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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

What shall I do about this then?

56 replies

Sparklingbrook · 19/04/2014 13:14

We have had Sparkling Cat 4 years. She is a big cuddly grey lump and the whole family love her to bits.

Her bed is on a chair in our bedroom, she comes up with us at bedtime, and up until recently would get up with us the next morning with not a peep in between.

The last month or so she has started to wake in the night, jump onto our bed and demand fusses by headbutting us and padding on our chests. DH is fed up of it. But he does give her a fuss. Then when she's had enough she goes back to her bed on the chair.

I say he is rewarding her behaviour with a fuss but he says he has to do it to get her to go back to her own bed. Plus she's very insistent.

Last night it happened 3 separate times and DH isn't happy.

She has the run of the house bar the DSs' rooms at night. What would you do?

OP posts:
Owllady · 19/04/2014 15:34

You are letting your cats rule you
I have never had a cat!

bunchoffives · 19/04/2014 15:37

Why don't you just put the cat out at night? They are nocturnal so this is far kinder to the cat who can then express its natural behaviour. Plus having a cat in your bed is not hygienic.

Original poster
Sparklingbrook · 19/04/2014 15:39

Owl what are you doing in The Litter Tray topic then? Grin

bunch that is all nonsense i am afraid.

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 19/04/2014 15:53

On the contrary, Owl. I, for example, have a few strict rules in the household that the cats have to fit in with.

It just so happens that sleeping in bed is not one of them.

Owllady · 19/04/2014 15:56

I have wandered in accidentally I think
So it's quite normal to let a cat sleep on your bed then?
Maybe your dh could sleep in a different room? Or downstairs in the utility room?

Original poster
Sparklingbrook · 19/04/2014 16:03

She doesn't sleep on our bed. She has her own bed in our room. She wants a fuss in the night, then goes back to her own bed.

If she wanted to sleep on our bed she could though. Smile Lots of cats sleep on the owner's beds AFAIK.

OP posts:
Owllady · 19/04/2014 16:11

Get her a friend?

I think this might be like cat owners are from Jupiter
Dog owners are from Uranus
Or something....

RubbishMantra · 19/04/2014 16:14

I used to have a gorgeous grey cat similar to her Smile. She looks like a Russian Blue. Mine was also a determined cuddler, I'd wake up in the morning looking like I was wearing one of those furry russian earflap hats because he'd wrap himself around my head while sleeping Grin
I would gently but firmly place her on the floor when she wakes you - cat snuggles are awesome, but not at the expense of lovely sleep

cozietoesie · 19/04/2014 16:18

My cats don't sleep on the bed, they sleep in the bed. (Except when there's a heatwave.) And nothing beats a Sunday afternoon snooze on a dark winter's day with a warm purring bundle curled up against you under the duvet.

JonSnowKnowsNothing · 19/04/2014 16:35

Another one who lets her cats sleep on/in the bed. It's lovely and I have yet to contract any cat related diseases Grin

Original poster
Sparklingbrook · 19/04/2014 16:47

She wouldn't tolerate a friend Owl much to my complete disappointment.

OP posts:
Owllady · 19/04/2014 16:56

Aww I was not suggesting cats have diseases :( I let my dog have an afternoon nap with me but at night she has to go to bed downstairs...

Can your dh either
Stop stroking her?
Or
B. Sleep downstairs

RubbishMantra · 19/04/2014 17:16

I too let my cat sleep in/on the bed. He has excellent personal hygiene Grin
It is definitely not 'kinder' to lock a cat outside at night bunch. RTAs involving cats usually happen at night.

LastingLight · 19/04/2014 17:29

You try to stop one of ours from sleeping on our bed in winter at your peril. Another one sleeps with dd.

RubbishMantra · 19/04/2014 18:12

Hubby and cat curled up taking a nap as I type. Seeing them all snuggly makes me Smile

timtam23 · 19/04/2014 22:36

Sparkling she is just beautiful

nothing helpful to add about how to manage the night time disturbance - I'm also a slave to my cats and they both sleep on the bed (we used to have 3 cats, all snoozing on the bed plus up to 2 children trying to squeeze in as well - I much prefer the cats as they wriggle much less than the children do. Also I have never caught any disease off the cats whereas I'm always catching colds from DH or the children)

bunchoffives · 20/04/2014 01:16

Rubbishmantra cats definitely want to hunt at night if they are allowed their natural behaviour. There is a risk of rta's but that is always there.

I think it is most unwise to share a bed with a cat or dog:

bbc site

"The most common infection from cats is Cat Scratch Disease, which is caused by the Bartonella bacterium. People usually become infected after being scratched or bitten by a cat and experience swelling around the site of the scratch, and fatigue. It cannot be transmitted between people.

Cats are also the main carriers of the tiny T. gondii parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, but it's also found in dogs, sheep and cattle. The parasite is often found in the faeces of infected cats.

You may not know whether your cat is infected or not because cats don't usually show any symptoms.

If the parasite gets into the environment or food chain, it can be ingested by humans.

The greatest risk is to pregnant women, who could pass the infection on to their unborn baby, potentially causing brain damage and blindness, but severe congenital toxoplasmosis is rare - three in every 100,000 babies are born with the condition in the UK.

Up to a third of the UK population will acquire a toxoplasmosis infection at some point in their life but most people won't notice any symptoms. If symptoms do appear, they will be similar to flu or glandular fever."

Corygal · 20/04/2014 01:21

Mr Cory gets on the bed first and gets a little bit angry if I don't jump in when he wants me to. He goes to bed at 10 - woe betide me if I'm not in by 10:30.

He has been known to come out and growl at dinner guests who overstay their welcome.

Once we're settled in, I dish out Dreamies, and he purrs like a washing machine about to explode while I fail to drift off. It's lovely!

And waking up in the night next to a warm, vibrating lump is bliss.

thecatneuterer · 20/04/2014 02:27

oh dear bunchoffives I really think you're on the wrong board.

For starters cats are at a much higher risk of rta's at night than they are during the day. Also domestic cats seem to have lost most of their nocturnal-ness. Most sleep for about 18 hours or so in every 24 more or less evenly spread out. They would be most upset if they had to spend around 8 hours out in the cold when they could be in a nice warm house. And the older they get the more they want warmth and lots of sleep.

And as for toxoplasmosis, I don't really seem how sharing a bed is likely to be particular means of infection, well no more so that all the other things involved with keeping cats. And vets on here have pointed to research which shows that most people who contract toxoplasmosis in fact contract it from eating meat, not from cats. So if you want to avoid it go vegetarian and chill out about cats on your bed:)

And back to the point of the thread - yes I agree that ignoring (or controlled pawing Grin is probably the way to go}. I sleep with loads of cats but none of them bother me until I start to stir, and then they're all over me. So partly I've 'trained' them to know there's no point bothering me when I'm asleep, and partly they've trained me to get used to sleeping with them. In fact I now find it difficult to sleep without at least a couple - it just feels wrong.

tabulahrasa · 20/04/2014 02:51

Cats aren't nocturnal - they're crepuscular. They sleep at night.

Original poster
Sparklingbrook · 20/04/2014 08:15

Morning cat lovers. Smile

Went to bed last night after giving her a big fuss while she was on her bed on the chair.

Not a peep from her til 6am when she came on the bed for a fuss from me, and has now gone out to flirt with the male tabby over the road.

When DH wakes I will ask him if she bothered him in the night....

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 20/04/2014 08:39

Ah - sounds like she's having a needy patch. Have you been distracted recently?

Original poster
Sparklingbrook · 20/04/2014 08:43

DH confirms no bothering in the night!

Well DS1 fractured his knee and has been on crutches for 3 weeks so that's something different for her cozie. Perhaps he has been getting some of her attention.

She isn't venturing very far from us in general I have noticed....

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 20/04/2014 08:48

Up the attention level generally, then. Maybe she's feeling undervalued or something? Keep a weather eye on her though.

Madratlady · 20/04/2014 09:18

She's beautiful. Boycat went through a phase of wanting fuss during the night. I always encouraged him to get in bed with me but didn't pet him much because I was too sleepy. He eventually stopped again although I don't think it was because of anything I did.

I miss having the cats on/in the bed, they are banished to downstairs just in case one of them decides to sleep on ds in his cot.

bunch both of my cats sleep all night, they'd be disgusted if I tried to make them go out. They are active morning and evening but not during the night.

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