Cat Constantly Harassing us for Things - Need Training tips

[jmilber]

Hey everyone,

I have a beautiful, very cute tabby boy cat named Scrapper. He is 2.5 years old, here are some pics of him!








The cat is spoiled beyond belief-- especially by my parents. He has multiple varieties of high quality cat food, and my dad cooks him scallops, salmon, and thinly sliced steaks as well. On top of that, our cat is routinely "walked" on a leash. He roams outside and sniffs around and plays with some neighborhood cats he likes. He usually always has people who will play with him-- play hide and seek games, chase him around, wrestle with hand puppets, etc. He has a great life and is a great kitty!

He has become very communicative about what he wants-- whether that is a walk, some food, or wants to be played with. Generally, he will come to my desk and sit down on the floor and look at me and meow at me. If I don't answer, he'll paw at me, jump on my desk, and sometimes even do a "flying leap attack" where he jumps and latches on to my shoulder (which is a bit painful). In a way, it is a good thing because he tells us what he needs. The problem, is that sometimes this behavior can be very pesky!

My dad is a sucker for the cat, and anytime he does this to him he feeds into the behavior by walking him or feeding him. Sometimes i try to ignore him but he doesn't stop! He'll sit there meowing for an hour straight and it's hard to get work done and annoying. I don't really have the heart to lock him out of my room either, but I think somewhere along the line our indulgence of him has made him a bit of a spoiled brat.

Any ideas on how I can reverse this behavior, so he knows he can't just sit and meow at me for hours on end? I'd lke him to be less of a pest and accept food and walks when we offer them, and if we can't play with him at the time he will understand and not push it!

Interested to hear your thoughts. Thanks!