My wife and I have a 14 year-old cat that we adopted from a shelter 5+ years ago. We average 3-5 play sessions a day that last anywhere from 5 to 25 minutes. He only likes to play with one toy (plastic stick with a yard of yard on it) and only at his scratching post. It doesn't matter how often or how long we play with him. Within a few minutes, he is trying to get us to play again. He'll follow me around the house meowing, sit by his food bowl hoping I'll feed him - at which point he tries to get me to chase him to his scratching post, and then, if he doesn't get a play session, he starts picking out his fur. We have had him checked by multiple vets for the fur-picking and they have all agreed it is behavioral, not an allergy or anything else.
And he "insists" that whoever is playing with him be fully involved. He will literally stop playing and stare (and then start picking out his fur) if my wife and I are not looking straight at him and playing with some enthusiasm. I have literally played with him for 40 minutes straight, until he walked away. Withing 2 minutes he was begging for more play time. And it's all day. When we wake up, are trying to make breakfast, getting ready for work, trying to leave for work, when either of us comes home, when we are watching TV, and EVERY time he comes back in the house from outside. We kept him as an indoor cat for the first two years until we both got so exhausted by his constant badgering that we let him out to give ourselves a break.
I give him lots and lots of affection if he insists on getting on my lap (always while I'm reading or trying to get something done on the laptop) and on those rare occasions when he'll just sit near me/us in bed or while we're relaxing. The problem is, often when I give him affection, he takes it as an overture for another play session. I am at my wits' end. I go into the bedroom and close the door in order to get a break from him so that I can read, send an email, etc. I have researched this, but every site just says, "Oh, well, your cat just needs more attention and play time."
And the only way he leaves me alone is if I hiss at him. Basically, I have to scare him in order to have a life when I'm home.
Any suggestions besides giving him even more attention and play time?
