Please help me get some sleep back

[doitanyways]

That's the second night now of being woken up in the wee small hours by my cat crying outside.

She's always had to see me before she will come in, she won't just walk in. She cries outside my bedroom window which is at the side. The door is at the front. So at 3 am in January I am outside calling her name. Except then she runs and hides under my car and I am too cold and tired to argue so go back in, and then the miaowing starts again.

She's miaowing outside now.

Help, I'm exhausted

Would she chase a laser pointer into the house to stop her hiding under the car?

Or could you stop letting her out at night?

I don't, really, short of not letting her out at all which would upset her - she goes on when I come in from work and every now and again refuses to come back in!

I don't think she'd chase a laser point to be honest; she'd be frightened.

Bribery with a routine. The tail less wonder used to do something similar we now have a little routine where she comes with me when I go to bed, she then gets 4/6 dreamies. She then snuggles down in my bedroom and sleeps the night with me.

That might be helpful if I can ever get her back!

Mine are curfewed inside at night & I lock them in a room away from me if required to get sleep (luckily we have big house). Cats are safer indoors anyway.

I curfew mine too, at night I lock him in the utility room and put ear plugs in.

He has a bed and all his things down there.

Curfew here too. She gets a few dreamies when she comes in.

Is there a catflap then that she won't come in?

Could you tape it open for a couple of nights and use earplugs? Pretty sure you'd find her inside by morning......

Install Katzecure in your garden. She can go out and not get out the garden. You then simply bring her in at bedtime.

Mine is in every night too but he wasn't with his previous owner.. cue about three nights of him wailing to get out but then he accepted it and is now my furry hot water bottle... he doesn't even go out if I forget to close the cat flap and he's only been with us just over a year, so it becomes habit very quickly!

It is safer for them too - especially dark cats like my boy - and whilst you can't prevent bad things happening, this is a biggie which I wouldn't compromise on. Would help you get some sleep too (after the first few nights!!)