Page 2 | Does your cat wake you all night?

sheeplikessleep · 2021-09-03T19:57:50+00:00

Our two are just a year old. One cat is pretty good overnight, patrols the house, wakes us about 6/6.30 but generally quiet. The other one is constantly on our pillows miaowing or waking us up. All night. If we trap her in the living room overnight, she clambers at the door to get out like a mad thing. How do yours sleep? They are still fed 3 times a day and we lock their cat flap on their last feed at 7/8 as I’d prefer them to be in overnight. How can we all get some sleep and encourage the night owl to get about it’s business quietly through the night? Agh.

icedcoffees · 04/09/2021 08:26

However from a quick look through, there doesn’t seem much hope of a nights sleep

There is, you just need to learn to ignore them and be a bit stricter with it.

There's no way I would accept being woken up multiple times in the night because of a cat - these threads always really surprise me because lots of cat owners seem to be like "yeah it's normal you get used to it" it's only normal because you accept it and indulge it

Which is fine if you're a good sleeper who can roll over and go back to sleep but I'm a light sleeper who really struggles so there's just no way I could allow it.

The dog however, is allowed to sleep in the bed but he doesn't chase other dogs over my head at 3am or wake me up screaming for food

RandomMess · 04/09/2021 10:33

Honestly it will only take a couple of nights of shutting them away downstairs for them to adapt their routine and have a big long sleep overnight.

My old girl gets cross if we wake her up too early these days 🤣

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 04/09/2021 10:39

Her other speciality is lapping at my glass of water and sticking her paw in it. It’s very cute. She obviously has lots of water elsewhere but is making a point All of ours do this!

Toddlerteaplease · 04/09/2021 13:26

Yes. Cheddar wants a cuddle. She likes making biscuits on my face. It was fine when she would just curl up on the other pillow and sleep. But now her sister has taken to occupying her pillow she just doesn't settle.

Original poster

sheeplikessleep · 04/09/2021 13:58

@icedcoffees

However from a quick look through, there doesn’t seem much hope of a nights sleep

There is, you just need to learn to ignore them and be a bit stricter with it.

There's no way I would accept being woken up multiple times in the night because of a cat - these threads always really surprise me because lots of cat owners seem to be like "yeah it's normal you get used to it" it's only normal because you accept it and indulge it

Which is fine if you're a good sleeper who can roll over and go back to sleep but I'm a light sleeper who really struggles so there's just no way I could allow it.

The dog however, is allowed to sleep in the bed but he doesn't chase other dogs over my head at 3am or wake me up screaming for food

The noisy one has mostly slept in the living room since arriving here, we’ve only tried her a few nights and reverted to putting her back in.

The one who isn’t annoying is now sleeping in the house as she ‘behaves’. But it seems to have made the other one worse. Maybe we need to put them both in the living room again.

OP posts:

TroysMammy · 04/09/2021 14:04

Haribo has just gone 2 and sleeps in the spare room. He doesn't bother us at night but he gets up when my alarm goes off. I go straight to the toilet and he flings the door open, sits on the laundry box to watch me.

Once in the middle of the night he whispered meow to my partner, then it was a normal meow and because no response a massive MEOW in his ear. He doesn't disturb his Mammy at night

TeaSoakedDisasterMagnet · 04/09/2021 14:06

Have you tried prodding her awake during the day? Reset her body clock so she sleeps at night instead.

NotMyCat · 04/09/2021 15:07

Yep, he's banned from the bedroom
His favourite activity is to stare at himself in the mirror and cry. I call him emo cat...

Moonface123 · 04/09/2021 21:03

One of my cats is extremely vocal. I have a cat flap , so he can come and go whenever, but he doesn't settle at night very well. He walks around meowing very loudly all around the house every time he comes in. If l lock the cat flap he will just repeatedly meow nonstop all night long. He is seven years old now , very loving and affectionate, but you need a lot of patience. He has food, water, available, he is very needy and loves company. After giving him lots of fuss, he will eventually settle. It's abit like having a baby to be honest, l have probably spoilt him.

violetbunny · 05/09/2021 00:31

The one who is being disruptive, do you know what she actually wants? One of ours was like this (ours are also young and we keep them in at night). She would meow and meow and just generally be a pain in the ass.

Eventually I realised the issue was that she had nowhere "safe" to sleep overnight. She was happy if she could crawl inside a cupboard or box. Now she has her own little sleeping box and is much more settled.

Orangelady32 · 05/09/2021 02:35

I really don't understand why you are trapping them inside at night. Maybe some cats will sleep through the night but many like cats we've had want to be able to explore. Depending on how often the quiet cat has been out and knows how to get back, I'd make them having more freedom a priority.

Furries · 05/09/2021 02:37

My two were buggers when they were younger. Their zoomie antics were like they were doing the wall of death. I kept my bedroom door closed for around 6 months - they were too happy playing with each other to bother bugging at the door.

They soon settled as they got a bit older.

I’ve only got the one now. He trots up to bed with me, and settles down with his paws wrapped round my wrist. His purring sends me off to sleep. He then seems to take himself off elsewhere once I’m asleep - and he isn’t vocal in the night, so never wakes me.

Most of the time he’s polite and waits until my alarm goes off. But a few times a month, I get woken by him VERY gently stroking/patting my cheek with his paw. I love it when he does this! Though I imagine I’d change my mind if it was every day.

This thread certainly shows how different they all are.

Would something like a rubber treat dispenser work if you shut them downstairs? Something they can focus on/bat around and receive a reward but won’t make a racket when they’re playing with it?

violetbunny · 05/09/2021 03:19

@Orangelady32 Cats are more likely to get into fights when it's dark, at least that's what the vet told me. We have several cats near us who are quite aggressive in coming into our garden and picking fights with our cats.

I also worry about them trying to cross the road in the dark. I've noticed when driving home late on a couple of occasions that our neighbours' cats will cross our street and they're damn near invisible unless they're wearing some kind of reflective collar.

AlCalavicci · 05/09/2021 04:17

My 2.5 yr old still plays zoomies at lease 3 times a week , usually at about 3am , hence why I am awake at 4.15

SalsaLove · 05/09/2021 04:34

@violetbunny

The one who is being disruptive, do you know what she actually wants? One of ours was like this (ours are also young and we keep them in at night). She would meow and meow and just generally be a pain in the ass.

Eventually I realised the issue was that she had nowhere "safe" to sleep overnight. She was happy if she could crawl inside a cupboard or box. Now she has her own little sleeping box and is much more settled.

I agree with this! I’ve had a couple of cats get very vocal at night, and it turned out they were just looking for reassurance. Providing a safe space or responding to their meows can help settle them.

HerRoyalNotness · 05/09/2021 04:52

Some nights she sleeps upstairs, sometimes on my bed, sometimes locked in the laundry. That one results in her jumping up the door and eventually letting herself out. She wakes me up about 4.30-5am every day to go out. Grrrr. Pretty good overall, but killing me on the early starts

icedcoffees · 05/09/2021 08:38

@Orangelady32

I really don't understand why you are trapping them inside at night. Maybe some cats will sleep through the night but many like cats we've had want to be able to explore. Depending on how often the quiet cat has been out and knows how to get back, I'd make them having more freedom a priority.

Because in many areas it's not safe to have them outside at night - foxes, roads with no streetlights and an increased risk of them getting into fights too, especially as Toms like to roam at night.

It also depends on their colour - I have black cats and wouldn't let them out at night, you'd just never see them!

violetbunny · 05/09/2021 08:48

@SalsaLove That's interesting to know! I've never heard of anyone else's cat doing this. It makes sense though, cats would be quite vulnerable in the wild going to sleep.

Sparklingbrook · 05/09/2021 08:52

@Orangelady32

I really don't understand why you are trapping them inside at night. Maybe some cats will sleep through the night but many like cats we've had want to be able to explore. Depending on how often the quiet cat has been out and knows how to get back, I'd make them having more freedom a priority.

It's not 'trapping them inside at night', it's keeping them safe from harm at night outside. This is recommended by The Cats' Protection.

SortCode · 05/09/2021 08:55

Lock him in kitchen at night but he has a catflap because 3am would be jumping on our bed wanting to play tappung our faces uf we ignore him goes on for hours! Cute but not when u have work rge next day

LaurieSchafferIsAllBitterNow · 05/09/2021 09:05

idiotcat was banned from the bedroom for absolutely ages, as he'd do Cat Olympics, and he is hugely clumsy so jumping onto the dressing table always involves knocking off all the things, jumping into the window was a huge curtain shredding fest, and then the blackout blind was his nemesis as he still couldn't see out to spy on the birds so more scratching and shredding
If he gave up the windowsill then there was trimple trampling up and down the bed to see if anyone was awake to sympathise with his woes and miserable life. Also snorting in our ears and cleaning our faces with the extra rough tongue he has. Also raking being the chairs pretending to be digging as he KNOWS that's the thing that won't be ignored....that is infrequent as it earns an "OUT!" and having the door closed.

It took about a month for him to stop breaking into the bedroom....like with toddlers and return to bed, it was return to the landing and "OUT"

He's been allowed in recently and seems to have given up the Midnight Cat Sports, and is just attempting Bed Domination but I have put my foot down and he's only allowed to stay if he sleeps on the chaise at the foot of the bed and he is being pretty good.

His sister just sleeps nicely and her only foible is occasionally running about the house in the dead of night calling at the top of her voice, she's a complete control freak and likes to know where everyone is and will keep on until she sees us or gets a response....and her best boy (DS2) has recently left home so she is missing him, so we forgive her.

It's a shame as I really miss a cat in bed, my first cat would cosy in and purr up against me (or sit round my head) all night. He was a good boy.

Feenie · 05/09/2021 10:54

I really don't understand why you are trapping them inside at night

It’s the Cats Protection League’s advice. Like a previous poster’s cats, ours are jet black and impossible to see at night!

Feenie · 05/09/2021 10:55

It’s advice for cats full stop, not just black cats, to clarify.

RandomMess · 05/09/2021 11:05

Cats hunt more dusk and Dawn, get more run over at night and fight more at night it's more responsible to keep them in overnight which then means they go out more during the day day.

Even our indoor cats will trained that overnight was big sleep time.

amymorris01 · 05/09/2021 11:15

My cat goes out when he wants but he sleeps all day id like him to stay in at night but he loves to go out then. When he gets in he wakes me at 4 am for his breakfast but I always get up that early so no problem. If Im in the kitchen where his cat flap is he waits for me to open the back door for him to go in or out. Im his doorman but I dont mind cos I love him🐱