A very needy cat

Question
We have two cats, one about a year old and one about 7yrs old. Just recently, within the past couple of months, the older cat has become very needy. In that I mean that he wants to be pet all the time, and always at the worst possible time...like when we're eating.
My wife says that during the day he acts pretty normal, but when I get home, as soon as I get home, he starts getting needy towards both of us. We never abuse the cat, and wouldn't dream of hurting him. But we cannot figure out why the change in behavior in general, or why when I come home.
He has gained a bit of weight in the last year that is yet, unexplained. He has never been a very bold cat, quite timid actually. But he has gotten so needy that it is nearly irritating because of his actions when he gets this way.
I feel like we need to get "into his head" somehow, because if we can't it's almost to the point of needing to find him another home. But being as insecure as he seems to be, we're afraid that would be hard on him too.

What to do?

Thanks!

Answer
Darrin,

Given that this behavioral change is fairly recent and your kitty's behavior is so out of character for  him I would strongly suggest having him evaluated for possible medical issues as soon as possible. Generally sudden and dramatic behavioral changes in cats happen as a result of medical issues or he may be reacting to changes within his environment. I think that it's reasonable to try and determine what might be happening with your kitty before making any decisions about potentially re-homing him. If you have any further cat related questions ur concerns please feel free to contact me again at any time, I'm more than happy to help in any way that I can.

Kind regards,

Ali