Pets ruining sleep

[JellySky]

I let a stray cat into my house 5 months ago and it moved in. We slowly introduced it with our dog and they generally just co existed. The cat was waking us at dawn which was 4am, walking around trilling and scratching window. We got him neutered, vet says he is 2 - 5 years old and since neutering, and possibly two cat fight injuries, he is less interested in going outside. He still wakes us at 5am, trilling and pacing around and now, pawing the dog which has the dog on edge and growling when the cat comes near him. The rest of the time they sometimes play chase together or just ignore each other.

I am sick of the cat waking us up every morning, noisy, and the dog jumping around to avoid the cat and growling.

The logical thing is to shut cat dowbstairs, but of course, he hates a door being shut and will persistently scratch it which we will hear. Is it worth persevering with?

Earplugs not an option, hurt my ears and dont block much noise when ive tried in the past. Its also not just me, its the kids too.

I dont want to rehome the cat and im not sure who would want a cat that is so noisy in the morning! Looking for tips, and hope, its like the newborn days!

What about an automatic feeder? Maybe he’s awake and ready for breakfast at that time. Then you won’t have to get up.

I think cats are smart and learn routine very quickly - if that routine is that sitting on your head at 4am gets an early breakfast, so much the better. For precisely this reason, our boy (and our girl before him) is shut in the kitchen at bedtime. He will often trot through himself if we’re up particularly late, otherwise he knows the audio cues like tooth brushing that mean it’s time. We don’t let him out overnight. He has a cat tree at the window, and a cosy bed, litter tray, and toys in there - it’s a big room and he’s totally fine. Occasionally if DP is away I let him sleep with me, and he’s a delightful bed friend until the witching hour, then I remember why he’s kept in the kitchen!

We’ve had MiL’s cat with us since July while she does renovations, and initially kept him in the spare room to settle - that’s his bedroom at night and again, he will go through by himself.

Cat flap and shut cat downstairs. Why on earth would you sacrifice your sleep?

also they hate tinfoil. So if you’re worried about scratching, tinfoil the area and they’ll stay away

Get a cat flap. My cats toilet outside but spend most of the time inside. But occasionally like to hang around other sheds or our own roof.
I also shut mine downstairs overnight. There’s a door between the kitchen/dining/living room and the stairs. They have access to food water and outside. I can’t hear them from my room but they seem totally content.
I also have two cats. I used to have two dogs too. Only the cats were confined downstairs.
I think you lay down the law. Ignore it if it scratches at the door.