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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

Exhausted cat owner... Send help!

46 replies

Tiredbykitkat · 05/03/2020 18:35

All help welcome!
We have a 7mth old kitten who as a family we adore. For background he is neutered and the only cat/pet in the household.
We have always shut him in the utility room over night. He has a large cat tree in there, basket, litter tray, food and plenty of toys. He seems happy enough to go in there and seems to sleep happily until.. 5am! When he miaows so loudly that everyone wakes up - even with all doors closed. One of us eventually goes down to get him out but by then we are already all awake. He's not hungry but wants to get out and see us. He comes running up to our bedroom, gives us each a nose kiss and then runs to do the same to the children eventually coming back to sit on me and purring very loudly. Now this is all very sweet and lovely, but we are all exhausted. We're not getting to sleep past 5am any morning.
We are hoping that when we get a cat flap installed in the utility room door it will help but honestly, how do others cope with early morning cat risers?
We've tried to give him free run of the house at night but it's the same story - at around 4.30-5 he'll come and wake us up (or if we keep our doors shut then he'll miaow on the landing). Any good ideas?

OP posts:
thecatneuterer · 05/03/2020 18:37

Get him a friend?

bellinisurge · 05/03/2020 18:41

Cats are crepuscular. Which means more active at dawn and dusk.
We shut ours out of our room because dh is mildly asthmatic and it's part of "the deal" as it were. He loves her btw. Otherwise she is free to roam. She's a bit noisy when we have gone to bed but usually settles down in DD's room. If it wasn't for dh's asthma she'd be allowed in our room too.
I just wonder whether locking in a room is the best thing.
Google Jackson Galaxy and have a root around his YouTube videos. He's a cat behaviourist and might have a tip that chimes.

bellinisurge · 05/03/2020 18:42

Or what @thecatneuterer said Smile

babychange12 · 05/03/2020 18:44

Our cat is the same too! Luckily he outgrew it when he was a bit older

HappyHammy · 05/03/2020 18:47

Yep this is what they do. Its relentless. Is the utility room dark. Put curtains or blinds up and see if you can fool kitty into sleeping for an extra hour. Can you post a picGrin

Original poster
Tiredbykitkat · 05/03/2020 19:09

Oh dear! I was worried that you would all say to get a friend. I was up for getting 2 kittens all along but my DH vetoed it for cost reasons. Now I'm worried that even if we get another cat our current one wouldn't stop early waking and there could be other issues added into the mix too.
I will look up that behaviourist, thank you. Encouraging to hear that at least one wee kitty grew out of it!!
I don't think it is a darkness issue because it's gone on all winter whilst it's been pitch black outside. I'm hoping the hour change might go in our favour!

OP posts:
MrsPresley · 05/03/2020 19:26

Go to bed earlier, so you get more sleep Grin

I have 2 cats, one sleeps with me and will sleep till about 6.30, the other likes to sleep in th sitting room but gets up around 4.45

To be honest, as I'm up at 5 it doesn't really bother me.

I think cats are like people, some like to be up earlier than others Smile

Kapsauss · 05/03/2020 19:46

Not a current cat owner, but your cat is my soulmate me thinks - I can not sleep any longer than 5am. I don't meow and neither would I get the whole house up and about, but I toss and turn and get myself annoyed as one point I'm hot, then I'm cold. God knows why. I'm just an early riser. To be fair - I go to bed super early: anything past 7pm is late for me. Sorry for not being any help, but as pp said: some cats and people are early risers. Flowers

bellinisurge · 05/03/2020 19:51

I think a pic would help us all to visualise. Or it would just be cute. Either works for me.Grin

Itwasntme1 · 05/03/2020 20:04

Sorry, mine is two and she still does it. I let her sleep upstairs I until the 5am wake up call, then I take her downstairs and close her in the kitchen. It’s a big open plan room with a sofa, her food, toys and litter try. She also has access to outside through her catflap.

Could you do it this way round, then he might only wake one of you who could quickly take him downstoars before the whole House is awake?

NewName54321 · 05/03/2020 20:20

Try feeding him his biggest meal late at night so he isn't waking up hungry by 5am.

nettie434 · 05/03/2020 20:20

Luckily he outgrew it when he was a bit older

My friends’ cat is the same. Not much consolation for you now but he definitely does get up later than he used to.

Undies1990 · 05/03/2020 20:23

Have you tried feeding him later in the evening before going to bed?
Have you tried keeping him active all evening so he's more tired?

It's a bit like having a baby/toddler isn't it?!

A picture of the kitten is a must. Pleeeease

DobbyTheHouseElk · 05/03/2020 20:26

We need to see a photo of the kitten, otherwise it’s hard to know what to advise.....

RandomMess · 05/03/2020 20:38

You just need to learn to ignore it and keep him awake in the evenings until you go to bed. They learn to adjust, ours are all bleary eyed if we get up earlier than usual 😂

Whathappenedtothelego · 05/03/2020 20:40

Cats do wake early. Ours has free run of the house. He comes in in the morning, with a couple of loud miaows, he is happy enough with a sleepy groan in response, and settles down on the bed.
He knows what time the alarm goes off, and is usually about 10 minutes before it, and makes a round of all the members of the household- including at the weekend, but he is fairly philosophical about us failing to get up, and just waits quietly on the end of the bed.
I don't really wake up even. As long as he gets some sort of noise in response to his miaow he'll be quiet again.
I'm sure yours will get used to the routine.

Fluffycloudland77 · 05/03/2020 20:50

You get used to it.

DobbyTheHouseElk · 05/03/2020 20:51

My cat gets ignored. It doesn’t work. He jumps on the bedside table. Throws my watch on the floor, then my glasses, then the alarm clock, then he starts on the lamp.....

Supersimkin2 · 05/03/2020 20:52

He needs to be in bed with you. No less noisy but easier to deal with and he will settle again about 6am.

RandomMess · 05/03/2020 20:54

We have 2 fire doors between me and the cats, their first choice even after decade would still be to sleep on my head Hmm

YesItsMeIDontCare · 05/03/2020 20:55

Could you get a timed feeder to open at 5am? By the time he's eaten and sat down for a thorough wash you could well be nearer 6am.

But yeah. You get used to it 😂.

Fluffycloudland77 · 05/03/2020 21:00

Is your garden cat proofed? If it’s not do you really want him out so early in the dark.

oohnicevase · 05/03/2020 21:00

One of my cats does this at 5 am . Is it completely dark in there ? If not get black out blinds and make it dark ASAP before it gets into a habit . Otherwise yes get a cat flap that opens at 5 am so he can go outside to play.

hettysdrawers · 05/03/2020 21:07

Yeah..this is your life now! I'd go to bed earlier so you can be more awake for him when he wants cuddles Grin

My two wake me sporadically through the night- one sleeps on my chest, the other on my legs. Or if they get too hot then they sleep either side of me. I woke up the other night freezing as they had all the duvet and I had to shoe horn myself sideways under the top bit of the cover or dare to disturb them

aWeaponCalledtheWord · 05/03/2020 21:40

mine is happy to wait for breakfast and always lets me sleep in. i love my cat.

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