Ask Me Help Desk - Cat won't let me sleep... HELP!

Hello :(
I need some help and advice on what to do with this situation that Iam passing through with my kitty.. Her name is Blondie and she is one year old-I love her to death but the only thing that bothers me is that she gets extremely wild at night.. My husband and I both have to wake up everyday at 6:30am to go to work so we both need our sleep. Lately my cat at night has been making noises by hitting and moving the shades on the window that happens to be on the back of our bed.. Evernight night when we go to sleep she makes noises and sometimes scraches our feet at the end of the bed.. I think that she might be doing this on purpose but I isn't sure.. Yesterday night we tried to lock her up in the bathroom to see if she won't bother us as much but then around 3 am she began to meow and scratch the door for us to let her out-we eventually did but then she began to make noises again with the shades.. I don't know why she gets really hyper at night-but I need my rest and don't know what to do.. I was thinking that it might have been that she sleeps the whole day and at night she stays awake... I was also thinking to give her a piece of my sleeping pill but Iam scared to hurt her or mess her up.. Can someone please help me? :confused:

Its probably bored , either a friend or toys >with toys xmas tinsel around a scatching post or a empty cardboard box is better than being ripped of at a pet shop.
But if you leave your cat in all day while at work and then expect him to just eat & fall asleep,
It won't happen, let it be a cat ,satisfy its curosity, climb trees whatever for a couple of hours, then bring it indoors

Never give an animal people medicine unless a vet tells you to do so

Please don't give drugs to your cat! That could be very dangerous without a Vet's explicit permission.

Cats are somewhat nocternal, or at least late nighters, by nature so this may take a little manipulating to correct. I have a few suggestions.

We have two cats and a dog. With the cats, I feed in the morning, putting out enough food that by bedtime there isn't much left. Fortunately they have not learned to "beg" for food - a behavior that is taboo for both them and our dog as it opens the gate to hell as far as I am concerned. LOL Since food is fuel, and fuel means energy, be sure to feed in the morning and that by late evening its running out.

The other suggestion is to establish a play period. My two cats have naturally established two -- one after breakfast and one mid evening here. The one after dinner, we participate in a lot. I would suggest you begin a routine of playing vigorously with your cat no less than an hour before bed. Really poop her out good!

Lastly, the unwanted behavior needs to be twarted. Either a squirt gun or beans in a can to shake or loudly clapping hands can work initially with most cats unless you already have a means. I like to use those along with saying bad kitty in a fairly normal tone of voice. And rewarding good behavior with treats and saying good kitty. This way I can evenutally influence them with just those words. People who say cats can't be trained usually own dogs only or no pets at all!

I hope this helps. Our cats sleep (or appear to) all through the night but come 7AM our alarm clock is loud happy meowing LOL

Quote:

Originally Posted by MimiGirl

Hello :(
I need some help and advice on what to do with this situation that Iam passing through with my kitty.. Her name is Blondie and she is one year old-I love her to death but the only thing that bothers me is that she gets extremly wild at night.. My husband and I both have to wake up everyday at 6:30am to go to work so we both need our sleep. Lately my cat at night has been making noises by hitting and moving the shades on the window that happens to be on the back of our bed.. Evernight night when we go to sleep she makes noises and sometimes scraches our feet at the end of the bed.. I think that she might be doing this on purpose but I aint sure.. Yesterday night we tried to lock her up in the bathroom to see if she wont bother us as much but then around 3 am she began to meow and scratch the door for us to let her out-we eventually did but then she began to make noises again with the shades.. I dont know why she gets really hyper at night-but I need my rest and dont know what to do.. I was thinking that it might have been that she sleeps the whole day and at night she stays awake... I was also thinking to give her a piece of my sleeping pill but Iam scared to hurt her or mess her up..Can someone please help me??:confused:

Okay so its mostly common knowledge but in case it isn't, cats are nocturnal animals i.e. night dwellers. And while it is instinct, much like most other instincts, it can be re-trained, however, I warn you it isn't for those who cannot follow the same pattern over and over in order to establish appropriate behavior. Unlike dogs, cats really don't care if you are mad at them, they are independent characters, but, if they are an "only child" they will tend to look at you as a fellow cub/mother figure to play with. You need to first off, get used to having a squirt bottole around, it works,trust me, but it only works if you are strickly using it for ill behavior, i.e. counter hoping,table sleeping, depending on how you feel about furnature, and clawing and of course inappropriate behavior at night. Second, teach her to play with her self, have plenty of feline friendly toys (that she cannot swollow and get blocked from, i.e. avoid string unless you are the one holding it) I have some toys attached to door handles so they hang, they also love feathers and furry mice toys. Furthermore you need to establish a playtime with her, a time that (do this a few hours before bed) you use these toys to play with and tire her out, eventually, she will get the idea that playtime is during the day, and nighttime is for sleeping, however, it will take time, she will also need to calm down a bit, meaning they start to be calmer (depending on spay date)after 2 years, again though, you need to establish that playing is for the day. HOnestly, this only works a bit more than half the time, but eventually, they all start to calm down and are more easily delt with.
My cats were raised together from the same litter and I do notice that even though they have each other, if I leave them for an extended period, when I get back, they run around the house rampant for a couple of hours like they are showing off, they are 3. But they have learned that when I am sleeping that they sleep. And I work grave 3 days a week to give you an idea of how confusing that is for them. So it does work, but it takes time and patience. PS DO NOT EVER GIVE A CAT ANYTHING THAT A HUMAN TAKES THEY CAN GET VERY ILL FROM IT! ALWAYS ASK YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE GIVING ANY KIND OF MEDICATION TO YOUR CAT.
Good luck,
Hope this helps.
H

I used to have the same problem with my female cat. She would attack my feet in the middle of the night among other things. My trick was to keep her awake all day. If she deprives you of sleep, deprive her. My cat naps during the day, but now she sleeps with me every night. Try it, if it doesn't work I have no clue.

Hi,

My cat was really hyper until almost 2 years old, than he wasn't much after that anymore. It could be he sleeps the whole or it could be he wants attention, or it could be he wants outside; if you let your cat outside. Otherwise l would say let him sleep on your bed if he doesn't cause much noise there. That's what l have to do with my cat during the night because that is when he wants attention. I would ask vet before giving him medication. If all that doesn't work, l would put him in cat kennel and put him in room but kind of mean :(

Hi,

My cat was really hyper until almost 2 years old, than he wasn't much after that anymore. It could be he sleeps the whole or it could be he wants attention, or it could be he wants outside; if you let your cat outside. Otherwise l would say let him sleep on your bed if he doesn't cause much noise there. That's what l have to do with my cat during the night because that is when he wants attention. I would ask vet before giving him medication. If all that doesn't work, l would put him in cat kennel and put him in room but kind of mean

Hi,

My cat was really hyper until almost 2 years old, than he wasn't much after that anymore. It could be he sleeps the whole or it could be he wants attention, or it could be he wants outside; if you let your cat outside. Otherwise l would say let him sleep on your bed if he doesn't cause much noise there. That's what l have to do with my cat during the night because that is when he wants attention. I would ask vet before giving him medication. If all that doesn't work, l would put him in cat kennel and put him in room but kind of mean :(

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