If your feline is acting affectionate all of a sudden, you’re probably wondering what’s going on. Cats don’t commonly change their behavior unless it’s experiencing specific changes in its life. As a few situations may cause your feline to act more affectionately than usual, we want to provide more details about them.
Keep reading to learn more about the possible causes of sudden feline affection and how to deal with this behavioral change.
The 9 Possible Reasons Why Your Cat Might Become Affectionate All of a Sudden
1. Your Cat Is Aging
As cat age, it’s not uncommon to notice various changes in their behavior, including becoming clingier. When the cat becomes older, it could feel an urge for love and attention and become less independent.
Typically, this happens as old cats prefer to have some routine and like to stick to people they’re familiar with. In some ways, the feline craves the comfort and protection it feels around you.
2. Your Cat Is Experiencing Hormonal Changes
If you have a female cat, it could show sudden signs of affection when it’s experiencing hormonal changes. The hormonal changes occur in non-neutered cats, as they can experience these behavioral differences when pregnant or in heat. Both could lead to excessive clinginess and more affection from your feline than usual.
If your cat is in heat, you’ll also notice other signs, including:
Hormones cause behavioral changes: female cats in heat become receptive to a male mate. A cat in heat commonly behaves more lovingly and affectionately towards its owners as well.
If pregnant, your feline will gradually start to show more and more affection as the pregnancy develops. You can also notice other signs of pregnancy like:
3. You or Your Partner are Pregnant
While cats become affectionate when they’re clingy, they can also become affectionate if you or your partner are pregnant. Animals have a way of sensing the changes in a woman, and they tend to become affectionate and protective of that person.
Your cat might even be able to hear your baby’s heartbeat and notice even the slightest changes in your behavior as your belly becomes larger.
4. Your Cat Might Suffer from Stress or Anxiety
Another thing that’s common for cats is they can experience stress and anxiety, leading them to lean on you for reassurance and tranquility. Felines have strong senses, and they can get scared by an array of things; fireworks, loud cars, too many people, or simply an unknown guest could all be triggers for your cat to feel anxious and become overly attached to you.
5. Your Cat Is Unwell or Sick
If your cat became needy suddenly and is craving more attention than usual, it could be a sign of your feline feeling sick or unwell. Of course, this doesn’t happen to all cats, as most prefer to hide the fact that they’re sick, but it’s still possible.
Commonly, sickness will include other symptoms besides the extra affections, so ensure you observe your feline and how it acts. Doing that might make it easier to spot the problem and help your cat through it.
6. Your Cat Is Craving Attention
There might be a chance that your cat is acting affectionate because it’s not getting enough attention from you. When a feline wants to remind you it’s there, it will start cuddling and approaching you more than usual.
Like humans and other animals, cats need love and affection; otherwise, they might start to feel depressed. Also, if you disregard your feline, even when it shows you it needs more affection, it might become destructive to get you to notice there’s a problem.
7. Your Cat Is Hungry
Cats are typically not overly affectionate, but they do love to show affection to their owners when hungry. If you notice your feline cuddling with you and following you around mealtimes, it could be trying to let you know it wants food. They are extremely smart animals, and they use it to their advantage.
8. Your Cat Has Competition
It’s not unusual for a cat to act overly affectionate when it has competition. This applies to new cats, pets, or even new partners and babies. Cats can become jealous and decide they want you for themselves, which may lead to excessive devotion toward you.
The cat is trying to become the focus of your attention. Cats love to be in the center of everything happening, and they don’t like to be left out, which is why you should give your feline attention, even when you have a new family member.
9 You Just Adopted the Cat
If you recently adopted your cat, and it’s still adapting to you and the environment you live in, it might become pretty affectionate. This happens as the cat is trying to connect with you, and it feels a certain dose of comfort when you’re around, especially with the new surroundings.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are various reasons why your cat might be affectionate all of a sudden. Whenever your cat changes behavior, it’s always a good idea to check what’s happening. Try to get to the root of the issue while also showing support and love for your feline.
Featured Image Credit: Дарья Будич, Pixabay
