hang out in, and so on), their attention getting behavior slows down.

In addition, I have to stop reinforcing the behavior by giving them attention in response to their excessive meowing.

If my cats were doing this excessively (and excessive is relative, of course), I would think about the following:

Has my veterinarian weighed in on this problem? (Major behavior changes can indicate a health problem that has previously gone undetected.)

Have I done anything to reinforce this behavior? If what they're doing works to get attention, you'll have a hard time getting them to stop.

Have I provided sufficient attention (not as a response to their meowing, but proactively)?

Am I making sure they get enough exercise/play sessions?

Is it possible that some of their other needs are not being met?

It may take some thinking, some guessing, and some experimentation to solve this. If they like to hang out in boxes, get them a couple of boxes and put them in a room. Let the boxes (and each other) be the source of amusement and not you.

Bring in some new toys (or make some). I'm a big fan of exercise/play sessions twice a day, for about 10-15 minutes each. If your cats play fetch, that's great, as it can burn off that pent up energy from the hunting instinct. A fishing pole toy like Bird Catcher Pro or Da Bird works great as well. Wear those kitties out.

Set a routine and stick to it. I'm sure people are tired of hearing me say this, but I'm also a big fan of having a daily routine. Cats love a routine and they hate change. Change means danger. Change freaks cats out. Stick to that routine.

OK, I typed all this and then I found some advice in response to a related question with similar concepts in this video from JG:

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