Living with attention hounds (and other pets who love the spotlight)

Some pets want a little attention. Or all the attention.

If your pet knocks things over, paws at you during calls or gets into something “interesting” the moment you leave the room, you may have an attention-seeker on your hands!

Living with an attention-seeking pet means anticipating how they’ll get up to something the moment you look away. Of course, no one can watch their pet every second or protect them from every mishap, which is why pet insurance is valuable for offering peace of mind to families with, uh, needy pets. Here are some mischievous attention-grabbing mishaps from our Hambone nominees.

Nailed it!

When Bear feels he’s not receiving the level of attention he's accustomed to, he tends to seek out something he shouldn’t have. That can lead to interesting results, like when he stole a bottle of nail adhesive and chewed on the bottle. Pet parents Steve and Deanna noticed something was off when they saw foam appearing in his mouth, and rushed him to the emergency vet fearing toxic ingestion.

Fortunately, Bear didn’t get sick from his glue gobbling experience, and his pet parents re-examined what he could access around the house to help prevent another attention-seeking scare.

Not-there-pods

When David isn’t giving Salem the attention she wants, things get knocked on the floor. So, when his AirPod went missing late one night, he thought he knew who the culprit was.

However, when he didn’t immediately find the earbud—and when he thought he heard the faint sound of music coming from Salem’s belly—he worried that she had taken her attention-seeking to a whole new level.

David took Salem to the emergency vet for an X-ray, but the missing Airpod still could not be found. The mystery of the disappearing headphone was never solved, but the scare led to a simple pet-parent solution: No more wireless earbuds for David.

Floral derangements

After being left at home for longer than usual, Bella set off in search of something to get into. It didn’t take long for her to find an outlet for her curiosity—namely helping herself to the bouquet on the table.

Recognizing that many flowers can be toxic to pets when ingested, pet parents Flavia and Igor reacted quickly by rushing Bella to the emergency veterinarian, where a photo of the arrangement helped identify what she had eaten and guided her care.

Bella recovered, but since the frightening experience, the walkthrough before leaving now includes a review of things reasonably “out of reach,” just in case she finds a way.

Tips for pet parents with attention-seeking pets

A little extra connection and preparation can go a long way in preventing unwanted behaviors:

• Respond thoughtfully: if a pet acts out, they’re looking for engagement.
• Create multiple 5-minute connection moments throughout the day for play or cuddles to reassure pets they’re seen.
• Introduce food puzzles, chew toys or rotating toys to stave off boredom.
• Pet-proof where possible, keeping dangerous items out of paw’s reach.

However, accidents will still occur from time to time, even for the most attentive pet parents. When the unexpected happens, pet insurance helps you focus on your pet’s recovery, not the vet bill. Get a quote for your pet at petinsurance.com.