I need to sleep !!!

I have a beautiful 3 year old persian cat.

This is the 4th cat I had in my life, and he is showing me how much different a cat can be, and how unique their personalities are.

With all previous cats, I would close my bedroom door at night for sleep - and they accepted that. Not this one. This one is demanding. When I tried to do it, he would meow and scratch the door all night, he just didn't give up!

I finally gave up, and gave him full access to the bedroom at night. He might wake us sometimes during the night, but that's better than not to sleep at all.

My cat is an indoor cat.

Last week, we bought a leash to walk in the street. He loved the experience so much that he now wants to stay outside all the time!

As soon as I get home from work, he starts to meow next to door - begging to go outside.

So me and my wife organized this: When she gets home, she takes him for a walk outside. Right before we go to sleep I take him for another walk. (2 walks a day).

He is usually very playful, but lately he doesn't even want to play and ignores when we try to start: He just wants to go outside.

The problem is... he meows very loud, non-stop, all night!!!! He demands to go outside.

If we ignore, he, after a while, starts misbehaving and doing things he knows he shouldn't do. Like scratching my shoes. He knows he is forcing me to get up, and when I do, he hides or goes under the bed where I can't reach him.

After a while, he sits next to outside door and start the meowing cicle all over again.

It's so frustrating!!!!!!!

I had to take this morning off, to sleep a little longer. Just got to work and still am "zombified" by the lack of sleep that's during almost one week now. This is definitely causing a high impact in our lives and we have to do something. Just don't know what.

Getting this cat was my idea, and my wife is losing the patience to the point she says I should do his will and just open the door for him.

He lived all his life as an indoor cat, and we live right next to a busy road. Letting him go outside on his own would be a death sentence.

We love him... it's just... he's misbehaving so bad (and he knows, that's why he runs) trying to force us to doing something that's not good for him. That's what he does, but that cycle needs to be broken.

Thanks

Jaime

(and sorry for the english)

Oh, and before you ask: He's neutered (by the age of 6 months).

He is very curious and I think he just loves all the new thinks he finds outside, in the street: people walking, cars, lights, ...

I'm wondering if building an outdoor enclosure would help- something big enough where he can move around and enjoy the outdoors a bit

Draco said:

I'm wondering if building an outdoor enclosure would help- something big enough where he can move around and enjoy the outdoors a bit

Click to expand...

We live in an apartment, can't do that.

We are in the 2nd floor and have balcony. I already thought in leaving it open, but am afraid he might jump.

Hi JaVo2004,

Ah your cat is trying to train you! 

We had this problem for a little while, but we solved it by filling a spray/squirt bottle with water and jetting him with it every time he started doing something he shouldn't.  At the same time when the water hit him, we would call out loudly "NO" in a very firm voice.  Do this a few times & you will only have to say NO & he'll stop what he's doing.

Agreed, outside your apartment wouldn't be safe so you have no alternative than to train him.

Our fellow now only wakes us if he's not got access to his toilet, if there's a stray cat outside, or he's cold & starts running around. 

Your cat is still young, but you must have been struggling with this for quite a while - I feel for you. 

The water won't hurt him at all, but should shock him enough to make him do what he should - after all, everybody has to get on together.

It is funny, our Banjo still tries to retrain us, even after 8 years together.  A loud NO soon sorts him & he learned after only a few squirts.  He's not allowed outside until 5am & must stay inside 1/2hour before dark (in Australia) as we have lots of ground dwelling animals & birds.  He now chooses to sleep most of the day inside, but we did have to be firm & work together on him.   He's a lovely fellow & yours will be too, once he learns the rules that his Dad mustn't be disturbed at night when sleeping.

Good luck....

There are cat nets being sold that you can put on your balcony and you won't have to worry about the cat jumping

I'm tired of saying loud "NO"s, that make him stop for just a while. I feel that he LOVES this run&catch games that always begin with him being naughty. In the end, his misbehaving gets rewarded because he gets our attention - it even results when we are sleeping and he is more more energetic (at night).

What "scares" him the most is when I run after him making noise with a newspaper. I had to do it several times per night, this week. It makes him quiet for like 1 hour or 2. Even though, this stresses me out and it takes a while to relax and fall asleep again.

I'm thinking on locking him just for this night, and sleep with earplugs to try not to hear his loud meows and door scratching.

As I said, I always had cats but this is something i'd never experienced..

I recently cat proofed my second floor balcony. The door is off the bedroom. On warm days, she can stay out all she wants. However, she is ill and does not have the body fat to go out in the cool or the cold. She howls all night long and into the morning. I too am a zombie. Grabbing dirty socks off the floor with one hand and throwing them in her general direction worked for around 2 hours. I have no answers. I can only do what a cat would do. Ignore, and pretend to stay asleep.

BanjosMum said:

 
Hi JaVo2004,

Ah your cat is trying to train you! 

We had this problem for a little while, but we solved it by filling a spray/squirt bottle with water and jetting him with it every time he started doing something he shouldn't.  At the same time when the water hit him, we would call out loudly "NO" in a very firm voice.  Do this a few times & you will only have to say NO & he'll stop what he's doing.

Agreed, outside your apartment wouldn't be safe so you have no alternative than to train him.

Our fellow now only wakes us if he's not got access to his toilet, if there's a stray cat outside, or he's cold & starts running around. 

Your cat is still young, but you must have been struggling with this for quite a while - I feel for you. 

The water won't hurt him at all, but should shock him enough to make him do what he should - after all, everybody has to get on together.

It is funny, our Banjo still tries to retrain us, even after 8 years together.  A loud NO soon sorts him & he learned after only a few squirts.  He's not allowed outside until 5am & must stay inside 1/2hour before dark (in Australia) as we have lots of ground dwelling animals & birds.  He now chooses to sleep most of the day inside, but we did have to be firm & work together on him.   He's a lovely fellow & yours will be too, once he learns the rules that his Dad mustn't be disturbed at night when sleeping.

Good luck....

Click to expand...

Banjosmum is correct.

He is doing the good old cat trick of trying to train you. You need to train him - not vice versa. If the water bottle does not help, buy a whistle or some other object that makes a high pitched, obnoxious sound. I know it sounds cruel, but it will not hurt him. When he begins to meow and put up a fuss, blow the whistle and say, "NO." with a firm, moderately loud voice. Do not shout or scream, of course. The whistle does not hurt - but the sound is unpleasant. Cats have extremely sensitive ears and an aggravating sound will help to deter him from starting the racket that makes the annoying sound come again. 

Also - spend time over the weekend or on your days off setting up and playing out the scenarios in which you try to go to bed and he begins his racket. Pretend you are going to bed and wait for him to approach your door and begin his meow fest. Then proceed with issuing the annoying noise and the "NO". Do NOT get up and open your bedroom door. This will only encourage him. The act of setting up a fake scenario will give you time to focus on training him when you are not actually, in fact, trying to sleep. 

I won't be of much help here, but try to look at it from the cat's point of view...

You took him outside and showed him a whole new, exciting, large world. Of course, he wants to go explore and also at night when he's awake. I bought a cat leash and harness for my new cat and was intending to take her out to the park after she settled in, but I read about this kind of scenario so I have decided against it. I'm going to keep my cat an indoor only cat since she's happy inside so far.

Please do not just open the door like your wife is suggesting. It would probably be a death sentence as you stated and your cat doesn't deserve that.

Cats are all different. My favorite cat at my sister's house would sit and cry outside my bedroom door until I finally decided to allow her in one night. Sometimes I wouldn't hear it and she'd cry and cry until I woke up and let her in, then would have to wake up and let her out of my bedroom. My sister and her husband would just ignore her crying all night and also another cat's yowling in the middle of the night.

I'd recommend just learning to get used to wearing earplugs at night until your cat eventually might stop crying to be let in to the bedroom. Although, it might be best to continue letting him into the bedroom at night but wear earplugs so you can't hear him crying to be let outside so much...

I wonder about your neighbors...

I do feel sorry for you with the lack of sleep. Sorry if I sounded inconsiderate in my previous post. I'd be very unhappy with little or no sleep.

I actually read online one person's solution to their cat always wanting to go outside. He let the cat out finally when it was pouring rain and the cat quickly decided to go back inside. Then, he did this again and the cat stopped asking to go outside. That may not be very helpful though...

If taken outside daily, your cat does need to learn that it will only happen for a certain time of the day and that's it. I agree with @cocheezie, ignore your cat crying to be let outside at night. Eventually, he should hopefully just give up...but just pretend to be asleep. He's winning by even getting you up out of bed and this is just helping to fuel his crying every night. I hope someone with the same experience can help.

Thank you all.

No improvements. Last night, as usual:

- My cat starts to meow next to the door (it awakes me and I think "here we go again...")

- Then, he comes into the bedroom to meow next to us, to make sure we don't sleep. We ignore.

- Finally, he gets super-naughty and scratch (shoes, wife's purse, clothes - anything "forbidden" he finds). I shout "STOP", he continues. I get up and, as soon as I do, he runs under the bed, where I can't reach him.

I return to bed, frustrated.

After a while this repeats all over again.

In the morning, when the alarm rings, he climbs the bed, comes next to me wanting me to cuddle him (as usual) as if nothing happened...

I will try to place some cat nets in the balcony. Really liked that suggestion.

Also, got to find a way of stopping his escape route (under the bed).

maybe he needs a playmate to distract him???

Hey...maybe this is worth a try??
I copied one of the reviews for it as well...
http://www.amazon.com/Pet-Agree-Ult...s/B0009YUDVI/ref=dpx_acr_txt?showViewpoints=1

I wish I bought this 5 years ago. My cat has been waking me up every morning at 5 am wailing away. Two weeks ago I finally was done with him and considered putting him up for adoption. My wife saw the ultrasonic trainer and decided to give it a try. We were both skeptical and even tried to cancel the order but it was too late. We got the trainer and it only took three days. At 5 am the cat started meowing and I clicked the trainer. He tried again and I clicked again. And that was it. Normally the wailing would go on for 20 minutes. Next day same thing. And next day ...total silence. It has been a week and our cat hasn't meowed once at 5 am. Finally after 5 years I can sleep in. Amazing product. It saved my cat

Ours howls at least once during the night. All tile makes one heck of an echo through the house!! She always has done it but usually only a couple minutes..then she scampers up the steps to bed. The past 3 weeks since we lost her "sister", she has howled up to an hour or two off and on! At first I would go to her and love on her as I figured she was/is grieving...but now she is acting normal during the day...so I think she's liking the attention at night, so I have been ignoring her. Last night she gave 2 little howls, then quit. If she continues this, I may try something like that Amazon product.. especially if it's just a habit she's gotten into, rather than grieving.

Something you might try is putting your cat in his carry case when he is making noise and you need to sleep. I do this with my cat Buddy when we go through the episodes when he smells a female. About 2 times in 3 this works. He complains for a while, then he falls asleep.

KendraB, the problem is that when I get up from bed, he immediately runs to under the bed, where I can't reach him.

Friday night, before sleep, I surrounded the bed with empty boxes, covering every little space he might sneak in. During the night he started to meow as usual, I got up, he tried to go under the bed, but there was something in his way, he was confused and I caught him! Shouted "NO" and went back to sleep.

He didn't make noise again that night, and things are improving now - He still meows like 1 or 2 times but then gets quiet, so I don't need to get up. Still, I am planning to protect the balcony with a net and open it for him.

Thank you all!