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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

41 replies

catcatissues · 12/05/2025 04:38

Or more accurately not letting me sleep! Yesterday he woke me at 3am, 5am and 6am. Today I’m awake again
I have health issues which cause fatigue and can’t keep doing this and I have no clue what to do
he has dry food down and a timed feeder with wet food. I can’t shut him in another room as open plan one level - he will also dig at the door, destroy carpet and still wake me up
tonight he’s woken me up by pushing a door until it slammed, chewing a book and then scratching at the slammed door Confused

any ideas? Not proud but I have just yelled at him to STFU and he’s now sulking but at least it’s quiet…. Maybe it’s the heat?
he is generally a lovely cat but seems to go through phases of this and other times snores on my bed all night

OP posts:
DustyLee123 · 12/05/2025 06:36

Can he get outside ?

GoodVibesHere · 12/05/2025 06:52

Is he lazing about all day in the sun, and then getting active at night? Have you tried getting him to play during the daytime to and before bed to wear him out a little.

MaximusPaddimous · 12/05/2025 06:54

Welcome to cat life! This is what they do.

faerietales · 12/05/2025 06:55

Is he allowed outside? Cats are crepuscular so it’s totally normal for them to be most active at dawn and dusk.

Original poster
catcatissues · 12/05/2025 09:06

He doesn’t want to go out - he can (I prefer him not out at night as he’s a black cat)
he will usually only go outside with me

OP posts:
faerietales · 12/05/2025 09:34

Does he have toys and interactive stuff to play with?

Original poster
catcatissues · 12/05/2025 09:38

faerietales · 12/05/2025 09:34

Does he have toys and interactive stuff to play with?

Yes, loads and loads of toys and I use puzzle feeders too
he’s generally quite chilled and happy to bird watch out the window etc but he seems to go through phases for a week or so of this and then the rest of the time sleeps like a log on my bed!

OP posts:
faerietales · 12/05/2025 10:20

I think it’s just their nature unfortunately! I personally shut mine downstairs and use earplugs.

Original poster
catcatissues · 12/05/2025 10:31

faerietales · 12/05/2025 10:20

I think it’s just their nature unfortunately! I personally shut mine downstairs and use earplugs.

I can shut him in the living room but he will ruin the carpet Sad as he digs it up from under the metal strip
I guess I just put up with it, so tired it’s frustrating

OP posts:
iamnotalemon · 12/05/2025 10:38

OMG my cat does this and I live in a studio so nowhere to shut her out of the bedroom. She knows exactly what she’s doing to try and wake me up.

Original poster
catcatissues · 12/05/2025 10:42

He did slink back in the bedroom last night looking guilty after I shouted, got on the bed and slept the rest of the night!

OP posts:
Ted27 · 12/05/2025 10:43

Puzzled as to why he can't go out because he's a black cat.
I've got a black tom and he's always gone out.
He's getting on a bit now and prefers swatting me with his paws in the middle of the night but in his younger years he would come home in the morning looking like he'd been at a rave.

CustardCream31 · 12/05/2025 10:46

Get some anti scratch cat spray on Amazon. Natural ingredients that cats hate the smell of. Then spray it on the carpet where he usually scratches to get at the closed door. May work! Did with ours as we suffered the same 😼 he learnt after a few nights and not liking the smell of the spray. We don’t have to spray anymore. https://amzn.eu/d/9eHmRJg
He does now go out during the day though, so not sure if that makes a difference making him sleep more at night and less bothered about annoying us!!

Original poster
catcatissues · 12/05/2025 11:00

Ted27 · 12/05/2025 10:43

Puzzled as to why he can't go out because he's a black cat.
I've got a black tom and he's always gone out.
He's getting on a bit now and prefers swatting me with his paws in the middle of the night but in his younger years he would come home in the morning looking like he'd been at a rave.

I don’t want him out at night, and being black he’s harder to see. But he’s more chance of being harmed or hit by a car at night
he doesn’t want to go out anyway but I’ve never let any of my cats out when it’s dark

OP posts:
Puzzledandpissedoff · 12/05/2025 11:16

If it helps, I also shut my two in before it gets dark, but let them out about 3am when I nip to the loo

Unless you live on a main road this means they get a good run while there's absolutely nobody about and are zonked again before the cars leaving for work start

Original poster
catcatissues · 12/05/2025 11:18

Puzzledandpissedoff · 12/05/2025 11:16

If it helps, I also shut my two in before it gets dark, but let them out about 3am when I nip to the loo

Unless you live on a main road this means they get a good run while there's absolutely nobody about and are zonked again before the cars leaving for work start

He doesn’t want to go out at all

I can leave the door and window open all day and night and he won’t budge unless I am outside
if I go in the garden he will sit with me but he has no interest in going out on his own, he does like sitting on the windowsill with his head out but that’s it

OP posts:
TomatoSandwiches · 12/05/2025 11:22

This is what cats do, they can't help it, get some good ear plugs, make sure you do some long play with him before bed.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 12/05/2025 11:26

He doesn’t want to go out at all
I can leave the door and window open all day and night and he won’t budge unless I am outside

Ah yes, I see what you mean @catcatissues
You can hardly go and sit in the garden at 3am, so scrap that idea

lunaswand · 12/05/2025 11:30

I had a kitten like this who was an absolute pain until she started going out. We used to very actively play with her with one of those wand toys for a good hour before bed which helped.

TracyCruz · 12/05/2025 11:35

We have a bowl of dry food outside our bedroom door. Upstairs food tastes much nicer than downstairs food, especially at 3am. And our cat is so stupid that 96% of the time once he's eaten he's forgotten that he came upstairs to irritate me and just wanders off.

Toddlerteaplease · 12/05/2025 11:50

I had one like this. She had no concept of personal space, and would wake me up for a cuddle. Or make biscuits on my face. She was such a darling that I put up with it. Now she’s no longer here, I miss it terribly. My current cat is pretty good and sleeps by my feet. But she likes to jump on me as I’m dozing off.

Toddlerteaplease · 12/05/2025 11:50

its tricky if they don’t actually want anything other than fuss.

Picklechicken · 12/05/2025 11:58

It won’t solve everything but could you get some door wedges (Amazon) to stop the doors being slammed shut?

Sodthesystem · 12/05/2025 11:59

Just a thought but, I heard it said that cats worry for us when we sleep the whole night because it's such a long lump of time and we don't seem able to protect ourselves during it. He perhaps also picks up on your health issues so, worries for you.

Perhaps you could give animal reiki a go. It helps to relax them. There are books on the subject.

If you can find a decent pet psychic maybe they can have a word with the little guy too. See if there's something more going on.

A vet checkup wouldn't harm either incase he's got some sort of pain.

Sodthesystem · 12/05/2025 12:03

Or use the same technique for kids, tire him out before bedtime.

Could the food timer at night be waking him?

I'd be inclined to play with the cat toys with him until he's knackered himself and then feed him once. Then leave feeding until morning.