I need help with my kitten

chelle

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 21, 2003
Messages
4,110
Purraise
1
Location
Brainerd Mn
Alley is almost 4 months old now and she will NOT let me sleep
at night,she's always playing with my hair and licking my face
Last night my daughter kept coming into our room saying that
Alley keeps bugging her too.
Why does she do this? this is the first cat we've had that does
this,and what can we do so we can get some sleep at night?
Oh and if we shut our doors,she sits there and meows until we
open it.

Signed one exausted family
 

hell603

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 9, 2001
Messages
4,560
Purraise
3
Location
Central New Jersey
One solution, is to wake up napping Kitty during the day time. Get the cat active. An interactive toy like Da Bird is a great way to burn off extra energy before bedtime.

Good Luck!!
 

cla517

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Nov 24, 2003
Messages
818
Purraise
1
Location
Pembroke Pines, Florida
Believe me, I know this is close to impossible, but shut your door and let her meow. Cats are very smart. She has learned that if she meows long enough, you'll open the door. THe only way to change that is to NOT open the door. Like I said, I know it is close to impossible, but it would work.
 

daisey's mum

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Sep 11, 2003
Messages
99
Purraise
1
Location
Michigan, USA
Oh my the memories I have just reading that lol...we first got Daisey at 9 weeks and for the first few months she was a right little rascal....as soon as the lights went off and we were in bed...it was play time for her...biting, pulling and scratching my hair....using us as trampolines, sit right beside my ear and lick and nibble on it while purring so loud the bed felt like it was vibrating or start cleaning herself..except she was so noisey about it lol.

We got very little sleep during those first few months...was literally like having a human newborn baby in the appartment. In the end my hubby insisted that during the day that I kept a close eye on her and when I seen her napping...I had to wake her up...my heart broke having to do this as I felt it was cruel...but it had to be done. I only had to do it for a few days...wake her and play with her. But thankfully it did work...come night time....she sound asleep beside mummy and daddy....well at least for 5 hours anyways!! lol

If you don't have the time to watch her during the day....then close your door....she will get the message....having to listen to her continously meow for a night or two...to just be able to break the bad habits will be worth it.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

chelle

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 21, 2003
Messages
4,110
Purraise
1
Location
Brainerd Mn
Awwww your kitten is SO cute

a couple of reasons we keep the door shut,it's very hot in
there if we have it shut we sweat ACK!
If we shut it our 3 year old cat Patches scratches on the
door and a person can't sleep through it because she doesen't
stop,she sleeps by my hubbys feet.
Alley bothers the kids too and they're door doesen't shut
all the way
my dot brought her into our room 3 times last
night cause she was bugging her.
You'd think that she'd want to snuggle with patches and go to
sleep but she doesen't.
she's a sweetie but she's not when im trying to get some sleep lol
I don't know what were going to do with her at night
 

luvreggae

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Nov 13, 2003
Messages
49
Purraise
1
Reggae tried this with me, and I used to get up and give her wet food to calm her down and make her leave me alone. But she started doing it every night. I began to realize she was meowing for the food, duh!!! So I stopped that, and didn't answer my bedroom door for her meows. It didn't take more than a few days but she finally stopped. She hasn't learned to calm down at night yet and although I'd like to have her in my bed, I'll settle for our naps together on the couch on weekend afternoons for now.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

chelle

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 21, 2003
Messages
4,110
Purraise
1
Location
Brainerd Mn
right now she's taking a nap,then when she gets up her and
patches play til bedtime,so she's up for a long time and
you'd think that she's be tired and ready to go to sleep
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #8

chelle

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 21, 2003
Messages
4,110
Purraise
1
Location
Brainerd Mn
I was thinking of getting a spray bottle to spray at
her when she's bugging me.
last night she was bugging my daughter,the little stinker
 

hissy

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 19, 2001
Messages
34,872
Purraise
76
Please don't use a spray bottle. Cats are nocturnal by nature and they will be up at night when their prey is about. Check and see what shampoo you are using and switch to a citrus smelling one. Add bitter apple to your hand lotion bottle , shake it well and apply it to your arms and face and neck right before you go to sleep. Invest in a snugglekittie for her to snuggle down and cuddle with, and instead of packing the tummy of the snugglekitty with the mechanical heart and heater, use a little bit of catnip wrapped up in cheesecloth instead. She sounds like she just wants comfort- and the snugglekittie will deliver that for her and give you some rest. If you don't have a cat condo in your bedroom, get one and put it in there- it is likely she will go there to sleep instead of on your head.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #10

chelle

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 21, 2003
Messages
4,110
Purraise
1
Location
Brainerd Mn
she doesen't bother my husband just me and my daughter for
some reason.neither one of us uses shampoo with citus in it.
last night she slept abouve me head on my pillow then later
that night she had gone into the kids room and my daughter
brought her into our room saying that Alley was licking her
face and playing with her hair and that when she moved her to
the end of the bed she comes right back and does the same thing.
This is new to me because i have never owned a cat that does this,
usually they would sleep by my feet and stay there the whole night.
would using a spay bottle be cruel? because if it is i don't want
to use it,i was just wondering because i've heard of ppl using them
on cats sometimes.
She's a sweetie pie and we all love her to pieces but we just
wanna be able to sleep at night


Edited to add that she's very loveable and LOVES to snuggle
like patches,she likes to cuddle with me on the couch at night
 

a_loveless_gem

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 13, 2002
Messages
1,759
Purraise
1
Location
Australia
If you do ever decide to use a spray bottle, the vital thing to remember is to NEVER spray it at your kitten or cat. The idea is to spray near them to distract them so that they're undesirable behaviour stops.

Try playing with Alley in the late afternoon or in the evening. Make it very active, letting her stalk and pounce on a toy. Play around the scratching post, (if you have one), so that she climbs and can scratch if she wants to. This is to tire her out and to burn off some of that kitten energy.

Keep Alley out of the bedroom while you sleep. I know that you said that she meows until you open the door. Don't open the door. Keep it closed. By opening the door, you've told her "You can meow and we will open the door for you and let you in." Buy some cheap ear plugs and pop them in your ears at night. That way you won't hear her meowing.

You can try making an area in your bedroom for the cats to play about and to sleep at. Alley may want to be in the same room as you. This can be a place to put her when she starts to lick your face or play with your hair.

Whatever you decide to do, keep doing it because she will learn that it is something that you don't want her to do despite how much fun it may be for her. Persevere and have patience, and in the end, Alley will let you sleep at night.
 

momofmany

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jul 15, 2003
Messages
16,249
Purraise
70
Location
There's no place like home
Your Alley could be my Little Oscar. He was dumped by my house when he was about 4-5 weeks old. Once out of quarantine, he quickly found my bed at night and he had an obsession for licking my face and snuggling into my hair. For some reason his favorite place to lick is my nostrils, which is the weirdest feeling to wake up to at 3AM.

First night I attempted to simply push him away and hold him lower on my chest. When that didn't work I covered my face with a sheet. After a couple nights of that, I put my hand between him and my face. Each time he does it, I redirect him to my chest, hold him there and give him full body scritches as a reward. It has been about 30 days now out of quarantine and he now only does it once in a while and usually the first redirect stops him for the night. He now sleeps either on my chest or in the crook of my arm.

I don't have it in me to lock the cats out of my bedroom. All of my cats are rescues in one sense or the other and I'm not going to take away something that I feel they deserve. Patience and persistant redirection has helped my situation.

Good luck!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13

chelle

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 21, 2003
Messages
4,110
Purraise
1
Location
Brainerd Mn
Originally posted by a_loveless_gem
If you do ever decide to use a spray bottle, the vital thing to remember is to NEVER spray it at your kitten or cat. The idea is to spray near them to distract them so that they're undesirable behaviour stops.
Thanks for the tip
 

a_loveless_gem

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 13, 2002
Messages
1,759
Purraise
1
Location
Australia
I have just thought of one point about the spray bottle chelle. If you happen to use it...where are you going to spray it? You could end with some rather wet bed linen.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #16

chelle

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 21, 2003
Messages
4,110
Purraise
1
Location
Brainerd Mn
UPDATE: Alley is doing better,she crawls into bed with my DH
and by the time i come to bed she's fast asleep,she hears
me come in and sleeps beside me and purrs but she hasen't
been playing with my hair or licking my face
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #17

chelle

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 21, 2003
Messages
4,110
Purraise
1
Location
Brainerd Mn
Just another update: Nala & Alley are getting along great! I am so happy.
Just one problem tho..Nala keeps my kids up at night by playing in their
rooms...any suggestions on what i can do?
 

indykitty

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 17, 2006
Messages
33
Purraise
0
Location
utah
if patches went missing put some food out for her or him. My old landlord had a cat that went missing for weeks and when he put a bowl of food out the cat came back within 48 hours.
 
Top