He wants attention and he wants it now!

[Jay_Bunny]

Liam is our youngest cat. He will be 2 years old this summer. He has an attention problem. He wants Mommy and Daddy's attention and he wants it NOW! When we are trying to sleep, Liam will often stand or sit next to us and paw at the blanket as if he wants to get under the covers. If he does not succeed in getting a response from us the first time, he will resort to using his claws. He will paw at our arms and legs with his claws, leaving scratches. He also does this if he wants kisses and to be petted. I have a squirt bottle I use but he keeps coming back.

Does anyone have any idea how we can stop this behavior?

[AndrewGeibel]

Get a dog instead?

Sorry, I can't actually provide anything productive.

[Jay_Bunny]

Already have one of those and he is just as if not more annoying than the cat.

[Aleria]

I had that issue with a 2 year old cat I adopted 5 years ago. I would wake up with his drool and scratches all over my chest because he would come lay next to me and "massage" me in my sleep trying to get attention. After getting his front paws declawed, which yes I realize most people think is cruel, I no longer had this issue. He stopped fighting so hard for attention, but didn't stop entirely. And of course no more having to deal with cat scratches all over my body just because he was trying to get some loving. I also had the same results with a kitten I adopted last year.
Others may have some other suggestions, but for me that is what worked with both of the cats I have when they got a little too pushy and started causing more anger than joy.

[cinderbird]

play with your cat before bedtime. It may take 20, 30, even 45 minutes of straight play to tire them out. Give them toys they can interact with themselves.

I have a cat that NEEDS attention. After about 2 years he has figured out the routine and now ASKS for attention and can be given attention but is reprimanded when he jumps on people without asking (he has all of his claws and weighs 18 pounds so its not pleasant) we either say NO in a brisk, loud tone, shake the coin can (loud noise stops him) or push him off physically (not hard or anything) and hes gotten the idea. He was hand raised so he has issues associated with that but he has grown leaps and bounds since we first got him.

The night time play time thing is really good for wearing them out and letting them sleep through the night and then not bother you.

[Jay_Bunny]

I flat out refuse to get any of my cats declawed. It is inhumane and unnecessary.

I will try out playing with him for a good bit of time before bed time. He is a VERY energetic kitty. I love him to pieces but he's just got sooooo much energy. And he's a definite cuddle-bug, only he wants to be right up against you, under the blanket. We call him our blanket baby.

[cinderbird]

I flat out refuse to get any of my cats declawed. It is inhumane and unnecessary.

I will try out playing with him for a good bit of time before bed time. He is a VERY energetic kitty. I love him to pieces but he's just got sooooo much energy. And he's a definite cuddle-bug, only he wants to be right up against you, under the blanket. We call him our blanket baby.

my other cat actually sleeps next to me, touching me 6 out of 7 nights of the week. Sometimes he wants to sleep on the couch or the cat tree. Train him to do that.

With fat cat (his real name is Dexter but he is BIG) we would remove him from the bed if he bothered us. One of the first nights we had him home he took a full speed run at one of my kidneys because he was playing with the other cat and just doesn't realize how big he is. omg OUCH. And now he sleeps at my feet or behind my knees and that is his place. He gets jealous if the other cat, ollie sleeps there. He learned pretty quickly that if he wanted to sleep near "mommy and daddy" he needed to behave. It took a few sleepless nights and cats to various body parts and organs but he did eventually work it out. he is very attention seeking.

Oh we also do not let them sleep within 4 hours of us going to bed. We wake them up and play or cuddle or they'll play with each other. Everyone goes to bed at the same time.

[Jay_Bunny]

Him and his brother are VERY needy when it comes to attention. Ramman, the second youngest, was spoiled by Mommy when he was a kitten. Little did I know he would become a fairly large adult and he still likes to sleep on my face. I've gotten him to at least let me have PART of the pillow. Now he will sleep "like a human" with his head on the pillow (has to be touching my head at all times) and his paws touching my neck or shoulders. Liam will sleep anywhere but he has to be under the blanket and up against someone. Does it help that I'm allergic to cats and I have 4 of them, ALL of whom love to sleep in the bed.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

My cat is half tabby and half turkish angora. The angora'a are known to be very dog like. Not only does he play fetch but he is an attention hog as well. He will sit outside the bedroom door and howl like a dying animal if he is locked out. He holds grudges against those who dont give him what he wants when he wants it. He will selectively choose that persons socks and drag them through the house, hide them and chew them up. He will dig through clothes baskets until he finds the ones he wants. He sits on the back of the couch and swats you or bites at you as you walk by if you dont pet him.

I have found no way of fixing any of these crazy issues with him. He went for his yearly shots last week and I swear they put something a little extra in those shots. His behaviour has gotten even more strange and more intense.

I have no advice for you. Cats are nuts. Plain & simple.

[Jay_Bunny]

Haha, yes they are! Ramman will hold a grudge. If I shove him off me because my allergies have gotten too bad or I'm too tired to play, he will sit a few feet away from me, facing away, and not even twitch an ear or turn his head if I call him. Then as soon as his Daddy calls his name, he perks up and goes right over to him. It is crazy.

Liam still acts like a kitten. He's fast, hyper, and needy. I've been using a squirt bottle these past few nights, but he seems to jump off the bed, lick himself for a few minutes then come back to terrorize me more.