Training a cat?

[glacierchick]

Can it be done?

We have a much adored and rather spoiled 3 year old tom cat. He rules the house with a velvet paw you might say.

Unfortunately this includes loudly requesting food at about 3am every day (earlier in summer when it gets lighter earlier). We live in a pretty small flat so just shutting him out the bedroom (where he sleeps) doesn't work as we can hear him from the other side of the flat. If we just leave him to it, he is quite capable of going on and on and on for hours at a time, like some kind of obsessive compulsive behaviour which really disrupts my sleep.

Eventually one of us will get up and feed him, then get up again and let him out, when he starts "requesting" again.

I'm now 18 weeks pregnant and knackered. I can do with all the sleep I can get and it's really starting to affect me.

I'm reluctant to just kick him out the house at night as I don't think it's very safe for cats.
He's a sweet creature really and very affectionate, it's just the morning feed that's getting me down...

Does anyone have any suggestions as to ways around this? How can we train him to sleep a bit longer? Or maybe train ourselves not to hear him...

Feed him late in the evening. I split my cat's meals to two small portions twice a day

you need something like this then maybe you could slightly adjust the time every few days so he learns to wait just a bit longer till he is waiting till the morning.
HTH

Train a cat?

You'd be lucky. Cats are a law unto themselves.

You can, however buy things like this. Whether or not it would be good enough for his highness I have no idea. But it's worth a shot, no?

sorry that link didn't work

here

Dont let the cats fool you they are dead easy to train with a clicker.

cat training

I just think they like us to think they train us. Consistency and rewards will work for cats. My old tom cat would even fetch his toy mouse, poo in the loo (could not get the flush though!), sit, roll over and lick on command. Admittedly I do not have much of a life and do not go out much

How much are you feeding him during the day - and what? Is he genuinely hungry?

When you say he's a tom cat, has he been er..'done'? If not, maybe he's got itchy paws and is crying to get out and boogie the night away on the tiles?

If he has then sorry I've no idea how to train a cat. Mostly cats seem to train their owners I've noticed.

Thanks for the suggestions!
Shiny-
'Train a cat? '

Yes I thought I would get that reaction....

He gets two portions of food a day already, a precision weighed 30 grams of biscuits in the morning and evening, plus whatever he can scrounge from DH in particular (cheese, milk, scraps of meat, leftovers etc)...

He was a bit overweight last year but since I've been a bit more strict with the diet he's back to about what he should be, so maybe he is a bit peckish, but he's not losing weight anymore.

He has been neutered, but I suspect BendyBob is right he wants to go out and patrol his territory but not before breakfast (reasonably enough).

I'll give one of the automatic feeders a go anyway, and let you know how I get on. Click training is my last resort!

I daresay that when the baby finally arrives I'll have my revenge, he doesn't like noise.

Cheers GC