Wake up call!

I have 2 cats, a 4 year old neutered male and a 2 and a half year old neutered female who is completely deaf (she is white), and they are both indoor cats. Misty, the deaf cat, has recently started whining in the middle of the night, but unfortunately she does not have a particularly cute meow and it's more of a yowl as if she's been left out in the cold and abandoned. I started using an automatic feeder which would open up around 4-5am with some dry food in it, which sometimes keeps her quiet. This doesn't always work, and this morning she started squawking at 3.30am which didn't go down very well! I managed to ignore her until 10 past 4 at which point I went downstairs to find that the automatic feeder was open and all the food had been eaten, so I guess she just thought that because she was awake, it was time for me to get up and join her.
I have never had this problem with my other cat and am worried about increasing the amount of food I make available to her, but this seems to be the only way to get through the night.
Does anybody have any ideas as to what I could try?
Thanks

She might be bored maybe try buying some new toys?

What about giving her a larger dinner and smaller breakfast?
The extra food at bedtime might help her sleep through the night.

I have the same problem! My Mitties has started getting me up around 2:30-3:00 a.m. and wanting her breakfast. Ideally, I would like to not feed her until 6 a.m. when we get up, that way she can last until her 5 p.m. feeding time instead of begging for her supper at 1:00 p.m.! My husband gets up early for work and needs all the sleep he can get, so I try to do whatever it takes to keep her quiet. I've tried squirt bottles (she'll just sit out of range, wait until I go back to sleep, and start whining again), chasing after her, "shushing" her, but nothing works. When she whines, I've started getting up and giving her about 2 tablespoons of dry food, to keep her satisfied and quiet until 6 a.m. when we get up. That seem to be working fairly well, but I hate the fact that she's getting what she wants and manipulating me. If it was just me I'd deal with it until I got up, but I don't want my husband getting irritated and hollering at her (don't worry, he'd never lay a hand on her!).

I have considered an automatic feeder as well but I'd rather not. She's overweight and we're trying to get it down, so I'd rather not feed more but she just won't shut up! Argh! She walks all over me!

Good luck with your situation and I know how you feel! I'll think of you when I'm getting up at 3:30 a.m. to feed the princess Mitties her 1st breakfast.

I'm glad I'm not the only one wide awake at 4am!!! George, 5 yrs old and only have had for 2 months (Humane Society) - has started waking me up earlier and earlier. He has food and water so I just think he wants company. I'm not a morning person so I'm not so happy about it I'd lock him out of my room but then he wouldn't have access to his litter box (it's in the Master Bathroom, and really the best place for it). Right now, as I type, he's sitting in the corner like a little kid being punished! I've been able to ignore really big dogs who wanted/needed to go outside (sometimes ignoring them isn't such a good idea!) - but this 12 lbs of fluff is very persistant (he's my first cat). I simpathize with all who are wide awake way to early in the morning and hope those who have successfully "cured" their cats of this behavior can share their stories (HELP!!).

One of mine, Taboulah, is so attention hungry at about 4 am every morning. She walks around my pillow (pulling on my hair), licks my eyelids and lips, and does this purr/meow sound I can't describe.
The only thing I've been able to do to get her to let me sleep is to lift the covers and let her curl up with me. I guess I can't complain, it's so damn CUTE!

This is one reason why I don't feed Oliver at "set" times... his kibble is always available, as he only eats it when he's hungry (doesn't gulp everything down at once)... he does get wet food, but I pretty much put it out when I feel like... sometimes in the morning, sometimes afternoon, sometimes night - that way he's not expecting it at a certain time.... most cats will be active around dawn naturally - it's instinctual huntin time Oliver is shut in my bedroom with me at night and 90% of the time he poos around 5am and then wants to be let out to race around the house.... sometimes I get up and open the door, other times I sleep through his pestering and he'll eventually settle back in with me...

I'd love to "free feed" (and she would too) but she is overweight and we're trying to get it down. First thing that had to go was the free feeding and treats. She gets 1/2 a can in the morning and 1/2 a can at night...... and of course the small handful of dry food around 3 a.m. to keep her quiet.

George has dry food out all the time - with treats in between. I've only had him 2 months (5 yrs old from the Humane Society). Have no idea what his previous life was like (only that he was an only pet) so I don't know if he's use to being awake "in the middle of the night" or what. Especially when he wakes me up cuz he doesn't want to be the only one awake He is my first cat so every day is a learning day. I just wish he would adjust to my schedule!! (I'm asking too much, aren't I??)

Much as I would love to leave food down all day, Misty is such a greedy girl that I know she'll just eat whatever is there, and leave none for my other cat. I'll give the bigger dinner and smaller breakfast a try, and see how I get on. I also have a squirty bottle by the door in case she starts at 3am again! Thanks for all your messages. x

Originally Posted by mistymoo

Much as I would love to leave food down all day, Misty is such a greedy girl that I know she'll just eat whatever is there, and leave none for my other cat. I'll give the bigger dinner and smaller breakfast a try, and see how I get on. I also have a squirty bottle by the door in case she starts at 3am again! Thanks for all your messages. x

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Squirty bottle... I've given up on it! It worked well at first but then she became wise to it, and now she'll sit just out of range and YOWL and then run and hide so I can't find her to squirt her. She wants her breakfast NOW and won't stop until I give in. I've learned to live with it!

Squirty bottles are not a good idea. If you get any in their ears they can get a serious infection.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

Squirty bottles are not a good idea. If you get any in their ears they can get a serious infection.

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Good to know, thanks! I haven't used mine in months because it doesn't do any good anyway.

I have had our cat and kitten 3 weeks now, and the last 2 nights Oreo has been yowling in the night. The first night I got up and saw her food was empty/water was way low, so I filled them up. Last night before we went to bed, I put them in my room, then filled up the food/water so if that was the problem the night before, it wouldn't happen again. Well, it did, and a LOT longer! I thought I was gonna go nuts! I take meds at night that make me sleepy (but not sleep medication) so it is hard for me to wake up sometimes. Well, I just COULDN'T wake up so I just laid there. I tell ya, it was like having a newborn in the house and having to listen to them "cry it out". But every time she started yowling, the "session" lasted shorter and shorter. So I guess my best thing WAS to let her "cry it out". I think she was missing her kittens that have been given away, and/or she was missing her previous family and she was calling to them.

BUT on the UP side- for the first time in 3 weeks she got her PUUUURRRRR back! She came up to me while I was sleeping and licked my face 3 times, and then later she came up and laid by my face and I pet her and she just purred all over the place! I am so happy she is finally accepting our family! Because she really was a wonderful cat at the previous owners house, and that's why I wanted to keep her!