Keeping cats settled at night.

[lostindubai]

All tips welcome please!

I can cope with nighttime disturbances but dp is not a happy chappy. We have two gorgeous tabby boys, 4 years old. We rescued them when they were 12 weeks old and they are lovely friendly pets. We have a toddler and the cats stuck by us when he arrived!

Some nights the cats will wake us up by mooching around, meowing at their toys, scratch around in their litter tray, use their scratching posts, run around like loons. They seem to go through phases - other times they'll lay on our bed quietly all night.

Any suggestions for keeping them settled before dp disowns them? Possibly there is nothing I can do, but I'd like to try!

Disown the Dp lol.

It sounds like normal behaviour from the cats.

Perhaps ear plugs for dp

You have to bear in mind that I come from a perspective of having a long succession of personal cat bedfellows who were singleton Siamese - and they've been, at all times, ready to head for bed at the drop of a hat and have even been known to get tetchy if I disturbed them rather than the other way round. (I'm terribly restless in bed.) Siamese sleep through in my experience.

Nonetheless. I've found that other than the basic security and closeness, cats at night seem to appreciate a combination of three things - strict routine, a bedtime supper to fill bellies nicely and a pleasant feeling of tiredness through having played their hearts out earlier in the day/evening. How does your household stand on those matters?

He should consider himself fortunate that they haven't decided his fingers, elbows and knees need grooming at 4 in the morning. (Thankfully it's now getting a bit later - 8 this morning)

Haha your replies made me laugh!

Cozie they go outside in the day and have their dinner at 9pm each night (which is how we get them in). They follow us up to bed at around 10.30 usually after running around a bit, having a bit of a friendly scrap and a fuss from us.

Sounds like there's not much else I can do. If I shut our bedroom door they'll only scratch at it.

I find it funny that it's the cats keeping us up not the toddler. Mumsnet turned on its head!

Maybe I'll get Siamese next time

I shut mine in the kitchen/dining room. I know I'm a bad mummy but I get little enough sleep with the toddler as it is.

I'd try a smaller supper at 9pm and then another small one at 10.30. Eating before bed seems to calm them a lot. (My own old boy also likes to have some food left during the night to nibble if he wants a little extra taste in his mouth - but your two may be greedy guts and gobble everything down.)

Perhaps some concentrated play as well rather than just casual TLC? (I've just bought a new Flying Frenzy so I'm sort of interested to see how they do.)

Can you think of any common factors on the nights when they just settle down quietly?

Our Old boy has always been shut in the dining room at night. He soon got into the habit and seems to know when it's 10pm, he sits in the dining room waiting for his bedtime Dreamies he has a cushion on a chair that he only ever sleeps on at night or sometimes the dining table

Any other time of the day he waits to be fed in the kitchen genius

They seem to like habit, so new kitty is now shut in the spare bedroom at night so will hopefully get used to it. We are at danger of running out of rooms for cats at this rate!

I can't shut the boys in anywhere as it's all open plan here unfortunately.

Cozie I split their meals last night and we had a much more settled night from them. Think you're on to something there! Thanks. Tried it again tonight so fingers crossed. Concentrated play I have not had the energy to do but will bear in mind if we start to see too much nighttime energy again.

I'm actually thinking the temperature may have something to do with this behaviour. It's been quite warm at night lately. When it's colder I think they'd rather be hunkered down on the duvet than wandering about the house.

This may sound like a really weird question but are all the lights off when you go to bed?

It seems to settle my cats better if they are left in almost darkness. I do leave one lamp on.

We live with the 6am 'let me out for the toilet' wake-up call.

Flying Frenzy (which isn't too tiring for you ) just before a later evening meal for them might be worth a try

mine get shut out of the bedroom if there is any malarkey

I don't mind cosying under covers, or the odd bit of eyepoking/facecleaning/toe pouncing, but much more and they are OUT

I do miss them though if they are not there, but it is usually just the boys who come up, girlcat prefers her own space

They've been shut out for a few weeks, until recently, because of the swallow nest in the corner of the window....that was very interesting to all three of them, but apparently only one cat at a time was allowed to spy on the nest, so we had some sort of queuing system mostly centred on my head.

My cats get shut in the kitchen at night as they can be a complete pita at about 5am!!

Is there no room in your house (the bathroom?) that you can shut them in? My cats are fine in the kitchen, they have beds, food, water and a litter tray.

Honestly I wouldn't feel right locking them into the bathroom as they're so used to having the run of the place. We're actually planning to move soon so might change things depending on the setup at the new place.

Thanks for all your suggestions. The flying frenzy looks good! I've found that forcing them outside in the afternoons also helps. Seems they're a bit too lazy in the daytime recently.

just shut them out of your bedroom. It doesn't harm them.

My current cat is allowed into my bedroom and this morning he bounded around at 5.30/6am (thanks cat) onto my bed and then miaowed. I just ignored him. His thinking is he should be fed or his cat door opened right NOW because it's lighter and nicer.

I know it won't harm them Super, but I don't want them scratching the door to pieces.

mine never scratched the door but then they were used to it. maybe do a trial run.

they should get used to it.

Cats are semi nocturnal so night time activity is to be expected. However, I agree with cosie and sparky, a cats natural behaviour is hunt, eat, sleep So a good hour of play with something like da bird (you need them lying down and heavy breathing, no longer interested) followed by a feed should assure a good night's sleep.

Ours love DCs rooms. One sleeps across DS bed, sometimes making it difficult for him to actually fit in the bed which when he 14 and 5'8 and she is small but just knows how to stretch out makes it funny. Then at silly o'clock he gets stomped on and miaowed at by our male cat in the hope that he will wake up, open the window and let him out. We have suggested he closes his door but he won't sleep without a cat or with his door closed! He is learning to throw him out and it means the cat is learning, the female cat just sleeps on throughout.

The male cat sleeps in the doorway to DDs room so it can't be closed or he sleeps wrapped around my feet until he needs to stomp. Recently though he is becoming a pest during the day going out, demanding to come in, eats and then straight back out again, before demanding to come back in an hour later etc.