Inspired by "Bedtime is Bedtime"... I NEED HELP!

alainabug

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MrsLarry, I feel your pain. Oh, how I feel your pain!

My little guy, Finnegan, is VERY active. I feel just horrible because I'm not home much to play with him (I'm working two jobs at the moment). I get home at night and he follows me around and plops down on the floor to watch me get ready for bed.

I try to feed my cats right before I go to bed. I figure maybe they'll get sleepy after they eat? Or, at the very least, Finnegan will be occupied long enough for me to get cozy in bed.

I swear, though, no matter what time I go to bed, he waits until I've fallen asleep and very sneakily crawls under my bed. Then he starts scratching the bejesus out of the metal bed frame. Right. Under. My. Head.

I've tried ignoring him, but this can go on repeatedly, every half hour, throughout an entire night.

Lately, because I've been so exhausted, I've resorted to putting him in the spare room for the night (I feel so terrible!!) so I can get a little sleep. It's started becoming such an issue that when I leave him out all night, I get no sleep and end up late for work. He's got his food, water, litter and a million toys in that little room, but I feel so MEAN!

My point is this... Do you think that if I ignore him that eventually he'll stop? I keep hoping that since I snatch him up as soon as he starts scratching on my bed frame that he'll put two and two together and stop. I have a feeling, though, that he's trying to get my attention because he's bored and misses me.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!
 
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alainabug

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PS. I mean ignore him while I'm trying to sleep... not ignore him all the time.
 

gabby

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I know it is hard when you feel your kitty is lonely.

Sounds like he is saying "mommie, I want your attention...please play with me!"
I would try to a least set aside some time each day and play with Finnegan. Even if it is a half an hour when you get home. This might tire the little fellow out and will reinforce that you still love and care for him.

Good Luck.
 

beckiboo

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My kids go to bed at 8 pm (sorta), so this often gives the cats the signal that it is bedtime. Then they tear up and down the hallway with rough play, and tire themselves out for bed.
When ready, they climb in bed with the sleeping kids. (Usually dd, sometimes ds.)

Maybe if you get in bed 1/2 hour early, so you aren't so tired, you can snuggle and play in bed with Finny. If he starts scratching, just call him up onto the bed. Or use a dangly toy for over the edge of the bed. This way, he gets his play in. And he isn't being reinforced for annoying behavior (hopefully).

Maybe over the summer you could have a neighbor kid that you trust visit him once a day for some extra attention since you are gone so much. That would help him pass his days quicker!
 
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alainabug

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These are good ideas. I know that part of the problem is that he misses me during the day. I try to play with him some before bed, but usually I just crash after I walk in the door.

I bought him a harnass and a leash and I'm going to try and walk him now and then (I had him outside the other day and it was a riot!). Once my schedule calms down some, this should get easier.

Poor little Finnegan. Sigh.

Thanks for the input!
 

golden_moon_luv

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WELL, you can try placing him in a closed room away from you. I put my cats in a seperate room at night and they can play and sleep in there all night and in the morning you can let em out. It works for me Or buy a laser light and let them chase it around on the floor.


Ashely
 
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alainabug

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I've thought of that. I've tried shutting the kitties in together so they're not lonely, but my older cat is used to sleeping with me (if he wants) and will tear the carpet up. When I shut just my door, he tears the carpet up too. I'm getting little holes by the door frames and I live in an apartment. Eep!

PS. That picture is ADORABLE!
 

bigorangemenace

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I used to sleep on a HORRIBLE old bed that would bend down VERY uncomfortably, so I had to put a tall box full of things under the bed, so the mattress wouldnt go down all funky. ELLIOT O_O OMG! He used to play and bite and scratch at that box O_O I had to keep him in my room at night because my mom's friends dog who we had would get in and eat all the cat food, and the cats were afraid of him and they would fight. And he would pull on the door with his paw!!! O_O ARGH!! The dog was older though and had a stroke an dhad to be put down, and after that we didnt have to keep him in the room anymore, BUT BY GOD TO THIS DAY I STILL SLEEP WITH A PILLOW ON MY HEAD! O_O I have to have like almost total silence in order to go asleep.. when I didnt have extra pillows (we bought more) i used to take my pants out of the drawer and put them on my head to block out sound XD It wasnt unusual to see me in the morning with cotton balls in my ears, pants on my head followed by a pillow, and then a large stuffed animal, and then I pulled the covers over my head. I still sleep with th epillow on my head but not for hearing reasons just for comfort O_O


* bought him a harnass and a leash and I'm going to try and walk him now and then *

As long as you dont tell him YOU are walking HIM to his face :p cats understand that kind of stuff, an dhe will be uncooperative. DO you need any advice about harnesses, leashes an cats? or does your cat accept hte leash and harness? the best thing to do is to just snap it on the cat and follow him. You CAN get a cat to walk on a leash, as in go in the direction YOU want to go in, but it takes a while (elliot will go which ever way I want with a slight tug in the right direction, but when he gets sick of going where I want to go and wants to go where he wants he will pull out of his harness)
 

esrgirl

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My rabbit does this under my dresser. Obviously you cat isn't a rabbit- but if he's mostly focusing on that particular part of your bed, maybe cutting off access to it would help. Stacking things up around my dresser is a bit of an eyesore, but it keeps her from destroying the carpet there- and thus making a lot of noise. For some reason she doesn't do this anywhere else.
 
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alainabug

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Oh, what a mess, BOM!! I don't want to have to resort to sleeping with pants and pillows on my head!! LOL!

Meanwhile, Finnegan is fine with the harnass. I clipped the leash on him inside my apartment to see what he'd do with it. He wanted to play with it. He spent quite a while with it dragging behind him and he'd attack it every now and then. He's a nerd. I'm going to see how he does OUTSIDE tonight. Wish me luck!!

Esrgirl - Blocking his path to underneath my bed is a good idea. I'm just not sure what to use to get in his way? Pillows? I wonder if he'd just plow through them. It's probably worth a try, though!
 
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alainabug

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Okay, I tried creating a barracade all around my bed. I took every pillow I had in the house and stuffed them around the base of my bed.

This was just very exciting for Finnegan and did not deter him. He wriggled his way between the pillows. The only thing I accomplished was making it more difficult to get him out of there.

Sigh.

Thanks for the help, though!
 

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I have a very similar problem! My little guy Skeet is a meower! that is all he does! he literally sits on my head, not beside but on it, and meows at the top of his lungs all night long. We have tried locking him and Delco (my special little girl) but he just sits at the door of the spare room and yells. It isn't that he doesn't get enough attention, we cuddle with him all the time. I just don't know what to do. His litter will be fresh, he has a full bowl of food, fresh water and lots of love but still he feels the need to walk around the aprtment and cry at the top of his lungs! we have tried everyting but nothing works, so if anyone out there has and advise please let me know......I take him for walks as well with a harness and he just loves it! If a cat will do it (my girl won't even stick around when I bring out the harness, she HATES it)take them out it is so nice, esspecially on a nice summer day!
 
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alainabug

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Maybe Finnegan and Skeet can be friends. Sigh.
I wish they would just learn English already. Then I could sit Finnegan down (and you could sit Skeet down) and say, "Listen here, little man. Mom needs to sleep or she's going to be grumpy and resent you for a good twenty minutes in the morning. You're making her late to work, so chill."
 
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