Cat giving me little bites to wake up

[PotassiumPermanganate]

Every morning at around 4.30 - 5am. He's lovely, and I will get up and take him downstairs to open the door and let him out, but then more often than not I can't get back to sleep. I'm knackered. But the main point is, is the biting just his way of communicating that he wants to go out? I find it all very interesting how they tell you stuff, as a fairly new cat owner.

😂😂😂

Mine boy has regressed since we've been back from holiday and has started waking us up again from around 4am, pawing at me and jumping on the bed. I've had to shut him out of the bedroom a few times and then go down at around 6.30am to feed him and let him out (getting a cat flap on our glass doors is going to be pricey and a faff).

He is a lovely gorgeous boy though, so we're tolerating it for now in the hope that he will go back to just waking us up at around 7ish, which is the routine we got him in before the summer.

I have a biter! 100% communication. Pain in the arse but I love her, the perfect little demon

That is both very cute and quite dark at the same time @Ihatelittlefriendsusan checking to see if we're still alive!!! 😅
Sometimes he sleeps in the gap between my legs, sometimes downstairs on his perch thingy, quite often on the top stair, but always wants me when he wakes up. I do have the bedroom door closed but he just scratches constantly until I let him in. He also knows it's early and that everyone has to be quiet, and does a tiny squeak rather than a full meoow 😍

The trouble is, now that I anticipate it happening, I feel like I don't sleep very deeply and if I'm up with him at 5 then I know it's only an hour and a half til I have to get up for work 😣

My mother had a cat that one time threatened to knock her ornaments to the floor if she didn't get up

Cat communication is so nuanced. Just when you think you've picked it up, another one comes into your life and you have to start over. Our first master taught us how to speak cat. In a dialogue he'd be having a strop and miaow at us. We'd say 'that's enough Sammy'. His next miaow would be quieter, Rinse and repeat until, the final miaow would be a silent lip curl.
Brilliant cat and the bench mark by which we judge others

My gorgeous Bluebell RIP started with teeny bites and licks and would progress to full on bites if I didn't get up the sod haha.
Then she would stick her paw in my mouth.
I still miss her.

Oh they’re not bites, they’re nibbles. 😻 I got nibbled at the vet the other day when the thermometer made a rude appearance.

When I was a kid we used to have a cat and no cat flap. Our characterful cat used to ask to go out nicely. If that request wasn't answered, he would go into the sooty fireplace and then jump on the white sofas. He then knew he just needed to threaten this to get his desired result.

I then had a cat who use to paw my face, gently at first and then with claws to wake me up for fuss. Very cute.

I now have a batch of four crazies, one tortie who wakes us up by leaping around. We have an automatic catflap but two mornings this week it hasn't opened early enough for her and she has gone crazy knocking off houseplants.

One of our boys didn't meow for years. He then worked it out and meows at us for all sorts now, to be fed, for treats, for attention, to go out, if he's brought us a present, to be towelled off when he's wet (yes, seriously) or generally to express discontent (often). All very specific meows with clear meaning.

They definitely communicate and have lots of facial expressions and behaviours that tell us how they are feeling.

My cat wakes me daily at 4am. If I shut the door, she just scratches at it and has scratched up and shredded all the carpet by the door. If I leave it open, in she comes to wake me. I’ve just got used to it since there doesn’t seem to be a solution.

Seriously keep them shut away downstairs, they soon learn & accept the new routine and have a big sleep overnight.

litter tray, food, water and shut the door. You may have 2/3 weeks of protest and then they just crack on.

If you have a cat that learns to open doors put the door handle on upside down.

@BlotAnExpertour old boy did the same, went out in the rain, came in and asked to be towel dried (which he loved) and then would go straight back out in the rain.

My cat wakes me up with little bites (not aggressive and very gentle) and sometimes he taps my nose with his paw. I admit though he doesn't do it at 5am but we do have a cat flap. Easier said than done, but do try to make the cat flap your priority. Everyone will be happier then!

It is cute but I’m the same OP. Once awake at silly o clock I can’t get back to sleep! We’ve got a basic automatic feeder which we set before bed so breakfast is served about 5am. He has a cat flap too. Once he’s eaten he’ll come in for a snuggle, but no nibbles or miaows anymore!!

My cat does this too 😊 very specific "I'm wet, dry me' miaow

My old cat used tap my ankles with his paw when he wanted out. If I was bare legged he'd lick them.

One of mine now licks my feet to say he wants something. The other one just meows at me loudly, if staring doesn't do the job.

Can you not just block the bedroom door shut? If you stop responding at 5am he will get bored asking and probably go to sleep.