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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

Help me sleep soundly tonight without the cat walking me up!

28 replies

KatDubs261 · 01/04/2021 18:50

Recently moved to a new place and the cat has suddenly got into a new routine of waking me up at 6am. She marches over my hair on the pillow repeatedly, yowls on my face and stands on me. I have fallen asleep twice after dinner this week!

Today I am so exhausted I feel ready to cry.
What can I do? She scratches the door when I keep her out and does this even if I feed her before bed. Help Sad

OP posts:
Original poster
KatDubs261 · 01/04/2021 18:50

Waking me up even*

OP posts:
Toilenstripes · 01/04/2021 18:53

It sounds like she’s not settled in yet and is looking for comfort. I know it’s a but try to give her a few strokes, maybe keep a bag of Dreamies nearby to give her a few. Does she seem to want anything in particular?

GreenCat44 · 01/04/2021 20:56

Go to bed earlier 😉

Fluffycloudland77 · 01/04/2021 21:04

Yours lets you sleep till 6am 😲?

Original poster
KatDubs261 · 01/04/2021 21:09

Arg, I have just woken up after another 2 hour nap! 3 times this week.

I am a night owl as it is, so never get go sleep before 12am or 1am these days. That is a problem in itself.

@Fluffycloudland77 before this she always gets up with me shortly after 8am. Could it be the season change? I'm desperate to sleep through this weekend during the Easter break.

OP posts:
Namechangeforthis88 · 01/04/2021 21:11

One of those cat chill out plug ins and shut her in the kitchen. I put up with it for years before I did that and afterwards had no idea why I hadn't tried it sooner.

RandomMess · 01/04/2021 21:13

Shut her in the kitchen and use ear plugs.

I don't understand why people put up with their cats roaming around at night if it disturbs them.

Our cat asks to be put to bed 🤷🏽‍♀️

anotherexhaustedpigeon · 01/04/2021 21:14

Um, I get up to feed my cat either at 1am ish or around 4/5 and I consider this a major improvement. I slept on the floor the first 6 months because he was so annoying. Sorry not helpful! My partner swears by just ignoring them, hard for the first few days but then they get the message, but I'm clearly far too soft.

PandoraP · 01/04/2021 21:15

That’s a lie in for me. My cat usually jumps on me at 5 am. He sits on my head and hits me in the face and pulls my hair until I get up to feed himShock

SatsumasOrClementines · 01/04/2021 21:17

I don’t know if this will work for you but I’ve set a food timer for mine that buys me a bit more sleep. It has two parts so I split her breakfast into two portions and have one side set to release at 5am and the other at 7am. This seems to give her something to do and so if she does come and see me in the morning it’s just to settle down for a cuddle and a snooze rather than to pester me into getting me up to feed her.

overnightangel · 01/04/2021 21:18

I’ve always just kept mine shut downstairs when I go to bed. Dry food & water out, litter tray available, and plenty of places to be cosy and sleep for her, simple.

AKAanothername · 01/04/2021 21:50

We don't let our cat upstairs at night, the utility room is her room, cosy bed, microchip cat flap, water, litter tray, constant bowl of dry food and a sachet of wet food morning and evening. We usually go to bed about 10pm, we bribe her by shouting 'sweeties' and she gets a small handful of dreamies, then we shut the door and leave her to it.

Mincepiesallyearround · 01/04/2021 21:57

Our two are shut in the kitchen overnight also! I’ve had too many years of broken sleep due to children to allow cats in on the act.

Original poster
KatDubs261 · 02/04/2021 12:17

I slept for 8 hours! Well, I was woken up briefly but managed to get back to sleep.

And I did dig out ear plugs. I woke up some time later not to my alarm, but the sound of the cat zooming around the room and scratching the furniture. Who would have a cat...

OP posts:
sunflowersandbuttercups · 02/04/2021 13:57

I really don't get these threads. Just shut them downstairs overnight. Why on earth would you tolerate being woken up at 3/4/5/6am by a yowling animal on your face?

We have three cats. At night, they have the run of downstairs. They have access to comfy sofas, food, water, litter trays and toys.

PandoraP · 02/04/2021 20:28

@sunflowersandbuttercups, I have tried to shut mine downstairs but he bangs on the door so loudly that the house shakes and he doesn’t give up. We had 2 hours of banging one night. He is a big strong cat and he gets pissed off if he is locked away.

RandomMess · 02/04/2021 20:34

@PandoraP hence the ear plugs and ignoring until they learn the new routine. Lots of playing with them in the evening, food treat when you put them to bed etc.

They adapt and sleeping overnight becomes what they do once they are used to it.

Ideasplease322 · 02/04/2021 20:55

I cheat. Keep cat treats by the bed. When she wakes me I grow a stick across the room, she finds it, eats it then has a nap.

This happens every morning between 5am and 6am

sunflowersandbuttercups · 02/04/2021 21:16

[quote PandoraP]@sunflowersandbuttercups, I have tried to shut mine downstairs but he bangs on the door so loudly that the house shakes and he doesn’t give up. We had 2 hours of banging one night. He is a big strong cat and he gets pissed off if he is locked away.[/quote]
Make sure he has food, water and a litter tray, then put ear plugs in and ignore him. He's not going to bang on the door every night for the rest of his life. All mine have been shut downstairs from day one - they've never had a choice in the matter.

These threads where people allow their cats to free-roam and then complain the cat is jumping on their head at 3am never cease to baffle me!

The cat won't explode if he's left on his own overnight. He can be pissed off all he wants but ultimately your sleep is more important.

TokyoSushi · 02/04/2021 21:21

5:15am here, every day, I'm sure he can read the bloody clock!!

CodySchmody · 02/04/2021 22:03

We shut our cat downstairs at night as there is no way I'm being woken by her after years of sleepless nights with babies!

SantaMonicaPier · 02/04/2021 22:10

Mine has started this again and we've lived here for years. Sleeping on my head or scratching and yowling at the door. We've started to barricade the stairs which lead to our bedroom l

SaveWaterDrinkGin · 02/04/2021 22:13

I cannot deal with our cats free ranging round the house at night. They have always been shut in the utility (with beds, food, water, scratch mat and litter tray). In fact, they put themselves to bed most nights. It drives me insane when my husband goes to work early and lets them out.

RandomMess · 02/04/2021 22:18

@SaveWaterDrinkGin same here! Cat is currently sat on DHs lap in her "why have you not put me to bed yet" pose.

If we get up too early in the mornings she just sits on the sofa and glares at you for waking her up!!!

Her brother was more Chilled brainless about it all.

fluffi · 02/04/2021 22:35

@sunflowersandbuttercups

I really don't get these threads. Just shut them downstairs overnight. Why on earth would you tolerate being woken up at 3/4/5/6am by a yowling animal on your face?

We have three cats. At night, they have the run of downstairs. They have access to comfy sofas, food, water, litter trays and toys.

Not everyone has a downstairs if they live in a flat or a separate kitchen that is large enough to shut a cat in overnight ...

I recommend a timer feeder, I used to get up 5am for work so madam wanting her food at 4:30am wasn't a problem. However can't go to the gym and WFH so no commute, after several months of getting up at 4:30 and going back to bed I realised I wouldn't need to get up at 5am any time soon so purchased a timer feeding bowl.

Now she has her breakfast without me having to get up and usually snuggles up after Smile