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Original poster

Fed up with cat. How to stop her from getting up at the crack of dawn???

33 replies

Belgianchocolates · 04/03/2008 11:46

Now my DC's are finally old enough to sleep through the night it's our cat that's waking me up .
I never ever feed her before 7.30, because that's the earliest I want her to get up. I also lock her into the lounge, because otherwise she goes and wake up my ds (her favourite person in the world) at 5.30 am, who then does feed her.
But now, about 2x a week or so she wakes at 5.30 (usually mornings where I am not working and can have a longer sleep) and then bangs into the lounge door relentlessly. I think she's trying to knock it of its hinges or break a hole into it, which is not going to happen as it's a sturdy door and only a tiny (adult) female cat .
In the end the noise always wakes me as I sleep right above the lounge. It's the only room we can actually lock her into as the kitchen doesn't have a door and the dining (also known as junk room) has a cat flap as her litterbox is kept in there (we never actually eat in there).
Tell me, what are we doing wrong and how can we encourage her to sleep a bit longer or at least stop her from trying to break through the door.

OP posts:
oggsfrog · 04/03/2008 11:50

She's a cat Why can't she be given access to the cat flap at night so she can come and go as she wants?

whatironing · 04/03/2008 11:50

I don't really know anything about cats, but applying baby advice... is it dark in the lounge?

oggsfrog · 04/03/2008 11:54

Cats love to charge about at night. It's when they come alive and chase small animals etc.
I wouldn't have thought she'd be very happy being locked in a room on her own all night.

CountryGirl2007 · 04/03/2008 13:13

If you don't live near a main road or in an area where there are foxes or roaming dog's you could install a cat flap so she could go outside if she wants, if not, then you could build her a large run to go in at night maybe or let her have the run of the house so she has some space to run around.

MegBusset · 04/03/2008 13:17

If we locked our cat into one room she would go bananas. They are active at night and it's completely unrealistic to expect a cat to 'sleep through'! Put a reflective collar on her and let her go in and out through the cat flap.

Brangelina · 04/03/2008 13:26

It's worse if you close doors, our cats immediately paw at a closed door between us and them.

That said, I don't understand why you actually get up to feed at 7.30. Both our cats have sussed the concept of weekends, unlike my DD, alas. One will make an attempt at purring loudly in my ear but settles down on her own if I ignore her. The other one got the concept from a very early age and has never bothered me at weekends. If you get up every time he'll think he's found another slave.

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 04/03/2008 13:28

Perhaps you could try 'Controlled Meowing'

fluffyanimal · 04/03/2008 13:29

What you are doing wrong is expecting her not to behave like a cat. We used to have this with our cat before we got a cat flap. Now she is put to bed in the dining room with the door open to the utility room where the cat flap is, and all is well.

expatinscotland · 04/03/2008 13:29

A spray bottle with water.

We can't get a cat flap because we rent - this isn't our house to put a flap in.

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 04/03/2008 13:31

(Hijack alert)

Expat, how are you? I only just caught your news.

expatinscotland · 04/03/2008 13:38

I'm okay so far.

But my cat keeps getting up earlier and earlier because the days are getting longer and there's now spring wildlife out there .

I find her miaows very cute, though.

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 04/03/2008 13:41

Glad to hear it! Congratulations!

Just wait until she starts nuzzling your belly and growling like a dog when anyone goes near you. Or was my cat just a bit mad?

browncat · 04/03/2008 13:47

I had this problem with my two cats- my DS was sleeping longer than they were and they realised that if they scratched at DS's door then I would HAVE to get up to deal with awake baby and hungry cats!! You can get a spray from pet shops that has ginger and citrus in it - cats hate that- and it worked a treat- they haven't done it since. Just spray around the door- it smells for a bit but then fades (for us not them )

bookwormmum · 04/03/2008 13:51

My cat is shut in the conservatory overnight for this very reason. She has her dirt tray in there, food/water bowls and when it gets light she can look out of the window until I come down - plus a basked full of unplayed with cat toys (they came with her from her old home but she disdains them).

If I didn't lock her in there, she'd be in and out of my bedroom all night which is not on. I like my sleep .

My old cat could be trusted to stop downstairs and roam around down there but not this lady. So she get conservatorie'd every night like it or not.

expatinscotland · 04/03/2008 13:51

oh, no, if i lie on my back she comes and sits on me and stretches on her front paws out in front and opens and closes her toes whilst she purrs away as i stroke her.

god, i love cats!

bookwormmum · 04/03/2008 13:55

Wait til the baby kicks and the cat is on your lap. You'll be the one being clawed then.

(hope you're not changing the litter tray?)

expatinscotland · 04/03/2008 13:59

I'm not changing the tray, no.

She mostly goes outside, but DH changes her tray.

She's not a clawy cat.

Only seen her claw once, when our old cat tried to bite her tail.

Sayuri · 04/03/2008 15:21

I find with my cats if I leave biscuits down for them all the time they dont bother me in the morning for breakfast.

They arent overweight as cats are natural grazers and will pick at their biscuits through out the day when they feel like it. Come 5pm when it is time for their meat the two girls are all over me to feed them but I never have to worry about not being home for dinner as they have biscuits and wont go hungry

Original poster
Belgianchocolates · 04/03/2008 16:28

Leaving the cat in the utility (where her catflap is) is no option because 1) it's cold and too small for a cat bed 2) the back garden gives out on fields and we'd have rats, mice, foxes and other cats coming in and out the cat flap.
As I said earlier if I'd just leave her roam around the house she'd wake up ds at 5.30 in the morning and I don't want that, so the only place I can have her is the lounge, which btw is a big room with very large patio doors for her to enjoy the view. I tried leaving food out, but doesn't seem to work.
Maybe buying a black out blind is the solution, though its definitely not light at 5.30 at the moment! I'll try the leaving out snacks tip as well, maybe if I hide them a little it'll be good excercise for her too.

OP posts:
cece · 04/03/2008 16:31

Why can't you put her out at night?

Original poster
Belgianchocolates · 04/03/2008 16:33

I just re-read the posts and Browncat, can you buy that spray anywhere?
I don't get up to feed her at 7.30, I just read somewhere that if you don't feed a cat early then they get used to a particular breakfast time (more or less) and don't ask for food too early, which is obviously a trick that doesn't work...

OP posts:
LilRedWG · 04/03/2008 16:34

Medised in her milk

Original poster
Belgianchocolates · 04/03/2008 16:37

Cece, she does sleep most of the night and if I'd put her outside, the poor thing wouldn't be able to get into the warmth of the house, just the cold utility and she'd end up waking us up by miauwing at the bedroom window in the middle of the night.

OP posts:
cece · 04/03/2008 17:04

Just read the thread through. I am shocked that people give their cats breakfast! What do they have????

beautifulgirls · 04/03/2008 17:27

Or rather than repellant try a calming pheromone diffuser called feliway.

Take a look at this if you want to see the funny side of cats though....
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMXCuW9LDps