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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

Cat waking me up early

41 replies

TeenMinusTests · 08/12/2021 15:36

We've had our 10yo DCat for about 4 months. She's an indoor cat, and delightful.
except
This morning she was meowing outside the bedroom door at 5am.
usually it is 6:30 which is just about manageable, but earlier than that isn't appreciated.

2 or 3 weeks back we tried leaving the door open, but all that did was encourage her to come in and demand breakfast.

Any bright ideas? We leave dry food out overnight - would leaving more help? (she's trying to lose weight). DH says shut her in the kitchen, but I think that's mean so won't, she goes to sleep on the sofa in the lounge overnight.

OP posts:
KittenCatcher · 08/12/2021 15:43

I wouldnt leave more food out if she is on a diet. What does she eat during the day. Can she have her evening meal a bit later. Dont lock her in the kitxhen. Can you just shut the bedroom door.

Original poster
TeenMinusTests · 08/12/2021 15:52

If it were just me, I'd just ignore. But she disturbs DD who has MH issues and desperately needs her sleep. This is with the bedroom doors shut already.

She came to us on 3 meals (half pouches with a few biscuits for crunch) a day, breakfast, lunch and evening, and biscuits overnight, so we have stuck to that.

Maybe we can use the Christmas holidays to slowly move the evening meal back.

OP posts:
KittenCatcher · 08/12/2021 15:58

Does.she have toys in the lounge to play with or something warm and snuggly that smells of you. Maybe she feels a bit lonely or bored and just wants to show you how much she loves you. Our dcat used to do this 4.30am every morning. As soon as she got everyone up and ate a few biscuits she went straight back to bed. Thats what they do.

Original poster
TeenMinusTests · 08/12/2021 16:02

She does have toys, and warm & snuggly things.
She does very much like company though so i can imagine it being loneliness.
Maybe I need to keep her more awake in the day?

OP posts:
CherryDocsInYrBalls · 08/12/2021 16:07

My cat sometimes wakes me up at ridiculous o'clock so I can watch him eat his biscuits. If he meows and I don't get up he pulls at my brand new carpet with his claws! The rest of the day he will just eat without an audience

ChristmasJumpers · 08/12/2021 16:12

We do lock ours downstairs at night as we were being woken up for cuddles at 3am and for breakfast from 5am onwards every day no matter what time we fed ours at night! We have 3 though so they keep each other company at night

icedcoffees · 08/12/2021 18:07

Shut her downstairs.

I've never allowed my cats upstairs overnight - they get shut downstairs with food, litter trays, water, beds and toys.It's never, ever been an issue and it's been like that since the oldest was 10 weeks old.

I've never, ever understood all these threads about cats waking their owners up at 3am. Why on earth would anyone put up with that? Confused

Fluffycloudland77 · 08/12/2021 18:34

I used to put the Bengal in the kitchen overnight. 4:30am was getting up time and he’d wake me up purring so loudly it was hard to be cross.

Not impossible but hard.

PinkAndPurpleClouds · 08/12/2021 18:42

@icedcoffees

Shut her downstairs.

I've never allowed my cats upstairs overnight - they get shut downstairs with food, litter trays, water, beds and toys.It's never, ever been an issue and it's been like that since the oldest was 10 weeks old.

I've never, ever understood all these threads about cats waking their owners up at 3am. Why on earth would anyone put up with that? Confused

This. ^ It's very simple. Lock/shut your cat downstairs/in the kitchen whatever.

Our 2 cats had this habit of jumping up on the bloody bedroom door handles and waking us at 5-6am, EVERY DAY, so we put a catflap in the kitchen door, and plenty of food and water in the bowls, and shut them in the kitchen. They never woke us early again.

Ten years later, they are still happy healthy cats, who are often outside getting some fresh air when we get up...

As that poster said ^ why the F does anyone put up with it? Confused It's like people who say their cat or dog makes their life a misery with their disruptive and appalling behaviour. Why is anyone tolerating this from a 'pet?'

Batshit. Animals deserve love and care and protection, but there's only so much shit people should put up with. Pets are supposed to add value and love and happiness to our lives, not stress, hard work, and sleep deprivation! Hmm

YuleHaveAWonderfulChristmas · 08/12/2021 18:51

We always shut the one year old cat in the dining room over night but the much older cat comes in and out as she likes over night. She wakes us up meowing for ages.

I've found no way for stopping her. I just stick my head under a pillow !

Mizydoscape · 08/12/2021 18:56

Lock downstairs or cat food timer bowl or combination of both

Theunamedcat · 08/12/2021 18:58

Diet biscuits

MWNA · 08/12/2021 18:59

Never, ever let animals in the bedroom overnight no matter what. They can miaow all they want. Except they don't, as the door isn't ever opening for them

It'll soon shut up if you be firm.

Santahatesbraisedcabbage · 08/12/2021 19:00

Well obviously rehome.
You are a rubbish dcat slave op!!
Grin
Bed in the kitchen.. She won't make the connection between cosy couch and noise =banishment to the kitchen.

Sleepinghyena · 08/12/2021 19:05

So much nasty judgement from people on their high horse on this post. Only their way is acceptable- everyone else is wrong....
Op, my cats sleep on my bed and never wake me up for breakfast. They soon learn it's not worth the mithering, I don't get up until after the alarm goes.

Dreamiedispenser · 08/12/2021 19:09

You can’t shut an indoor cat in one room! Fair enough if you have a cat flap in the kitchen and the cat can go outdoors and just have the kitchen to sleep in, but not an indoor cat. The poor thing will go stir crazy.

I have two furry overlords and always keep my bedroom door open. They usually wake me up at some point but they’re cute so I let them. I’m weak and I have no boundaries. 😁

Harpydragon · 08/12/2021 19:11

We can't sit or in the kitchen as we're open plan so he comes to bed with us. We also can't ignore him as he escalates if your do. He can open the bedroom door, everything on bedside tables is bluetacked down so he can't swipe it off, there is no bag in the bin or else it gets dragged out. In our case it is much better to let him out at 5am and go back to bed rather than battle ignoring him. Pick your fights!

SalsaLove · 08/12/2021 19:14

Go downstairs around 5, slip her a few biscuits, then go back to bed.

TheOriginalNutty · 08/12/2021 19:19

Mine did this and it got earlier and earlier.

She's now shut downstairs of a night and she's fine

A580Hojas · 08/12/2021 19:28

My cat was shut in the kitchen at night with his bed and cat flap. He usually ignored his bed and slept on the back door mat. No harm came to him and he lived to nearly 18 years old.

crimsonlake · 08/12/2021 19:41

If she is not already on the bed mine howls like a baby until I let her in the bedroom. I have to jump back in to bed quickly though before she attacks my feet.

icedcoffees · 08/12/2021 20:36

You can’t shut an indoor cat in one room! Fair enough if you have a cat flap in the kitchen and the cat can go outdoors and just have the kitchen to sleep in, but not an indoor cat. The poor thing will go stir crazy.

Of course you can - they won't explode if they're confined to one part of the house for eight hours, lol.

My indoor cats have the run of our open-plan kitchen/living room overnight. That's it. They're perfectly fine and don't go "stir crazy". They play, sleep, chase each other, eat and sleep some more.

They have the run of the house during the day but I'm not being woken up at 3am every night because a cat has jumped on my head, lol. They're cats, not small children - they can cope just fine on their own downstairs overnight.

PinkAndPurpleClouds · 08/12/2021 20:39

@Sleepinghyena

So much nasty judgement from people on their high horse on this post. Only their way is acceptable- everyone else is wrong.... Op, my cats sleep on my bed and never wake me up for breakfast. They soon learn it's not worth the mithering, I don't get up until after the alarm goes.
The only nasty post I can see on here is from you.
icedcoffees · 08/12/2021 20:48

@Sleepinghyena

So much nasty judgement from people on their high horse on this post. Only their way is acceptable- everyone else is wrong.... Op, my cats sleep on my bed and never wake me up for breakfast. They soon learn it's not worth the mithering, I don't get up until after the alarm goes.
What nasty judgement?

People have just said the solution is to shut your cats' downstairs at night. I mean, it's great that your cats let you sleep, but it's obviously not that common considering how many threads there are on here from cat owners who are woken up at 3/4/5am by their cats jumping on their heads and demanding food lol.

OlafLovesAnna · 08/12/2021 20:50

My cat babies get shut in one room at night - it's a fancy conservatory type thing with access to a catio (previous owners of the house had indoor Persians). I feed them when I get up at 7 and open the door for them to go out.

My DH is a completely soft touch and would let them sleep on the bed but I cannot bear being stood on at 5am no matter how much I love them.

They seem ok for being shut in at night, it's not as if they're out in the cold is it?

I'd be tempted to get your kitty a snuggly bed/blanket etc and shut her in the kitchen.