Cat won't let us sleep - wants food

Help....my older cat (Elmo) won't let us sleep. Similiar to Simon07 post, however my cat is over 10 years old and not a kitten anymore. On some nights he is up nearly every 1-2 hours wanting food. He tears papers, knocks things off of the dresser, scratches the doors with his claws to make a screaching noise. I have tried putting in another room, but he usually is able to figure out how to open the door or make a lot of noise. I give him a little snack before bedtime and he comes to bed, but then is up in another 2 hours wanting food. Help....I need some sleep.

Have you had him checked by a vet? He could be developing a health problem like hyperthyroidism, diabetes, etc..

Hahaa welcome to my life! Mitties is on scheduled feeding so I don't keep food out all day. Come 2-3 a.m., she comes in our room and jumps on the nightstand and stares at my face, then runs out as soon as she sees my eyes open, knocking things over along the way. If I ignore her, she will continue to do this but with more intensity. Then she'll start yawling and whining, louder and louder. I used to get up and give her some food to shut her up, but that wasn't helping her obesity. Now when she comes in at 2 a.m., I get up and pick her up and carry her out to the heated mudroom, where I keep her until we get up. She has a nice bed, litter box, and water bowl out there so I don't have to hear her yawling and being a brat. It's the only way we can get some sleep! If you have a similar room I suggest doing that. Other than that.... you're not alone. Perhaps others have some better advice!

just the other day damian woke me up around 5am by standing on my head and digging one claw into my forehead because he wasn't to be let outside. he has many tricks and there is no stopping him.

One simple solution would be to leave dry food out for him. It seems like he's clearly indicating that he's hungry.

We make sure we feed our cats before we go to bed because if not they drive us crazy!! So, just make sure they have enough food in their bowls to last the night.