Kittens waking up early!

[CheeriosOrFrosties]

My two are 9 months now and since I got them at about 3 months I've been putting them in the lounge at night.

In the last month or so, one of them has decided to start jumping up at the door handle in a bit to escape at increasingly earlier and earlier times - today it was 3.45am!

I have tried to ignore it and hope that it will extinguish the behaviour, but I have 2 children and one of the kids' bedrooms is opposite the lounge, so he is also now getting woken up in the middle of the night by the cats, which doesn't seem at all fair on him.

They have a cat flap in the kitchen but they don't have access to this overnight, and I can't shut them in the kitchen as it's open plan and the stairs are accessible from there.

Any ideas as to what I can do?

I'm absolutely knackered after a month of this!

At the moment when they do it (they have never actually managed to open the door, just jump up repeatedly and make a terrible racket!) I let them out of the lounge, they go running downstairs and meow at the door to go out, so I let them out and then go back to bed myself, but interrupted sleep is crappy! Help!

They're babies and it's light outside. Only to be expected really (and one of the reasons I rescued an adult cat).

I know nothing about cats (I'm a dog person) but can you crate them like you could a puppy?

That's true (although at 3.45 it wasn't light!). So many exciting things to see outside I suppose.

So would you allow them to have access to the cat flap overnight?

I would not let cats especially young cats out overnight.

I would just open the door and let them go where they like in the house. Even an adult cat will make a racket about a shut door.

Mine woke up early for his breakfast for 16 years. Loud pitiful miaows and either a swipe of claws or a lovely nip to my face to wake up. Earliest was around 3am 😼

Oh dear...

I have had cats before and genuinely don't remember this happening. Maybe it's like childbirth, you block out the bad stuff!

I think I'll give this a go this weekend - kids are with their dad for the next 5 nights so if it's chaos at least they will only disturb me!

This is normal for cats I'm afraid, especially kittens.

I'd suggest leaving the lounge door open so they have more space, and maybe earplugs.

I’d just let them have the run of the house. Our cats have never been restricted to one room overnight, today we all woke up together with my alarm at 8am after a late night!

As a kid I loved our family cats sleeping on my bed.

I'd give them the run of the house. Mine have always had it.

I was advised to keep them in one room at first as they had come from a rescue, and I've just kind of kept going with that.

But it doesn't seem to be working now so will let them have the run of the house and see how they get on.

That usually for the first week!

I do let them into the rest of the house (and now outside) during the day! They just stay in the lounge overnight! Well, until now!

I think the only way to stop this is to let them have what they want

If they are waking you for food… a times automatic cat feeder is a godsend

If they are waking wanting to go into the rest of the house… let them have the run of the house

If they are wanting to go outside… personally I would let them have catflap access, especially as it’s early morning they are wanting out (when it’s getting light) rather than middle of the night

Cats are crepuscular hunters, i.e. twilight, so they'll naturally be most awake just before it gets light and as it goes dark. I find even my moggies want to get up and go out about then (which is a mare at this time of year as then I can't get back to sleep!). The kitten (11mo) is just <<<BOING>>>

Mine has run of the house except for toilets. He does occasionally wake me, normally for a bit of attention then he goes back to sleep. Other than that I have no idea what he gets up to. But I have found him in random places. This was the other night, I was looking for him for ages. He's never gone up there before 😂

Haha brilliant!

Well I have just given them their food at bedtime and come to bed myself. They don’t seem to have noticed that they are not shut in - they haven’t come up to find me yet!

Cats don't tend to like being in a room with the door shut. I think you're going to have to let them have access to the house overnight, close bedroom doors if they're annoying. If they're neutered you could let them go out at night, we do let our cat have access to the cat flap all the time but have a garden and live quite rurally

Both on the bed now looking very happy. Fingers crossed for some sleep (but not very hopeful!)

We live in the city with plenty of other cats and foxes around so not very keen to let them out at night, but will see how it goes with them having the run of the house for now.

Cats are mostly nocturnal so you'll get them sleeping most of the day and lively at night. They hunt at dusk/night /dawn

My current tiny bastard precious angel tends to start haring around the house between 4 and 5am and that's just what it is. But my previous cat would go to sleep in his basket at 11pm and wake up at 7am. So who knows? Sorry OP, cats are gonna cat.

One of mine likes to do the kneading thing on my arse through the duvet at 5am. Twat cat.

They're like babies and should grow out of it, also it's light very early at the moment x