Bedtime Routine and feeding times advice plz ....

Tink84

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Not sure if this is the right place to post this im just really confused an possibly wont get a reply in tonight and i have posted something similar b4 but still feel just as confused ao please help...here goes......ok so we usually feed Garfield at abt 6 but keep a little of that portion of food (his last portion from daily allowance on kibble) for when we go to bed as i hate to sound cruel but we dont want him in our bedroom because he just dives up the blinds an on our feet when hes not sleeping an thats around our bedtime then abt 3am so we keep him out our room till morning but my hubby does late shift ie 1.30am home abt once or twice a week starting tonight.....how do i do bedtime as i will be going to bed well b4 hubby is in and ready for bed....should i let Garfield in the room with me or lock him out which i think if i do that hel cry at the door until I let him in anyway....yes he is very persistent!! dhould i feed him usual tim? Or is that going to be an odeal for hubby. All advice welcome and appreciated xx
 
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Kieka

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It sounds like you use the final food portion to get him out of your room so you can close the door? Just to make sure I am reading that right.

My evening routine: 

Sunset feed the fluffs. 

Everyone gets locked inside for curfew. 

Sit down for an evening show, have a wand toy or laser toy in hand and play with whoever wants to play. 

Usually chasing, pouncing, playing ensues while I watch my show. 

Towards the end of the show kitties are getting tired. 

Show ends, I brush teeth, etc. Kitties get their last bites of dry food, drinks or water and blink at me sleeply. 

I lay down and within 15 minutes of the house quieting down everyone is out. 

Around 3-4am (or later, usually 30 minute before sunrise) I get worken up by cats needing to go out to potty. 

I fall back asleep and when I get up for work around 5am everyone wants back in for breakfast and play time before I leave for work. 

The key to a good routine is making it a routine and remembering that cats are most active at sunrise and sunset. Which means if you want to go to bed at full dark you have to get their energy out. Hence, me playing with them for an hour or so in the evening before bed. By the time I am ready to sleep mine are tired too. When they were younger I did more active playing before bed, walking around the house with toys and getting them to panting level play. But they are older and settled in the routine now. If I miss any step in the routine it all falls apart so its important that I am home by sunset and if I am late I still have to stay up and play. 

In the mornings its just one of those things that cats want to be up early. I've gotten Rocket to the point where she knocks on my closet door and if that doesn't wake me up she sits on the window ledge and waits for me to get up. Link will meow and if I don't get up will go off to do other things and try again in a little later. If either needs to urgently get out they jump on my chest. 

You can also take the route of just not allowing him in your room at all. Whatever you do he will adapt. The only reason he meows incessantly now is because it works to get results. If you can stand a few sleepless nights ignoring them he will learn he can't go in. 
 
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Primula

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And people wonder why their new cats are so confused by a new routine. Our new thing is that Looby Loo will come every night at 10 p.m. for her "brushie".
 
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Tink84

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Thank you for your replies. I dont mind being patient and loosing sleep to correct it but my hubby doesn't have much patience when it comes to crying in tbe early hours as hes paranoid our neighbours will be able to gear it and will knock an complain (the walls are paper thin) so thats most of the problem. I knew we would have an issue because it was change. Last night worked out like this.... kitty slept 4hrs from 7 till 11pm i left the lights an tv on and went up but in came hubby home earlier than expected, he worked on his laptop till 1am then give Garfield a lil fuss then fed him an he came to bed...up trotted Garfield (our bedroom door well shut) and he cried outside the door for 15 mins then went away but brought a toy up and was chasing ut and bashing against the doors (tiny landing) then hubby went loo, car ran down thinking he was getting up... cat cane back up an played again for 20 mins then stopped an meowed for another 20 by which point I was shattered it was 2am an im up at 5.30am and hubby hadnt slept yet an was paranoid about tge neighbours so in desperation he let Garfield in the room. Garfield attempted to play hubby told him off so he cane an layed beside me where he stayed until i got up at 5.30am.
Quite successful really if u ask me as ive not let him sleep in tbe bedroom as ive always been scared hel scratch, bute etc to wake me up an hurt me in tbe process but he didnt.....now hubby is on similar shift tonight so do i repeat last night or what? This is stressing me out as i want whats best for the cat.

In answer to #Keika no we feed him at 11pm then go to bed that was what worked after we got him as ge was not really hungry again until then and it also doubled as a we feed u its bedtime now an the kughts go iut an we fo to bed. That works its the issue of hubbys new shifts which changes it as if i done the routine itd work but then hubby would coe in an disturb ut all so if the lights stay on an hubby feeds him then i thought that would have been better! Garfield is clingy to me thats the issue! Sorry to bebd your ears this has hust been a total new experience and learning curve fir me becoming a fur mummy for the first time. Thanks for your time and patience with me xxx
 
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tabbytom

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What you can do is cat safe your house. This is the first step. Do you allow your kitty to free roam in the house? If yes, your problem is half solved or completely solved.
It takes time for a cat to get into routines. Best if they start young. Otherwise it'll take a longer time and lots of patience.
I really can't tell you what to do but I'll just share how we go through the nights.
My boy came to us at 3 weeks old and he free roam in the house and only sleeps in his cage every night till he was around 3 1/2 months old. We trained him to go into the cage by himself when it's time to sleep at 11pm (it took awhile to for him to get the idea). Then we turn off the lights. And if we don't have the lights off, I placed a large towel over the cage to shield him from the lights. He made noise in the beginning but we ignored him.
After cat proofing our house, we let him free roam in the night but he chose to sleep on the bed with us. Fast forward, his last meal is usually around 8pm, if not, latest maybe near 10pm occasionally. I'll play with him and pump him out till he pants and after he does his last pee, he'll be on the bed cleaning and then he'll sleep. That is between 9.30pm and 11pm. He'll wake up around near 4am and asked to be let out and will come into the room at 5am and asked to be fed, which I'll wake up to feed him around 5.15am. Sometimes, he refuses to come in so we just leave the room door ajar and he'll come in later to sleep while we are already in dreamland. If not some nights we just leave door ajar so that he can move in and out without disturbing us.
I'm not saying that what I said will work for you but you can try.
 
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Tink84

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Well our house is a small modern bunker house so we have the kitchen diner and livingroom downstairs, the stairs are in the living room and then we have 2 bedrooms and a small bathroom so he has free rin of the downstairs and stairs/landing but not our bedrooms unless we choose to let him in. He was coping fine with that on a normal evening as he sleeps just outside the room in his bed and comes and goes to his food/water/litter tray and toys etc all night. Hes broken a few vertical blinds in our bedroom so dont like him having free run in there but after last night may be the best option now as we left the door a jar an he slept 4hrs then took himself off when he woke up. Oh well looks like il have to eitger grin and bare it ir do something different.
I really do appreciate all ure advice x
 

tabbytom

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How old is your kitty? They go through different phases when they are young. Things they like to do now, they might not be interested after awhile. So just be patience with her and try to adapt to what she is doing.
 

msaimee

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I was slso going to ask how old your kitty is. Once they become a year old, they tend to settle down and sleep through the night. I leave dry food out for my five cats 24/7 and they have access to all of my house. Two of them sleep with me in the bed. Young cats, however, are more active and play during the night, but they outgrow this usually after a year. You may want to play with your cat with a wand toy or laser toy 15 minutes before you go to bed to tire him out, and leave dry food out for him if you aren't already. You might also want to consider getting him a cat buddy to play with. If one of my cats get bored while I'm sleeping, they chase each other around and play and leave me alone.
 
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Tink84

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Hes 5 months old and loves to play and is very close an clingy with me its me he loves his snuggles with. Like i say the usual routine mostly works its just going to be them nights hubby has a late shift that will cause us most stress an confusion to him. If im honet its also an issue that i hobestly didnt feel my house was that small until he came along and there is no way of giving him free run of mist of the house but while its far away enough to not disturb us while sleepig as all other tines of the day he gets lots of attention and i play with him 3 or not times a day to be honest xx so its just what to do in thise late nights x
 
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Tink84

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MsAimee- I have a laser qhich he does love but i hate ising it as he always seems confused and worked up when the game has ended as to wear it has gone. It does make him tired thou. Hubby home at 11pm tonight so il wait up and go to bed with him as im not sure if that was what confused him that i went to bed sn also didnt feed him hubby did but i cant wait up till gubbys home and ready for bed just to feed kitty!!?! I am thinking of trying him on wet food nxt week so hoping that will fill him as well as the dry food so il give him his usual dry food portion in the morning, then around 7pm il give him some wet food then abt 11 il give him the rest of his allowance on dr food. Hopefully hel feel fuller and more satisfied then too so that may help!? I feel lije i sound stupid but i just want us all to be happy an make sure most importantly that hes happy!! X
 

tabbytom

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How much wet food are you feeding him and how many times a day? He's only 5 months old and he's still very much a kitten. Feed him as much as he can eat and do a routine feed for him. If he's fed enough, he'll proably rest and sleep more.
So the amount of food must equal to how many times he's fed. For example - xx amount of food by 5 times a day. - xxx amount of food by 4 times a day. Meaning, less food, more times. More food, less times. This way you'll get him to eat at a fixed time. If you don't want to wait till your hubby come home then you feed him, time his last feed when your hubby's home and ask your hubby to feed him, if he don't mind. This way, your kitty will associate your hubby with food and not only you. So either one of you can feed him and not only your kitty will eat only when you feed him.
My boy does not ask for food after 8pm which is is last feed.
Also get your kitty neutered when he's 6 months old. Neutering him will do him good. And most importantly, DO NOT declaw him :nono:

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msaimee

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An easy solution is to leave out a bowl of dry kitten chow 24/7. Still feed him the wet food, but make dry food available all the time. Also, have you ever had him dewormed? Almost all kittens have parasites and need a dewormer medication. Drontal costs only $5 a tablet and your vet can prescribe it. Kittens with parasites will cry alot and be restless.
 
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Tink84

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Hi thanks again for your replies.
#Tabbytom I have not introduced the wet food yet except for tea spoon fulls in his dry food once a day to get him used to it but going to introduce it properly next week as im off all week so can do it properly then.
MsAimee- yes he has been wormed twice since i got him it was part of his kitten intro package at my vets hes just been neutered too at the weekend so we are on top of all that....havent seen any channge in him yet thou as he is quite an active kitten.

Thanks again for all your replies they r ever so helpful i appreciate it xx
 

Primula

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I wish you all the best with him. Remember - all he wants is to be safe & secure & loved. Which is exactly what you are doing. Kudos to you!
 

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I put a dog carrier in my bedroom with a table top I made on it. Small cat carrier will work, too. At night they go into the carrier which has two round, fluffy beds and they settle down right away. No fussing, even in the morning. We let them out when we get up. They are happy to be in the same room and they know it is settle down time.
 
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Tink84

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I am finding it really hard because its literally luck of the draw if we have a good or bad night with him. Some nights he will sleep right through till abt 6.30am which is fine we let him in for a snuggle then but other nights he will literally cry persistently from when we go to bed until we let him in then that situation is luck of the draw if he settles with us or starts messing in the blinds etc if he does we shoo him him out the room as i want him to realise its a luxury being let in our room and only if hes going to be good can he stay in lol.....i have put a pillow on the floor for him to curl up on and again some nights he does some he doesnt....ive just realised that while hes a kitten hes gonna be a little terrir lol but will hopefully calm down an find what works as hes a little older. Fingers crossed x
 
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nydjasams

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You really need to restrict his territory. If he is right near you in a carrier, in a fuzzy bed, he won't fuss. Give it a try and if it works, get a larger one, later. My two don't fuss even if we sleep-in until I0am.
 

msaimee

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Many cats, especially kittens, would fuss if put in a carrier at night and cry and try to get out. My cats wouldn't tolerate it. Since the blinds tend to be an issue, is there a way you could cat- proof them? Perhaps pull them up at night and use curtains? Sometimes it is just a matter of outsmarting the cat. For example, the feral kitten I took in a half year ago kept jumping into and playing with the dirt in my large palm tree plant. I covered the dirt part with aluminum foil and secured it with duct tape, and there's still plenty of room for me to water it. This has worked, and the kitten no longer bothers the plant. In another few months, I will likely be able to remove the foil because my kitten will be a mature cat. All kittens go through this type of behavior, as well as periods of rambunctious play during the night. All I can say is that a day will come when yor rambunctious kitten is a lazy cat who sleeps most of the day, and you'll miss having him as a kitten LOL.
 
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